Showing posts with label Pace Lake. Show all posts

Monday, June 24, 2019

The Sheep Creek Jeep Trail

By Jerry Smith

Not long after we moved to Grand Junction, Colorado in '85, I began exploring area Jeep trails in my ’73 CJ5 (Old Blue). As a traveling salesman at the time, my time off from work was extremely rare and valuable.

New to Grand Junction (GJT) and seldom home, I had nearly no local friends to find out about the area. The answer was to take a map of the area and draw a 50-mile radius circle around GJT and go drive ALL Jeep trails within that circle.

It took till about 2009 to be able to say I accomplished that goal and then a little, but it’s safe to say that at one time or another, I have traveled 98% of all Jeep trails in that circle and many beyond.

During that time frame, we (Old Blue, Happy Trails [my ’06 Rubicon] and I) managed to find some trails in need of some TLC. Trails that Mother Nature had closed for one reason or another were not to be ignored like most people do. In my younger and healthier years, when an impassable obstacle presented on a Jeep trail, we simply removed or repaired it.

To me, THAT is just part of the Jeeping experience. You see a problem and remedy it. Overcoming obstacles is part of the fun. Opening a new trail or reopening an old trail is something few of us ever have the pleasure of… and yes, it definitely is a pleasure. But you must find the opportunity to do it!

Exploring every sidetrack is the way of finding old and new opportunities. They are out there. If nothing else, look at the trails that have been closed by land management. There ARE possibilities of reopening them if you get creative and solve the problems that caused the closure in the first place.

The first trail with that kind of show-stopping problems we worked on was the Pace Lake road. The bottom of the road showed lots of erosion damage. Tons of rock falls littered the road. Some required removal to get by, so we rolled them into some of the deep “V” channels cut into the lower side of the road to slow the erosion.

Happy Trails on Pace Lake

Part of the trail goes through an old burn and several of the old dead snags had blown down over the road. The tracks in the trail were common. People would drive up to the first tree blocking the road and turn around. Between a hand saw and the winch, we moved several trees to get to the first main obstacle.

This obstacle turned out to be a 3-foot wide gash snaking its way down the road about 3-feet deep and 75-yards long. Trying to straddle the trench only resulted in the first body damage to Happy Trails. Now it was a working Jeep… not a pleasure Jeep.

Before I worked on the ditch, there was a short walk up the trail to make sure all that work would be worth the effort. From that walk, I knew there was a big rock fall not far up the trail, but it looked like something we could get around.

So… for the next few hours, I threw everything I could find in that ditch. Trees, limbs, rocks, dirt, and sweat mostly filled it in. There was some REAL satisfaction when we drove the full length of that thing!

At the big rock fall, taking a turn around the first kitchen table-size rock, we started to climb the high-side bank of the road to evade another large boulder. That would have worked well except the rear slid over into the boulder we were trying to avoid and broke the plastic wheel cap (the second damage to Happy Trails) on the right rear.

After a few more trees, we finally reached the top and end of the Pace Lake trail. The lake is on the Utah side of the border, which is on the wrong side of the fence to the JB Ranch. The JB Ranch has an agreement with the Fish and Wildlife as a private hunting preserve and they are adamant about trespassers.

** As a side note, we are working with the USFS, BLM, and a private landowner to connect the top of the Pace Lake trail to another trail to make a loop trail. This is going through the Manti-La Sal Forest Planning presently. See – opportunities!! **

Next came the Calamity Mesa Loop Trail. This one had been closed for an estimated 25+ years. Calamity Mesa took some help from two Jeep Clubs to officially open the first half of the trail. The second half was mostly just myself again. The Calamity Mesa Loop Trail is a 19-mile loop from the trailhead to the end. If you count the mile from the end to the trailhead, it’s 20-miles.

The Twisted Drop obstacle winds up your suspension.

Calamity Mesa also has one other smaller 5-mile loop and another trail on top of the mesa from the airstrip to an intersection with the big loop that we reopened. There is a library full of uranium mining history in the area and some drop dead beautiful scenery.

Narrow shelf roads sometimes scare people.

Next, we found Flat Top Mesa closed due to two monstrous rocks blocking the road. This one took some extreme nerve to drive past the second rock. Your paint was less than 1” from being removed by the rock because you tipped into the rock as you passed it. Those were some intense moments the first few times we drove this trail alone.

People have elected to pass driving their pretty paint jobs through this on the two trips we have lead up this trail.

Next was the Coon Hollow Jeep Trail. This was marked on BLM maps as a “Jeep trail”, but it had not been used by full-size vehicles for many years and had grown in tight to ATV width with four-foot tall sagebrush on both sides and had some deep washes to deal with. It took a lot of work to reopen Coon Hollow.

