[JVesquire]

Nuts. I was hoping to do a long trail run this weekend.

[mtnresqr]

Friday evening, about 6 PM, December 09, was about 9-10 inches at Middle Fork T/H. About 6 inches at Valley Camp, and about 2-3 inches at Dingford gate. and 2 inches at Goldmyer Hot Springs. Typical craziness with most snow at 'mouth of Pratt River to Taylor Y, then lesser amounts farther up Valley. It was "bottomless snow", powder, right down to surface, with 1/2 inch water ice next to ground where it froze as it fell, then 'powdered up'. gotta get wheel tracks in snow before it freezes into two tire tracks, and no way to get out through frozen sides.

[Dave Workman]

Hey puzzlr, that video ... were you going as fast as it looks? Not sure I'd want to drive so fast on that road this time of year. Did you see any grouse or rabbits? A little Sunday hunt up there and a good stretch of the legs might be a great break from the winter doldrums.

[puzzlr]

That video was in real time, so yeah, I guess. But I don't drive fast because I'm usually looking around at things by the road pretty carefully. The video must make it look faster than it was. I've seen lots of deer lately, and startled a few grouse away from the road. I rarely see rabbits, and when I do it's usually down where there are houses or by Valley Camp.

[Brucester]

There's a rocky section along Dingford, did that get graded this year? Do they even grade that road? I tried to drive this earlier this year but one wash was too rough for my front wheel drive hatchback. Although I didn't hit any rocks I drove a ways into the mess. It was raining hard so why bother, then get stuck and have to move rocks around to get out. The MF is a sweet road though. Has anyone been noticing higher volumes on it? Less pull outs for car camping, or so it seemed. That might reduce the future problems?

[Dave Workman]

[spamfoote]

Is that pile of logs still there? Are they rotten in other words... Or has the FS added to it? Got a guy who was wondering if he could cut FW with a FS permit. It is a nice spot to do it in, though how anyone can save money doing so is rather a head scratcher when you can obtain a delivered cord of firewood for as low as $75 for mixed wood and $125 for DF. Just driving there and back will cost $40. So, yes, can "save" some money, but not much. Only really makes sense if you can cut/haul 2 or more cords at a time. Of course you can still get 10 chords delivered in log form for $500 so...

[puzzlr]

Bruce, there's been no official work on the road past the Taylor River bridge for 2 years. I heard that the WFLH doesn't want the USFS to bring heavy equipment up the newly paved road until they turn it over to the County. So maybe next summer we'll see some action. Fewer pullouts for car camping means people are parking with their vehicles half on the road on busy days. And the weekends are definitely busier than before. Weekdays are still pretty lonely. DW, that's the climb up Hell Hill, the name for the rise you're talking about just past the Taylor River. Those logs in that wash were what was cleared from USFS land during the paving project in 2014. Then in the January 2015 flood the wash got active and half buried all the logs in fresh gravel. But it is where the ranger office is sending people to salvage firewood.

Sep 2014

After Jan 2015 storm

Aug 2015, maybe this was you?

The DNR had a much bigger pile of cleared wood at a big pullout near the start of the Bessemer Road, but they recently sold all of it so it's gone now. I wonder if no one wanted to buy the USFS logs because they were buried by gravel. Or maybe there are different regulations to deal with.

[Bedivere]

Fairly long video but sums up what it was like to drive to Taylor River and Dingford gates back in April of this year. I'm guessing they have a lot more of it paved now. Showcases the worst of the washed out sections on Taylor R. road and Mid. Fk. road beyond "Hell Hill" https://vimeo.com/161715213

[flatsqwerl]

has anyone driven up the middle fork in the last day or 2 to the first concrete bridge? How was the drive? Passable for a sedan? Icy? snow depth? TIA

[mtnresqr]

Middle Fork fully plowed and down to bare Blacktop, to Middle Fork T/H. As of 12/12/2016. after that, forget it, for snow.

[flatsqwerl]

THANKS

[puzzlr]

Plowed! Who'd a thunk the Middle Fork road would ever be plowed.

Straightaway down valley just after being plowed

The road was plowed again while we were hiking. Amazing!

And mtnresqr said it right for beyond that point, at least as of Tuesday. This person tried to climb Hell Hill

A car stuck in the mud with a puzzling arrangement of gear left in the snow. Later the driver came back with friends in a truck to pull the car out.

Car stuck in the ditch on Hell Hill

[whitebark]

That plowing is really great, at least for us who own wimpy cars. They even plowed the parking areas along the road. Today, I took advantage of the plowed parking area by the 5 mile bridge to visit the sitka spruce trail.

[huey]

Having never been up the Middle Fork road before, took a drive Thursday morning. Very nice being mostly paved and (surprise) plowed to Middle Fork trailhead. Continued on past trailhead parking lot on unplowed and fairly deeply rutted road. As I approached Taylor River bridge considered turning around but elected to go just a little bit further over the bridge. Once on the bridge observed a lit vehicle at the intersection just beyond the bridge. As I approached, a young female was waving me. She advised the threesome (her and 2 males) had been stuck there 20 hours (burr). Assisted them to get their vehicle (Cadillac ST5 I believe) back to the plowed road. Needless to say she, in particular, was very happy for the assistance.