Earl-Eagle Mine Trail (Upper Major Evans Gulch)

[cruiseroutfit]

Great trail, I would rate it a 3+ mainly because of exposure at the last of the trail and climbs up loose shale. Get to the top and you are only a 45 minute hike to the AF Twin Peaks at 11,450 ft... We wheeled uo to about 10,700 ft today. Great veiws of Forest Lake, White Pine Lake, Silver Flat Resevoir, and the surrounding mountains. From the trail you can also see down Mary Ellen Gulch as well as down Major Evans Gulch. We even saw a group of Mountain Goats hopping all over the rocks, man I need some feet like those.

Be advised this trail is to be CLOSED soon, the rollover a few months back that killed the driver took place on private property at the end of the trail. The owner is worried about lawsuits and such and wants to keep himself protected. EZ Rhino rode shotgun with me and was able to get some info about the current land owner, we are going to get some support from the various clubs and see if we can't keep it open. We will need everyones help to accomplish this.

The USFS has done some excellent work on the trail, as of last year there were a few washed-out sites that could be a little nerve racking, no more, they took a CAT D5 up and improved the trail, blocked off illegal roads and built water diverters to keep the runoff from further eroding the road.

Email me if you want further details...

-Kurt

 

[Greg]

That sucks to hear about the closure, perhaps they should close I-15, since so many people die on it each year, .

That trail is very neat, definately one to go on just for the views. If you & EZ need help organizing signatures to keep it opened, I'd be very willing to help out.

Thanks Kurt.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Very sad to see it go, it is an awesome trail. I will let EZ chime in about the closure reasons and the affected land since he has been seriously looking into it since we found out Thursday. I will tell you that the new owners want it closed at the bottom of the trail. This in combination with the new designations for single track trails (CLOSED to motorized vehicles) is going to put alot more strain and congestion on the main road and the other routes. They close down a route, forcing the users to congest on other routes, next thing you know those routes are bing closed due to the problems that over-congestion can cause (litter, erosion, accidents, etc) and then yet another trail is closed, forcing more peolple onto less trails... all this while OHV usage increases every year.... what to do?

 

[jeff cardall]

we would be more than happy to help try and keep it open

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by jeff cardall
we would be more than happy to help try and keep it open

Good, it is very possible that we will need the help of the 4x4 community...

Other than the EE area, there are quite a few otehr possible small projects in the AF area that we could do to gain some trust and respect of the USFS. Stay tuned for details, we are rapidly working out the details...

 

[MR.CJ-7]

Let me know if I can help.
I went up there for the first time on Friday. I ran it on my ATV and had a great time. It would be a shame to see this or any other trail in the area closed.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Latest from EZ Rhino is that we know who the owner is, he and I are going to do some legwork to see what their intentions are... I will follow up later...