Coon Hollow has some difficult crawls

When we did the work, the area was still managed as “open” to cross country travel, so what we did was legal for you who are touchy about such things. We created bypasses of two washouts of the trail and trimmed and trampled miles of the tall sagebrush to reestablish a full-width trail again.

Coon Hollow has become another “highlight” trail for our annual Rock Junction event.

The Coon Hollow wash can be tricky

South Beaver Mesa was next. This one is a steep, narrow, heavily eroded shelf road down to an old cowboy camp. The trail is a great Jeep experience for seasoned drivers. Others may find it frightening.

In 2018 I was contacted by the Paonia Forest Service office and asked it we would come and widen a Jeep trail by cutting miles of heavy overgrown brush back. It took two trips, but we got it done.

So. Beaver Mesa is steep, rocky, and eroded.

Just counting these trails, that is over 100-miles of Jeep trails that we have been responsible for reopening. Some we must work on nearly every year just to maintain them. Sheep Creek is a prime example.

In the fall of 2018, a nasty storm hit the upper region of the Sheep Creek Jeep Trail. It brought down tons of debris off the mountainside onto the road and severely eroded the road surface. This is a common occurrence on Sheep Creek. Once or twice each year this trail is subject to closure by Mother Nature.

Sometime during the winter of ‘18/’19, more storm damage added to the previous carnage and added a humungous rock (15’ tall and the width of the road) to our problems. Sheep Creek is part of one of the favorite trips we lead people on for our Rock Junction event. Having it closed was not going to make some people happy.

Steep and winding is Sheep Cr.

Because of all the damage and the huge rock, we met with the BLM to discuss what could be done to reopen the trail “legally”. Our club has a very strong working relationship with the local BLM. They gave us some parameters to work within to reopen the trail.

Sunday, May 19^th began as a workday to reopen the Sheep Creek trail. We started out with a good-size crew of eager beavers ready to move the world if necessary. In reality, they turned out to be a worthless bunch that never moved a rock all day. Not even one shovel full of dirt turned. It wasn’t their entire fault, though.

While airing down at the Sheep Creek trailhead, a phone call from Keri informed us that a crawler tractor had already been up the trail and had removed all obstacles. Work party disaster!

With that news, we lost Jeff and his buggy. The rest of us decided to run the trail through to Glade Park. On our way to the top, over the radio comes word that Luke will be riding through Granite Creek where the word is there are “rock falls” near the “homestead”.

The exit from Granite Cr. is a steep, narrow, rocky shelf road

After a brief stop at the cabin near the top of the Sheep Creek trail, Roger’s freshly “repaired” LS powered JKU shot another code and became questionable, so the Bartons turned around with Dick following and left the mountain (we hope).

Topping the trail, we elected to head for a meeting with Keri somewhere along the trail toward Glade Park. She couldn’t explain her location, so we were on a search and find mission. On the radio, we were still hearing bits and pieces of what had been found down on Granite Creek. The broken radio reception didn’t sound all that bad, so we did a quick turnaround and headed down Lost Horse Canyon on the way to Granite Creek Canyon.

After about 8-miles of travel, we stopped at the “homestead” and glassed a pickup that could be seen on the shelf road exit from the canyon bottom. Even with drone flyover pictures, the overall predicament with the truck could not be determined, so up the road we went.

Just a short walk around a corner from the pickup was a serious rockfall blocking forward progress. A quick look and some thoughts about it made me think we “could” move the big rocks enough to pass, but taking the walk around the corner made the effort fade into oblivion. Not only was there another large rock partially blocking the road, but also a disabled pickup with unbelievable body damage and what appeared to be a broken front axle sat smack in the middle of the road. Game over!

Back out through Granite Creek Canyon and Lost Horse Canyon to the road to Glade Park.

Overall, it was a good (long) day of Jeeping. Many in the group saw some new country and trails they had never traveled, so all was not lost. One of the Rock Junction favorite trails is again useable and we only had one and a half casualties. I forgot to mention that Dick aired down two tires TOTALLY. Whoops!!

This should give you some ideas of what can be done for motorized trail access “IF” someone takes the lead and follows through. Of course, having support from other people makes this happen easier, but that all-important “point man” is VITAL to things like this! Are YOU that person?

One of the first things you must do is get on a first name basis with local land managers. Being on their speed dial is even better. You’ll get better cooperation if they know and trust you.

One last thing… always remember when you come to a fork in the road, Yogi said; “Take it!” That is the first step to finding opportunities.

Monday, May 27, 2019

Gaining Jeep Trail Access

By Jerry Smith

Not long after we moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, I began exploring area Jeep trails in my ’73 CJ5 (Old Blue). As a traveling salesman at the time, my time off from work was extremely rare and valuable.

