Big Tanoak Loop

Distance: 22.7 miles

Climbing:  3304'

Difficulty:  Moderate

Start:  Salyer, CA

The ride starts on South Fork Road, 4.4 miles east of Willow Creek, or 1.1 miles west of Salyer.  There is a turnout on Highway 299 for river access where you can park. 

The ride starts straight off climbing up South Fork Road which is paved. You could do the loop either way, but this route is clockwise so you can get to the world's largest tanoak fastest, choosing an out-and-back, or continuing the loop. One you turn off South Fork Road to 6N12, it is all gravel despite the symbology of the map. The climb is steep in sections requiring mountain bike gearing or low gravel bike gearing. I had a 1x with 36x50. Typical 40x42 gravel gearing would be a grunt, especially on a few short 15% sections. A mountain bike would fun for the descents. There are some options for added distance such as heading out-and-back on the 5N02 to Hennessey Peak or riding out South Fork Road. There are a few terrific long-distance views along the route and some beautiful old growth Douglas-fir forest sections too. I noticed a few flowing streams along the route and one small pond where you could filter water. Otherwise, bring plenty of water during the summer.

The highlight of the ride is the world's largest tanoak. The tanoak was the new National Champion in 1991. At the time, the circumference was 22.5 feet (at 4.5 feet above ground), vertical height was 92 feet and average diameter crown spread was 82 feet.  You'll find the tree by following the ridewithgps route down the 6N31 to where the route stops.  Here there is a trail post and trail up above the road.  

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42003518

 

Smith River Collection

The Smith River in Del Norte County, California has a vast network of gravel roads and mountain bike trails.  The Smith River Guide produced by the Six Rivers National Forest is an excellent resource and includes an overview map as well as descriptions of all the mountain bike trails.  One major note- the guide shows a permanent road block on the 17N05 road, which was repaired the fall of 2020.  This is an important road to access the Bear Basin Lookout from Highway 199 or to complete various gravel loops.  Some of the scenic drives in the guide make good gravel exploration rides.  

There are many reasons to visit the Smith River including:

Amazing forests of old growth trees and rare plants to view along your ride

Great swimming spots in crystal clear water after a hot ride

Scenic vistas at fire lookouts make great cycling destinations

Multiple campgrounds making great base camps or bikepacking stops

I started a Smith River Collection of routes on ridewithgps.  This is a new format for me.  Instead of describing each ride here as a separate blog post, the rides are grouped by zone and described in ridewithgps.  I'm focusing on gravel and mountain bike routes in the Smith River Collection. 

Smith River Lighthouse to Lookouts Bikepacking Route

Distance:  144 miles

Climbing: 25,540'

Difficulty: Epic

The Smith River in Del Norte County, California is a hidden gem located in the extreme northwest corner of the state on the California-Oregon border.  The route travels through state and national parks as well as two national forests including Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Redwood National Park, Smith River National Recreation Area of the Six Rivers National Forest, and a small portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.  Beginning at Battery Point lighthouse on the coast, the route heads straight out of Crescent City to an ancient coast redwood forest.  Within 4 miles the route turns to gravel as it winds through a grove of giant redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.  The forest habitats along the route have a high variety of conifer species and unique plants due to diverse topography, geology, and climate.

• The route crosses all three forks of the Smith River, which is known for its crystal clear water, amazing swimming holes, and abundant native fish and wildlife. The Smith River was added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1981.  It is an undammed and free-flowing river.
• There are many camping options including a backcountry camp, developed campgrounds, dispersed camping, and the Bear Basin Butte USFS rental lookout
• Two existing forestry fire lookouts provide spectacular views
• The route utilizes a network of USFS gravel roads that are generally well maintained with several route options.  The route avoids major highways and is limited to less than 1 mile of highway travel.
• There is year-round water throughout a majority of the route
• Elevation ranges from sea level to just over 5,000 feet. Recommend riding from June to October due to potential for snow at higher elevations. Prime time is July to September to take advantage of warm temperatures and swimming opportunities
• Summers are dry and warm with temperatures ranging from 80-100 F. The rainy season from October to April has an average annual rainfall of 90 plus inches
• The route is climbing intensive with several extended climbs. Recommend ample mountain bike gearing and minimum 2” tires for the singletrack and some rough gravel sections.
• Recommend 3-5 days, but your YMMV

MTB- Tish Tang

Distance: 18
Climbing: 3,826 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Start: Willow Creek

UPDATE December 29, 2019
The trails have not seen regular maintenance and/or have been obliterated by logging.  The Corral trail, Shale trail, and Roller trail are unrideable.  The main roads are still open for a good gravel exploration ride and you can still  hit the downhill trail on the way back out.  I’m preserving the original text below, but be warned it has not been revised.

The Tish Tang DH and access road are on Trailforks but not on MTB Project.

This is a popular mountain bike ride, which is about an hour drive east of Arcata. The course is covers the majority of the expert race course from the old Tish Tang Mountain Bike Race. The trail was established and maintained for many years by Willow Creek mountain bike pioneer John Dostal.

