FJ60Kai
Oregon
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Thanks for the info. Good stuff, and those maps are great. Sounds like E. Fort Rock will be my new riding area. I'm a desert rider so I'm used to the dust, but I can see how on those tighter, treed trails plus dust would be bad. In the open dez you just "widen" out across the land until you're out of the dust.
Yeah Prospect has riding, but the same issue is dust once it starts to dry out. It's heavy forested up there so it's that rich dark, fine forest dirt, so it can really hang in the air. I've heard there are some dry camping areas up there since there's a lot of public lands, but I've never tried since there are GIANT mosquitos up there that just love me! Prospect is a big time hunting area for deer and elk so it can get crazy up there during hunting season.
By the way, that remindes me, how's the bugs in East Fort Rock? Seems like it's a bit drier so I'm hoping not as bad as say the Prospect area?????
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katoomer
Vancouver
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We go to East Fort at least 3 times a year. Great place for the family. Usually pretty quiet.
Trails are always in great shape except for the dust. Just keep distance between riders and it will be fine. I like the north end trails the best, not so much lava rock more desert.
Millican plateau north side of Hwy 20 is good as well.
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FJ60Kai
Oregon
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I forgot to ask a very important question, the road(s)??? How is the road for RV access? I'm hoping it's paved.......right? Of course dirt once I pull off to camp somewhere, but 20+ miles on a non-paved road doesn't sound very appealling. I see I'll be taking Findey Butte Road east until "Nat Forest Rd 22?" Is Road 22 right? Head east about 20+ miles and the camping and riding area starts correct? Clarification/ confirmation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
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mapguy
Puget Sound
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FJ60Kai wrote:I forgot to ask a very important question, the road(s)??? How is the road for RV access? I'm hoping it's paved.......right? Of course dirt once I pull off to camp somewhere, but 20+ miles on a non-paved road doesn't sound very appealling. I see I'll be taking Findey Butte Road east until "Nat Forest Rd 22?" Is Road 22 right? Head east about 20+ miles and the camping and riding area starts correct? Clarification/ confirmation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
Haven't visited from that end yet.
On the north end it is paved quite a ways into the area. Where we usually camp is only dirt (not gravel) a short distance.
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MyKidsDad
Humboldt County
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It sounds like you are heading for the South Lava trailhead. It's a nice paved road up to the turnoff on forest road 2248, and then it's a long 2 miles North to the trailhead (they say 2 miles, but it feels more like 5). The road is nice red cinders, and there are a few areas for camping if you don't want to go all the way to the main camping area, but it's not too far.
If you decide to head for China Hat campground it's down a lot of gravel road and trailer attacking lava rock chunks. I didn't camp there but my utility trailer has the scars to prove it made the trip, before my toyhauler days, and my toyhauler will not be making that trek; I'm not afraid to offroad it, but I won't abuse it.
I don't recall bugs being an issue (yellowjackets and ants a plenty) but not overzealous mesquitos like Prospect, that was in late June of last year. Hopefully the dust is not too bad in Prospect in July? We rode Woodruff in late June last year, so the entire riding area was not opened up yet, but it sure seems like a nice area to ride, probably be even nicer if you could ride it before July! Sounds like I need to check out the North end of East Fort Rock, but I'm not sure I can talk the family into ever going near East Fort Rock again!
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katoomer
Vancouver
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If you come in from the north and camp at 2510 you will get nice smooth paved roads with just the last 1/4 mile being smooth well packed sand. we go there with our 40 ft coach and 18 ft trailer.
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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If you go when it's try make sure your trailer is closed up, check your vents before you hit the gravel road. I've never created so much dust stir up just going 10mph. Key is to take it slow as you can without going insane. If you come across another RV slow down and creep past each other so you don't spit rocks.
Also there is observatory there, I think it's run by OSU. I didn't make it up that year but some of the folks in our crew went up and checked it out. If it's open would be a nice view.
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mapguy
Puget Sound
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Y-Guy wrote:If you go when it's try make sure your trailer is closed up, check your vents before you hit the gravel road. I've never created so much dust stir up just going 10mph. Key is to take it slow as you can without going insane. If you come across another RV slow down and creep past each other so you don't spit rocks.
Also there is observatory there, I think it's run by OSU. I didn't make it up that year but some of the folks in our crew went up and checked it out. If it's open would be a nice view.
Pine Mountain Observatory. Yes, run by OSU.
http://pmo-sun.uoregon.edu/
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FJ60Kai
Oregon
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Hmmmm. I'm hoping from La Pine it's paved most of the way (of course until I pull off to camp). Google earth seems to show a paved road because I can make out the yellow striping (Findely Butte Rd into Nat Forest Road 22). At some point RD 22 becomes dirt, I think where it meets the road that heads north and eventually becomes China Hat Road.
So I'm hoping that's far enough east with paved road that I can pull off and camp? I've camped places where I have to drive a ways on wash board dirt roads (Christmas Valley Dunes comes to mind) and yes, you start to go insane! I'm hoping to not have to deal with that so I'm crossing my fingers that Rd 22 will get me far enough east (on pavement) so I can pull off and camp. I'm not opposed to some dirt road, but I'm not willing to go miles and miles on it.
MyKidsDad: "I'm not sure I can ever get the family to go near the East Fort Rock area again."
That's not sounding very reassuring. Some overidding issues or concerns out there I should be aware of since I'm taking my family there????
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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I'd camp on the south end and not go to China Hat until you've seen it with your ATV/MX. As I recall the campground on the south end only has a short distance with unimproved roads, but the ride to China Hat is all gravel. I looked through my photos but I don't have any of the south end campground.
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