Stokes State Forest Conditions

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bloodninja

Member
I went to Stokes today to do some scouting and cleanup. I cleared about 1 mile of Silver Mine starting at the picnic area near the ballfield continuing to the right on the orange blazed trail. I tried to create a temporary reroute to the left around the huge maple tree that fell on the trail, so please use that if you can.

I talked to two other guys who said the lower of Silver Mine part that goes down to Blue Mountain is a mess. They also told me Swenson is rideable.

If anyone would like to join me to do cleanup and maintenance at Stokes, please post here or PM me. I'm available most weekend days.
 
Coursen is all cleared. It was mostly small stuff. There is one big maple tree down that you'll have to carry your bike over and I made a half-assed log ramp over another big tree that's down; but other than those Coursen is in good shape.

Tower and Stony Brook both have multiple large pine trees down in several places. I wouldn't bother with those trails until the state workers get out there with their chainsaws.

I cleared about .75 mi of Swenson, then had to go home. The next thing I work on will probably be the rest of Swenson to Tinsley to Blue Mountain; although I'm not sure what kind of shape it's in down there.
 
Swenson and the lower part of Tinsley are clear. Blue Mountain is destroyed. It's going to take either a lot of work with chainsaws, or some significant reroutes. Silver Mine is pretty clear from Blue Mountain up to the ball field.
 
Which sections of the Blue Mountain Trail are bad? I might ask permission to drive up a gated road and walk from there. Having an atv would be perfect though.
 
mtnbiker49 said:
Which sections of the Blue Mountain Trail are bad? I might ask permission to drive up a gated road and walk from there. Having an atv would be perfect though.
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Anywhere there are pine trees is bad honestly. The worst is the area by the trailhead near the end of Tinsley (yellow).

Have you checked out the knob or highpoint yet?
 
I rode there last week. Like you said, Blue Mt. is a war zone. It was trees on top of trees.

Do you know what the other side of Swenson is like from Tinsley past the cabin out to crigger or Steam Mill Trail?
 
BadLine said:
I rode there last week. Like you said, Blue Mt. is a war zone. It was trees on top of trees.

Do you know what the other side of Swenson is like from Tinsley past the cabin out to crigger or Steam Mill Trail?
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I keep intending to head to the other side of Swenson, but I haven't made it yet. This weekend I'm either headed there or Howell to assess and see what I can clear.
 
Nope, i havent been anywhere for biking lately. I wouldnt mind going though.

And also, the area around Lake Oquitukk or whatever is closed because the straightline winds there decided to wipe out huge paths of trees onto the road. Just as a heads up.
 
I rode Coursen and Stony Lake this morning. Thanks so much for the work you did. They're in great shape. I also rode the other half of Swenson, from Tinsley up to Sunrise Mtn road. From Tinsley down to the cabin, it's not too bad. There are maybe 6 trees all less than 6" in diameter down. I can't remember for sure how many were there already, but I think only 2 are new. The wet, low lying area behind the cabin is another story. There are quite a few very large trees down. Going to require a lot of work or a reroute. Once you start the climb back up toward Sunrise, it's not as bad. There are 3 or 4 big trees down.

If you're going to work on the trail, let me know and I'd be happy to help if I'm available.

One other thing I noticed is that there are "Closed Temporarily for Repair" signs at a lot of the trailheads. I think that's new in the last week or so.
 
I didn't go across the dam. I went down lead mine but there was a Trail Conference Sawyer out cutting I ran into on Lackner that told me it was clear all the way.

He has been the one doing the majority of the clearing.

mtnbiker keep in mind that only certifed sawyers are allowed to operate machinery in the State Parks if you aren't careful and not familiar with how the trees will react you can get killed.
 
mtnbiker49 said:
Okay, looks like I will be walking around Tinsley and Swenson tomorrow with the chainsaw.
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From Crigger Rd. Swenson is clear 3/4ths of the way to the cabin. Looks like whoever was doing the bucking got there saw pinched and used an axe or hatchet to chip it out. The chain is still wedged in the tree. Looks like a tricky cut involving multiple downed trees with lots of presure and loading. There are a few more trees down towards the cabin. A bail out saw is probably not a bad idea so not to ditch a chain or saw. Good luck and be careful.
 
Swenson is fully cleared of trees, both old and new.

I will be working on the Criss trail in the next few days. What a mess it is.
 
mtnbiker49 said:
I was also given permission by the office to cut.
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Good to hear that. It's cool to see folks come out and give back to the trails.
Of course given my position, I hate to see a missed opportunity.
I mean, once your work is done there is no net gain. If however, you were part of group, whose volunteer hours were recognized. Then the effort also goes towards grant matching and building the equity used to maintain and further MTB access.
 
trailhead said:
Good to hear that. It's cool to see folks come out and give back to the trails.
Of course given my position, I hate to see a missed opportunity.
I mean, once your work is done there is no net gain. If however, you were part of group, whose volunteer hours were recognized. Then the effort also goes towards grant matching and building the equity used to maintain and further MTB access.
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When would there be a group at Stokes though? It's in pretty good condition now mostly due to the solo efforts of the people that posted in this thread. How long would we have had to wait for a group effort?

If there is jorba interest in maintaining and especially building trails at Stokes, please post it here. I, and I'm sure others, would love to help.
 
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