To get to the start take Highway 299 to Willow Creek. Turn north onto Country Club Road, which is the cross street at the Chevron gas station. At 0.9 miles turn left on Patterson Road. Continue on the main road which will pass the Bigfoot Golf Course and wind its way into the forest. At 3.4 miles the road narrows so drive carefully. At 5.1 miles continue straight on Forest Service road 8N03 towards Horse Linto Campground. From this point on the road is poorly maintained. During the winter of 2008 a slide deposited on the road, which is still passable with a 4X4 vehicle or vehicle with good clearance. Horse Linto Campground is located next to Horse Linto Creek and is a simple pit toilet site with no running water. There are three campsites if you choose to spend the night in bigfoot country.

Listed below are some map points. The distance between each point is shown as well as the distance to some of the points from the Horse Linto Campground. Here is what each point represents:

1- Bottom of the downhill trail.
2- Bottom of the roller trail.
3. Intersection of the downhill trail.
4. Intersection of the 8N37 road.
5. Top of the roller trail.
6. Sign Board Gap.
7. Intersection with 7N09 road.
8. Intersection with 8N03T road.
9. Turn right on singletrack beyond the corral.
10. Bottom of singletrack and intersection with 7N09 road.

The most popular ride would be to climb the fire road all the way to the corral trail at point 9, descend down the corral trail to point 10, climb back up to point 7, descend to point 5 on the fire road, take the "roller trail" from point 5 to point 2, ride up to point 3, descend down the "downhill trail" to point 1, and return to the campground. This would give you a total of 18.2 miles and 3826 feet of climbing. However, there are several other trails that are worth checking out. The shale trail is accessed from sign board gap on the 8N14 road. The upper section is steep with a loose shale surface which is very challenging. The upper downhill course is steep and challenging as well. I don't highly recommend it because of its steepness and low frequency of maintenance.


Tish Tang A Tang Map Overview, Click on the image for a larger view or to print it out in landscape view:




Horse Linto Campground:


The top of the roller trail is difficult to find because of recent logging. Look for a large oak tree with a burned out hollow in the base. Head straight downhill to the right of the oak tree and you will pick up the singletrack.


At the top of the corral trail you will enter an old growth Douglas-fir forest:


The main fire road has seen little to no maintenance by the Forest Service and is starting to revert back to nature. At some point we are going to have to clear the main road too:

MTB- Orleans Mountain Trail

This is a special ride which takes an adventurous attitude. I'm not going to post directions or a map because I don't want anyone to get lost. Hopefully, some day I will if the trail conditions improve. There are a couple of tough hike-a-bike sections where the trail disappears and you need a guide or good GPS. For now, check out these fantastic photos from Errin Odell's and Sean Tetrault's recon mission. How does 5,000 feet of descending over 7 miles of singletrack sound?? Not only is the ride epic, but check out the scenery!



Click on a photo for a larger view

MTB- Bremer Boy Scout Trail

Distance: 9 Miles
Climbing: 2342 Feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Start: Willow Creek





UPDATE December 29, 2019

I can’t recommend this ride anymore.  It was obscure when I road it 10 years ago.  Since then there has been no trail maintenance and the access road is sketchy due to cultivation activities.  I could just delete the post but I’m leaving it up.  Who knows, maybe a scout troup will maintain the trail from the bottom so it can be hiked.

The "Boy Scout Trail" is a little known mountain bike ride just above the Bigfoot golf course in Willow Creek. The 2.21 mile singletrack trail is named the "Boy Scout Trail" because it was adopted by Boy Scout Troop 97 of Willow Creek. However, it has only been sporadically maintained over the years by local mountain bikers. The trail was maintained for several years by Willow Creek mountain bike pioneer John Dostal, but has recently fell into disrepair and is seldom used. The upper portion of the trail is blocked because of serious snow damage, which has left a dense layer of young hardwoods in the way. I had to do some serious bushwhacking to find my way. The top of the trail is marked by a small brown sign, which currently has no marking, but used to say Bremer trail. The trail is accessed by the unmarked Forest Service 7N05 road, which crosses private property. There are several new gates and a lot of no trespassing signs. Stay on the main road and follow the map points and you can access the trail. If you run into a locked gate, you have gone the wrong way, except at mile point 5.5 where you want to continue straight through the gate near the Forest Service boundary. The climb is steep and relentless. Bring along your granny gear and expect to use it from mile point 2.8 to the top at 5.9 miles. However, the singletrack is truly unique. The trail is only a foot or so wide, covered in leaf litter, and has several sharp switchbacks that only the "Hans Rey" type could clean. There are a couple of tricky points where the trail disappears in the heavy leaf litter. I hope to improve the trail signage in the future and clean up the top section so it will not be lost to the forest.

To get to the start take Highway 299 to Willow Creek. Turn north onto Country Club Road, which is the cross street at the Chevron gas station. At 0.9 miles turn left on Patterson Road. After 0.5 miles turn right onto Bigfoot Ave and park at the Bigfoot Golf Course on the left. To begin the ride, head back to Patterson Road and follow it north to the 2.8 mile mark where you turn right and begin climbing the gravel fire road.

Overview Map, click on the image for a larger view and to print out in landscape view:


Southern Detail Map, showing the Bremer Boy Scout Trail: