Sierra Fest 2015 Information and discussion thread

[Bryan C.]

A lot of distances posted as "similiar to" other places some of us have never been.

From camp, how far to/from trails in miles, and how much of that is pavement and dirt?

I have to balance not only quasi street legality with my ride, but I have to carry enough fuel to last the entire week at 3-4 MPG.

I will post up some specifics as to distances soon. Need to get out my guidebook for the area and refer to google maps when I have some time to dedicate to it.

When I go there I would gas up at the bottom of the 4 lane grade in the town of Prather. I could drive up the hill and run swamp, run Bald mtn, and still have enough gas to get down the hill and fill up again in Prather.

 

[Ben H]

A lot of distances posted as "similiar to" other places some of us have never been.

From camp, how far to/from trails in miles, and how much of that is pavement and dirt?

I have to balance not only quasi street legality with my ride, but I have to carry enough fuel to last the entire week at 3-4 MPG.

You will have to drive on some pavement if you do the full loop on Swamp. The only pavement driving you should have to do is from the north entrance to the main campsite, which is about 3 miles. I've never had a problem with the rangers or sheriffs up there.

If you run the Dusy, you will have to figure out logistics because the trail ends are about an hour drive on pavement from each other. I usually just drive in, camp, then head out the same way I came in.

All other trails up there can be gotten to by dirt roads.

Cal, you will need to bring a lot of fuel for Swamp. I usually burn through a full tank (15 gallons) on that trail and I think I get around 8mpg...The roads leading to the trail are pretty steep and burn through a lot of fuel...This is typically only a problem for stroked fuel pigs.

 

[Ben H]

I will post up some specifics as to distances soon. Need to get out my guidebook for the area and refer to google maps when I have some time to dedicate to it.

When I go there I would gas up at the bottom of the 4 lane grade in the town of Prather. I could drive up the hill and run swamp, run Bald mtn, and still have enough gas to get down the hill and fill up again in Prather.

I posted a google maps file above

 

[ocean_jet]

I would love to join and run Dusy... however, depending on how much show/rain falls over the winter, Dusy may or may not be open by early August. Back in 2011, we had a Dusy run planned for that same time period and ended up cancelling cause the trail was not open before mid-August:
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1059283&page=3&highlight=Dusy


(Taylor, there goes our plans to hike into Buck Island via Desolation... )

 

[XJensen]

A lot of distances posted as "similiar to" other places some of us have never been.

From camp, how far to/from trails in miles, and how much of that is pavement and dirt?

I have to balance not only quasi street legality with my ride, but I have to carry enough fuel to last the entire week at 3-4 MPG.

What I Got:
Entrance To Swamp Southern Is Accessed All By Dirt. Prob About 5-6 Miles
Exit Swamp Back Down To Camp 13.5 Miles Of Pavement

19 Miles Paved And 6.5 Dirt To Coyote Trail Head. Looks Like A Ton Of Trailer Parking At Coyote Trail Head If You Choose To Tow To It. I Would Like A Local To Confirm.

For Reference Hermit To Slickrock Is 9.5 miles

 

[rocknxj]

I've got dual norcal/socal citizenship. I'll be there...

 

[cal]

When I go there I would gas up at the bottom of the 4 lane grade in the town of Prather. I could drive up the hill and run swamp, run Bald mtn, and still have enough gas to get down the hill and fill up again in Prather.

You will have to drive on some pavement if you do the full loop on Swamp. The only pavement driving you should have to do is from the north entrance to the main campsite, which is about 3 miles. I've never had a problem with the rangers or sheriffs up there.

If you run the Dusy, you will have to figure out logistics because the trail ends are about an hour drive on pavement from each other. I usually just drive in, camp, then head out the same way I came in.

All other trails up there can be gotten to by dirt roads.

Cal, you will need to bring a lot of fuel for Swamp. I usually burn through a full tank (15 gallons) on that trail and I think I get around 8mpg...The roads leading to the trail are pretty steep and burn through a lot of fuel...This is typically only a problem for stroked fuel pigs.

I'm skipping Dusy, too long and dusty for me right now.

Prather probably won't help me, I have a serious doubt they sell 100 octane. I'll have to bring enough fuel in the tow pig to get through the week.

The car holds 34 gallons when its full to the cap, so it should be fine for swamp. I'll have 5 or 6 can's back at camp to refill afterward.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

I feel like maybe adding the Dusy on top of all of this might be too much. Ill probably be there sun/mon before the tues swamp run to hit up some other trails with whoever is out there.

 

[Alboy97XJ]

Thats far for el junky! Unless eric gets a two car trailer

 

[Ben H]

I'm skipping Dusy, too long and dusty for me right now.

Prather probably won't help me, I have a serious doubt they sell 100 octane. I'll have to bring enough fuel in the tow pig to get through the week.

The car holds 34 gallons when its full to the cap, so it should be fine for swamp. I'll have 5 or 6 can's back at camp to refill afterward.

You'd be good to go with that size tank for sure. Thats like $250-$300 to fill that tank right?

 

[knucklehead 61]

I mentioned this in the first post. The camping/main BBQ area is similar in size, or even bigger than Hermit Valley. The tow rig and camping situation should not be of any concern at this point.

As far as being close to the trails, yes the main gathering point is centrally located. The out from Swamp Lake is similar in distance to the drive from Slickrock to Hermit Valley. The majority of time we will be driving on forest service roads as opposed to the main highway.

cool.
can i get a 40' motorhome in there?
it is too long of wheelbase to drive to DV.

 

[EricsXJ]

Thats far for el junky! Unless eric gets a two car trailer

Let's ask Joe! I'm sure he can get the hook up at his new job. Maybe we can talk him into pulling it for us too. :clap:

 

[knucklehead 61]

I'm skipping Dusy, too long and dusty for me right now.

Prather probably won't help me, I have a serious doubt they sell 100 octane. I'll have to bring enough fuel in the tow pig to get through the week.

The car holds 34 gallons when its full to the cap, so it should be fine for swamp. I'll have 5 or 6 can's back at camp to refill afterward.

now that your local to me, if i go i can haul some fuel for you on my trailer if needed.

 

[NorCalChris]

Can't wait. This is so much closer for me and in areas I'm familiar with.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Can't wait. This is so much closer for me and in areas I'm familiar with.

Will you be in 4 wheel drive this year?

 

[Bryan C.]

cool.
can i get a 40' motorhome in there?
it is too long of wheelbase to drive to DV.

There is a long grade up Highway 168, it starts as a nice 4 lane highway but turns into a twisty steep 2 lane road for the last 1/3 of the grade. The road is tight but I don't think there should be any problem getting it there as long as you are comfortable with the steep grade up the hill. The meeting/camping area should have plenty of room for the big motorhome.

 

[smokinu]

i have a bunch of work to do on my heep before i think about saying im in for this trip!

 

[knucklehead 61]

Will you be in 4 wheel drive this year?

wait, does NC Chris even own a front shaft?!? :wow:

 

[XJensen]

wait, does NC Chris even own a front shaft?!? :wow:

He prefers his shaft in the rear. :wow:

 

[twinhauler]

Sounds like a great trip. Swamp lake and bald mount would a great run. Adding Dusy would be tough.I ran dusy with 3 well equiped rigs and took about 18 hours of drive time in 3 days.