Valley Dirt Riders Meetup

We will be camping at the Keysville Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). A map of the Keysville area can be downloaded by clicking this link.

There are north and south entrances for the Keysville Special Recreation Management Area. We will be camping at the north entrance which has space for OHV staging. This entrance also offers access to the area’s trails.

I will post more details as we get closer to the date.

These organizers are not professional guides or trained leaders and are not medically trained to handle emergencies. Please carry a personal medical emergency kit and any medications you need. If you require emergency rescue services, the cost of such services are your responsibility. If you want to purchase GEOS SARS 100 $39.95 / year. You must have your own Garmin InReach device or I can add you to my plan. If added to my plan it will only be valid when riding with me. I need 48 hours advance notice to add you to my plan.
(https://files.delorme.com/support/inreachwebdocs/GEOS_Search_and_Rescue.pdf).
Motorized off-road driving/riding is an inherently dangerous activity that can lead to serious injuries including but not limited to slip and fall injuries, fractures, rattlesnake bites, heat exhaustion, poison oak, ticks and frostbite.
By participating in this event/ride, you agree to not hold these organizers liable for any harm that may come to you, your guests, or your property. Always remember to let the event organizer know if you are leaving the group.

We are planning a camp-n-ride in Lone Pine in early May. Hoping the snow will be passable on the Swansea trail.

We will be camping at Diaz Lake and we will be reserving 2 group camp sites. The cost for the group sites is only $35/night and can hold 15 rigs. If you decide to stay in the group sites, I will post a link in this meetup that will take you to my website where you can select the number of nights and pay me directly on the site. You can also book your own site via Reserve America.

These are dry camping sites (water may be available). Many of their sites are in the trees, and some are lake front (check Google Earth or Google Maps Sat View). If you want full hookup's, you can book a site at Boulder Creek RV Resort, or stay in a motel in town. Boulder Creek also has cabins, and we will be starting our rides on the dirt road next to the resort. It is about a 10 minute ride from Diaz Lake.

Cerro Gordo Ride
This is an historical 4x4 trail to Saline-Owens-Valley Tram and Cerro Gordo Ghost Town via the Swansea Grade. It starts at 3500 feet and climbs up into the Inyo mountains to over 9000 feet.

The Saline Valley cable tramway was constructed between 1910 and 1913 by the Saline Valley Salt Works to transport salt deposits from the Salt Lake in Saline Valley over the Inyo Mountains to Owens Valley. Gondola cars carrying 800 pounds of salt, traversed the tramway at a rate of 20 tons per hour. A total of 30,000 tons of high-grade salt was carried over the tramway on and off through the early 1930’s.

Cerro Gordo was the first major silver strike in Owens Valley. By 1869, the mine was the largest producer of silver and lead in California, yielding ores that assayed at least as high as $300 per ton. Gross production of the Cerro Gordo mine from its early profitable years up until 1938 was about $17 million. About 70 miles round-trip

Reward Mine Ride
On Saturday we will hit the Reward Mine (which you can drive into. We will then make a stop at the Manzanar National Historic Site then on to the Alabama Hills. About 90 miles round-trip.

Alabama Hills Ride
On Sunday we will explore the Alabama Hills. We will navigate through the rocks and view some of the many sites. About 45 miles round-trip.

RIDE OPEN TO
Side by Sides

MINIMUM SKILL LEVEL
Intermediate

ROUTE SUMMARY

• Leave Diaz Lake Campground
• Stage at the Boulder Creek RV Park
• Ride across Owens Dry Lake on a dirt road
• The actual trail starts at Swansea
• Back via Cerro Gordo Rd down to Keeler
• From Keeler, backtrack across Owens Dry Lake

TRAIL CONDITIONS
I will check as we get closer to the ride date. The last time I was hope there, the trail into Cerro Gordo was unpassable so we went back down and took Cerro Gordo Road to the ghost town.

WHERE
The staging area for this ride is next to Boulder Creek but you can get to the staging area from Lake Diaz on a dirt trail; distance is about 2 miles.

Cerro Gordo & Reward Mine staging area coordinates (next to Boulder Creek RV Park):

• Latitude: 36°32'34.14"N
• Longitude: 118° 2'38.31"W

PREREQUISITES:
These rides are approximately 80 miles long. Bring extra fuel if you even think you might need it.

All participants should:

• Have experience doing long trail rides
• Be comfortable on rocky, sandy, off camber trails
• Be comfortable climbing and descending loose rocky trails
• Bring food, water and a coat (temp drops as we climb)

These organizers are not professional guides or trained leaders and are not medically trained to handle emergencies. Please carry a personal medical emergency kit and any medications you need.

Motorized off-road driving/riding is an inherently dangerous activity that can lead to serious injuries including but not limited to slip and fall injuries, fractures, rattlesnake bites, heat exhaustion, poison oak, ticks and frostbite.

By participating in this event/ride, you agree to not hold these organizers liable for any harm that may come to you, your guests, or your property. Always remember to let the event organizer know if you are leaving the group. Stay on the trail, never drive/ride alone and use your own common sense.