Image may contain: mountain, grass, sky, plant, outdoor and nature

Happy Trails leading on Sheep Cr.

The first trail with that kind of show-stopping problems we worked on was Pace Lake. Part of the trail goes through an old burn and several of the old dead snags had blown down over the road. The tracks in the trail were common. People would drive up to the first tree and turn around. Between a hand saw and the winch, we moved several trees to get to the first main obstacle.

Off-Camber on Pace Lake

This turned out to be a 3-foot wide gash snaking its way down the road about 3-feet deep and 75-yards long. Trying to straddle the trench only resulted in the first body damage to Happy Trails. Now it was a working Jeep… not a pleasure Jeep. (I prefer working Jeeps)

On the Pace Lake trail

At the big rock fall, taking a turn around the first kitchen table-size rock, we started to climb the high-side bank of the road to evade another large boulder. That would have worked well except the rear slid over into the boulder and broke the plastic wheel cap on the right rear. (the second damage to Happy Trails)

This stump was a tree growing in the middle of the road showing how long the trail had been closed.


The Calamity Mesa Loop trail has 10-named obstacles to add some excitement.

Next, we found Flat Top Mesa closed due to two monstrous rocks blocking the road. This one took some extreme nerve to drive past the second rock. Your paint was less than 1” from being removed by it as you passed it. Those were some intense moments the first few times we drove this trail alone.

That rock on the right is close to the paint.

People have elected to pass driving their pretty paint jobs through this on the two trips we have lead up this trail.

Next was the Coon Hollow Jeep Trail. This was marked on BLM maps as a “Jeep trail”, but it had not been used by full-size vehicles for many years and had grown in tight to ATV width with four-foot tall sagebrush and had some deep washes to deal with. It took a lot of work to reopen Coon Hollow.

This wash was "washed out" by a flash flood

Coon Hollow has become another “highlight” trail for our annual Rock Junction event.

A dugout at the Cowboy Camp on So. Beaver Mesa

In 2018 I was contacted by the Paonia Forest Service office and asked if we would come and widen a Jeep trail by cutting miles of heavy overgrown brush back. It took two trips, but we got it done.

Trimming the Lone Cabin Trail

Sometime during the winter of ‘08/’09, more storm damage added to the previous carnage and added a humungous rock (15’ tall and the width of the road) to our problems. Sheep Creek is part of one of the favorite trips we lead people on for our Rock Junction event. Having it closed was not going to make some people happy.

This rock blocked Sheep Creek

While airing down at the Sheep Creek trailhead, a phone call from Keri informed us that a crawler tractor had already been up the trail and had removed all obstacles. Work party disaster!

With that news, we lost Jeff and his buggy. The rest of us decided to run the trail through to Glade Park. On our way to the top, over the radio comes word that Luke had ridden through Granite Creek where the word is there are “rock falls” near the “homestead”.

Back out through Granite Creek Canyon and Lost Horse Canyon to the road to Glade Park.

One last thing… always remember when you come to a fork in the road, Yogi said; “Take it!” That is the first step to finding opportunities.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Pace Lake Trail (part 1)

Pace Lake Trail (part 1)

Along the Happy Trails

Oct / 2007

By: Jerry Smith

The Pace Lake road was one trip we (Happy Trails – [my Jeep] and I) had been looking forward to trying again since last fall.

That first attempt at Pace Lake had ended in failure when some very dark clouds came over the mountain right above Pace Lake when we were about one-quarter of the way up the mountain and we retreated as fast as possible.

Sinbad Valley

Two things you need to know about the lower Pace Lake road are:

• When it rains in Sinbad Valley, the Pace Lake road becomes incredibly slick.

• If it rains enough in Sinbad Valley, Salt Creek canyon... the only way in or out of the valley for water or vehicle, can flash flood making access either extremely dangerous or nonexistent.

Just days before we traveled through Salt Creek Canyon toward Sinbad Valley last fall there had been a gully washer rain in Sinbad Valley.

Another view of Sinbad Valley. Looking over the southeast rim you can see Lone Cone Mountain and some of the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, CO. On a really clear day, this view will draw your eyes so hard, they hang out on your cheeks.

Salt Creek cuts across the road into Sinbad Valley twice and in both crossings, it was clear that the roaring water had been 3 to 4 feet deep. That was warning enough. This day had rain in the forecast too.

Salt Creek shows some of the salty remnants after a storm in Sinbad Valley.

If you Jeep in canyon country or in the desert, you learn to watch the area weather closely... one way or the other!

After entering Sinbad Valley and about halfway to the foot of the mountain toward Pace Lake, the road had signs of what it would be like if real wet.

