AF Canyon/Marry Ellens

[01XJ]

We went up Af for memorial day weekend and did some camping and did some wheeling why we were there, most of the snow is gone in the mid elevation areas . We tried to get up to the rock garden but was denied by the road just past mineral basin due to it being totally washed out! There looked to be a bypass being made by 4 wheelers but i didn't attempt it being i didn't want to go off the road and tear up the land thats not meant to be driven on! The water usually goes under the road there at the bridge but it was either plugged or just couldn't take the run off coming down and was backed up and thats what caused it to wash the road out down stream. So we thought about trying marry ellens but was informed by a guy on a wheeler not to! He said it was like a river coming right down the road and that it was tore up pretty bad so we never attempted it. Well today my parents went up on the wheeler and informed me when they got back that they tried marry's and that it was so bad that the girls had to get off the wheelers and walk and even then the wheelers had a hard time because the road was so bad and so much water coming down and i guess they never did make it due to the road being so bad and tore up! So if your headed up Af don't try marry ellens from what i have been told it isn't passable?? IS this a road that forest service will fix after the run off or will it just be left like that? I really hope after the run off is done that the road gets fixed so it is passable i really like doing that trail. We never did try forest lake road but did notice a ton of water coming down it also so i figured there was no since in going up and tearing it all up while it is muddy and wet and plus i knew there would be to much snow on that side still to even think of getting close to the top.Hope it melts fast i love forest lake!

 

[strangeKowboy]

well mary ellen must be somewhat passable they are doing a rig recovery there tomorrow up towards the top. According to another thread on here somebody tried to get turned around up towards the top and slip off in a 79 cherokee. Glad you chose now to take the by-pass up MB. THANK YOU hopefully others will make the right choice also and help keep the trail open. I was planning on giving it a few more weeks to dry out before i head up there just for one i hate mud lol and two i dont want to tear the crap out of things on the trail. Anyhow thanks again for the report and thanks for making the right choice!

 

[01XJ]

Thats good to know you can get up MEG and the road isnt as bas as i was told. Guess my parents are just getting old and think the mild stuff is wild and crazy..LOL

EDIT: Here are a few pics of the washed out road at MB

This shows how bad it is

The red arrow shows where the wheelers and 4x4's are making the bypass

This pic shows where it is clogged and causing the water to come down the road and washing it out!

 

[scoutabout]

There will be solutions to the several culvert problems shortly.

As stated in another thread, shoulder season gates will be coming to a canyon near you soon.

 

[Bear T]

Got back from MEG a couple hours ago, Its easily passable up to the tailings pile. But thats where I would stop, about 300 yards toward the cabin, its snow packed and not really anywhere to turn around, hence why we had to go rescue a jeep today. There is a lot of water coming down the road at the top, but its all rocks, not tore up, just the way its always been.,

 

[Mr.Chevy]

The red arrow shows where the wheelers and 4x4's are making the bypass

I seen more then just 4 wheelers try this bypass. I seen a truck try it and was tearing it up pretty good. I guess right where your arrow goes there is a pretty big hole there and the truck almost flopped it in the hole. The sad thing about it is I found that the person I seen do this is a member here on RME.

 

[Tacoma]

reeeeaaallly

 

[gijohn40]

lets roast him!!!

 

[Bear T]

I'll bring the feathers if someone has the Tar.

 

[SAMI]

Spill it Mr Chevy

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Over the Memorial Day weekend signage was put in place to actually make the bypass look fairly official and legit, I haven't checked with the Forest Service in regards to the washout bypass but I know they are very aware it is there and are apparently not too worried about users on it and will fix it in the near future. Stay tuned on that.

 

[Green Leader]

I got the Tar boiling.......

 

[01XJ]

Over the Memorial Day weekend signage was put in place to actually make the bypass look fairly official and legit, I haven't checked with the Forest Service in regards to the washout bypass but I know they are very aware it is there and are apparently not too worried about users on it and will fix it in the near future. Stay tuned on that.

These signs were not in place at the time of all the 4 wheelers and jeeps busting thru the bushes to get around the washout. When we came across the washout it looked like there had only been maybe 1-2 for wheelers who had gone around it and that was on Thursday. We camped from Thursday till Monday and it was Friday when we went up and seen 6-8 jeeps coming down who we watched go thru but they did not take the bypass they dropped right off the edge and crawled up the other side. Well a few hrs later is when Mr.Chevy came up stopped by camp and said hi then headed up and ran into the the RME members on here busting thru the bushes making their own bypass. I was not there to see it but Chevy has made it clear to me who it was because he talked to the guys and helped them out because i guess they fell in to a pretty deep hole and was having a hard time getting out. So at the time there was no signs up for 100% sure and the 4 wheelers and jeeps did make a pretty good mess out of the land while making the bypass If there would have been signs it wouldn't be a big deal but there was no signs saying it was ok to do the bypass at the time! As for just blurting out names in the open i don't feel it should be done! They know who they are and from what i know are pretty good members on here and should have knowen better


The upper arrow shows where the RME members were going and tearing it up and right at the point of my arrow is where the VERY DEEP hole is they fell in to. And the bottom arrow is where we watched the 6-8 jeeps go by not taking the bypass the pipe had been moved downstream and was out of the way and they just dropped off and up the other side and stayed away from the bypass

 

[D94R]

FWIW, the washed out culvert was repaired by Tuesday the 2nd.