Topic: Weldon's Camp trail closed

[hytenor]

Most of you probably have never even heard of this trail but...it is now closed 
I've driven it most every year for the last 10 on the way out from Edison Lk just for a little extra wheeling time before heading home.
Train starts at the end of Badger Flat camp ground.  Several years back they built a bridge and blocked off the creek crossing which seemed smart IMO.  Now there are signs just past the bridge stating NO VEHICLES...no gates, just the signs.  Prather ranger station had no clue that it was even a 4x4 trail 
It shows up as 4WD or JEEP on older FS maps but even as far back as the '86 map I have it is shown as a trail, not a road.  This route has been used by locals for firewood cutting for many years.  As far as I know the cattle camp has not been used for quite some time even though several of the buildings are still there.

sucks.

[jimbo74]

who owns the property?

[hytenor [OP]]

who owns the property?

we do.  National Forest land

[Snowtoy]

Part of the national forest remapping and trail(primarily wheeled trails) reduction program that has been going on for the several years now.  Unfortunately historic use has nothing to do with how a trail is going to be designated going forward, the total number of miles allowed for wheeled travel in the Nat'l forests does.

[85-4roller]

Way, way back I remember that a trail in that area went all the way up to Kaiser pass & connected with dusy.
Unfortunately, they will all be closed or severely restricted sooner or later, as history has proven. 

Remember kids, if you want to off road or enjoy the public forest, do not vote for liberals, for any office. Pass this ON.

[hytenor [OP]]

Way, way back I remember that a trail in that area went all the way up to Kaiser pass & connected with dusy.
Unfortunately, they will all be closed or severely restricted sooner or later, as history has proven. 

Remember kids, if you want to off road or enjoy the public forest, do not vote for liberals, for any office. Pass this ON.

there were dozens of trails back then that interconnected all those lakes...Dinky Lakes, etc.  If you download some of the usgs maps from the 40s-60s you can see what we're missing

the '82 usgs 7.5 map shows this as "4WD).

[Burl]

Mary Ruth and Jerry Page and their son Mark Page hold the Weldon Permit.  They use that camp every year as well as their Perkins camp that is a little further up the riding and hiking trail only.  Mary Ruth is one of the last Weldon's (her maiden name) that still does cattle ranching.  I'm really good friends of their grand children.  We are in our thirties now and I have helped them almost every summer put up and take down the barbed wire fences around the meadows that are next to the cabin.  I can ask them about the signs on the road going in there.  most of the time they just ride in on their horses from Huntington.  There are Snow Mobile placards on a few of the roads up there that lead back to huntington to the south from weldons camp but those trails are in major neglect.

We still use the road for work to access back there when theres lightning fires.  It's not against the rules to go up there as far as I know as a general recreator  however there has been lots of vandalism every year and it's getting rather annoying.

[Burl]

The yosemite toad and mtn yellow legged frog may be part of the reason why the signs are posted because they like the red fir sandy soils.  Thats only speculation though.

[hytenor [OP]]

Mary Ruth and Jerry Page and their son Mark Page hold the Weldon Permit.  They use that camp every year as well as their Perkins camp that is a little further up the riding and hiking trail only.  Mary Ruth is one of the last Weldon's (her maiden name) that still does cattle ranching.  I'm really good friends of their grand children.  We are in our thirties now and I have helped them almost every summer put up and take down the barbed wire fences around the meadows that are next to the cabin.  I can ask them about the signs on the road going in there.  most of the time they just ride in on their horses from Huntington.  There are Snow Mobile placards on a few of the roads up there that lead back to huntington to the south from weldons camp but those trails are in major neglect.

We still use the road for work to access back there when theres lightning fires.  It's not against the rules to go up there as far as I know as a general recreator  however there has been lots of vandalism every year and it's getting rather annoying.

thanks for the info.  I've always opened and closed that one wire gate...taught well as a kid :p

[TimberlineBryce]

I will be sure to bring this up at the next adopt a trail meeting..

Still shows it as a vehicle trail...

[Burl]

I will be sure to bring this up at the next adopt a trail meeting..

Still shows it as a vehicle trail...

The fork in the trail at weldons camp basically goes east and that is the california riding and hiking trail and the right fork basically is an access road for the corrals that get put up and down every summer.  That access road still has existing sno mobile placards wich are still visible on some trees.  There are many trees down and jack strawed on that trail.  If it were open you could get back to huntington on it.

[hytenor [OP]]

The first time I drove this trail that fork was open and did connect with other routes that wound up near Tamarack ridge...probably back in '02

[Burl]

Probably back then yes.

[hytenor [OP]]

I think I was using a FS map from the 70s :p