I dunno; I like that road and it would be fine if they would've taken proper measures in the past. Doing controlled burns would not have caused the inferno we had in the fall and would not have caused the landslides we have now. It also would not have caused the owner of Newcombs wanting to close shop because the road is always closed... I feel for the guy; they gave him 1.5h notice that the road would close, wtf!??

I'd be in favor of a permanent closure starting at some point between the ski lifts and Islip Saddle, but I'm not at all in favor of letting Newcombs or Waterman wither and die. The new owners of Mt. Waterman are fighting the good fight and trying to run the lifts whenever they can and I support them whenever the snow is good, the road is open and I'm not in Mammoth. There is a lot of history there and once the old ski resorts close, they don't get replaced (see, e.g., Disney and Mineral King)...some may think that's a good thing, but I don't.

That said, I sure liked the last few years when you could hike the PCT between Islip and Baden-Powell and not hear the incessant whine of motorcycles from miles away...

but what about the awesome road riding?!?

cbuelow wrote:I'd be in favor of a permanent closure starting at some point between the ski lifts and Islip Saddle, but I'm not at all in favor of letting Newcombs or Waterman wither and die. The new owners of Mt. Waterman are fighting the good fight and trying to run the lifts whenever they can and I support them whenever the snow is good, the road is open and I'm not in Mammoth. There is a lot of history there and once the old ski resorts close, they don't get replaced (see, e.g., Disney and Mineral King)...some may think that's a good thing, but I don't.

That said, I sure liked the last few years when you could hike the PCT between Islip and Baden-Powell and not hear the incessant whine of motorcycles from miles away...

I actually like the way it was over the past few years; closure between Islip and Vincent gap and the rest open. That way, the motorcycles still get to have their fun and ride to Newcombs and us hikers can enjoy the peace and quiet in the higher country more east.

Gary Schenk wrote:This storm has taken another chunk out of Angeles Crest Highway.

Any details on this?

Gary Schenk wrote:

cbuelow wrote:...There is a lot of history there ...

Most of which was wiped out by Angeles Crest Highway. Let it wither and die between Red Box and Big Pines. Give us back our mountains.

IMO, that's the interesting portion. Unless you have a lot of time, I can't see anyone actually getting to any of the mountains. I think that would be fun if I were retired but not so much for day hikes.

Gary Schenk wrote:With all respect, Luciano, that doesn't make sense. Should we extend the Onion Valley road to Road's End for people in a hurry?

I can see your point but in that case, a road was never established. If that's what they wanted to do here, that's fine but they should've never built a road in the first place. Now, there is a ski resort and a restaurant established (and probably some people with cabins). Taking the road away, basically ruins those people's plans (and hikers making use of it). Not to mention, all tax payers money invested in the road would basically be thrown down the drain.

As long as Islip-Vincent gap is closed, I don't see a problem having a road there. I've hiked countless times in that area and you maybe see a handful of people (if any at all).

If there can't be any roads in mountains, then Tioga Pass Rd and all roads leading to trailheads should be closed as well... Heck, we'd have to shut down Yosemite altogether...

IMO, the only problem with this road is proper maintenance; most problems we have now could've been avoided.

dougb, only if it's 4 lanes both ways.

cragging on Charlotte Dome?

kevin trieu wrote:but what about the awesome road riding?!?

Just get a mountain bike.

Actually, a lot of the roads that are closed to cars are still great for road biking, if not better than if they were open. (Chaney trail, upper part of the 39). And roads that have been closed to cars for a very long time are great fire roads for MB access and cross bikes.

I mean, I take advantage of the paved and open angeles crest as much as anyone, but is it really more valuable than having backcountry forest/mountains?

When I was up there on Sunday it looked like nature was already well on its way to taking back the area surrounding Angeles Crest. I've got a bunch of stuff to do, but I'll post pics when I get a chance.

Gusto

Keep dreaming...they ain't gonna close it for good, never.

Personally, I love ACH, it's Newcombs Ranch that I won't miss one iota, what a shithole. I guess if you like the weekend warrior wannabe racers, (or are one of them) then it will be missed. No more live bands blasting crappy cover songs into the forest...Yea! Or how 'bout all the motorcycle crashes, and near misses? What a bunch of a-holes those guys are. I can't tell you how many times I've had to swerve to avoid hitting one of those jerks who cross the yellow line while they race up to Newcombs to drink beer. Or how many times the road gets blocked while they clear the carnage of one of the many biker carshes every weekend.

The owner of Newcombs said he wanted to open a bed and breakfast and small conference center, thank God that won't be happening!

As far as Waterman, well the ski area was closed for some years before the new owner took over and It was fantastic to have the powder all to myself. Kratka Ridge has been abandoned for almost 10 years and I still ski there at least 10 times a season.

I personally like Newcomb's but only at night when everyone is gone. It's fun after a little snow outing in the local mountains.

As far as motorcycles, I ride one too and some guys are good about it but then of course, you have the douches that think they are on a race track and spoil the fun for everyone else.

It's now unlikely that they'll even close the Islip-Vincent section permanently. They just built a multi-million dollar bridge to repair the avalanche damage from a few years ago. I'll post a pic of said bridge later tonight.

agree on the rice burners. i have been hiking, climbing, and camping in the san gabriels for a good 30 plus years, and i would need more than two hands to count all the times i have had to wait for the motorcycle riders to be peeled off the side of the hill.

but those wannabe harley riders are teh worse. slow pokes they are that never pull over...