One track or the center of the road was cut up to 24" deep with nearly vertical walls snaking back and forth across the road from rain and snow runoff.

Narrow and off-camber enough to make the view off the lower roadside a dandy for a passenger.

That day, the clay-like surface was just barely damp and it still built up in the tires limiting traction to near nothing. Being here while it rained would be "really dumb".   

Staying out of the deep channel was a full-time job but soon the elevation changed enough that there was a river rock-like surface that was "slow-going" rough.

This gives you some idea of how deep the washes down the road were. This was taken years after and erosion has filled the channel considerably. The ditches were once 3-times as deep and the sides were nearly vertical as they wandered back and forth across the road.

Sinbad Valley is a bowl with 800 - 1400 foot high, near vertical cliffs surrounding all but the Salt Creek canyon.

Millions of years ago, it was a small salty sea that dried up leaving a salt dome the full width of the valley floor. It is thought that the weight of dust blown in over many years, of Utah's southern region, eventually collapsed the dome.

This helps explain that the water going down Salt Creek is about 2/3 as salty as seawater. The creek bottom turns white with salt as the creek recedes and dries.    

Nearing the bottom of the mountain, the road splits. As the general direction toward Pace Lake was to the right, we took the right fork.

In about 200 yards, we came to the remnants of an old log cabin. The current resident (a lizard) ducked for cover as I rummaged around taking pictures. My original thoughts were that this might be a "rustlers" cabin. A reader of this post called me and told me his rancher grandfather had built the cabin. (my story sounded better)

An old rancher's cabin remnants.

Back on the road, we immediately began a steep climb on a loose, rocky shelf road. Another 100 yards brought us to a bad scene. The lower side of the road no longer existed. It was a deep, wide channel at least 3-4 feet deep and about as wide.

After walking up the steep, rocky road nearly a quarter mile, it was determined that this way was not going to be passable without some very serious excavating. We backed down to the cabin and turned around for a look at the other fork.

The left fork of the road circled the foot of the mountain with another fork along the way. Staying right, we came to a wash that looked intimidating.

The close bank was almost 5 feet straight down and then the climb out began exactly at the foot of the mountain. This was no hill for a climber. 

After some "shovel work", we crossed the wash, we began climbing the fairly steep shelf road.

This shows just a little of the off-camber one can expect on the Pace Lake road.

The road narrows as you go with deep V-cuts in the lower side from runoff and many large rocks scattered from the hillside above littered the roadway.

The first mile or so required nearly two hours of work moving rocks over the side and into the V-cuts to slow the erosion and preserve the road for later trips.

Mother Nature had closed the Pace Lake road for at least two years according to the BLM. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we had a goal in mind that drove us onward.

A little way up the mountainside, an old burn is still evident. Old burnt trees still stand though many have fallen or are about to.

Some people don't appreciate a good obstacle when they come to it. This one once provided a terrific view as you drove to the extreme limits of the lower roadside with the inside of your tires clinging to the very edge of doom. Oh well!

Coming to a fork where the eroded road from the cabin intersects, the road begins a steep, rocky, and deeply ditched climb up a clay-like surface.

There was a large burnt fir tree across the road blocking progress just above the intersection. Even ATVs had not been above this for a very long time.

Getting out to see about removing the tree, I looked up and saw a terribly black storm cloud rolling over the mountain above in the direction of where Pace Lake would be.

It was on this corner where the large fir blocked the road for years.

Having the knowledge of what rain meant to the road and creek below, it seemed like a very good time to get out of there.

By the time we hit the bottom of the mountain it had begun to rain. This was not good!

Long before we got to the clay portion of the Pace Lake road, the rain had thoroughly wet it making it exactly slick. Staying clear of the deep cut washes in the road was very difficult, but we were doing well... until a large rock protruding up from the right side of the road left only inches between the left side tires and the deep ditch. Add to that the off-camber leaning toward the deep ditch tripled the danger.

After 4 unsuccessful attempts to pass by the rock, we finally slid into the ditch and became high centered with the axles firmly on the ground. Bummer! Pace Lake had just become very difficult.

As it was raining hard, I decided to wait for the storm to pass (I hoped). After a half-hour, it let up enough to get out without becoming too wet and cold.

Doing the "twist" is common on the Pace Lake Road.

After a quick assessment of the situation, out came the winch line to a nearby tree and soon the recovery from this predicament was over.

Luckily the creek had not swollen much and we left the Pace Lake road for another day.

Note: To continue this story, read PART-2 here.

  One last thought; When you come to a fork in the road, take it! This is where the adventure begins.  

Happy Trails to you.  

Note: Most of the pictures here are from other trips.