- Location
- South San Francisco, CA
On behalf of the Sierra Chapter BOD, I would like to update everyone on the dates and location of this year's Sierra Fest.
We are returning to Shaver Lake, CA, the site of last year’s Sierra Fest. We will be holding the event near Dinky Creek, about 25 miles from the town of Shaver Lake. The dates for the event are August 8th - 13th, 2016.
The main trail we will be running this year is the Dusy-Ershim Trail. We have tentatively planned to run the trail early in the week. The plan is to spend 4 days wheeling the trail, beginning Monday the 8th, camping at different locations along the trail each night. We will be coming off the trail on Thursday, and camping at the group site Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the raffle and BBQ to be held on Saturday evening.
Note: Due to the high elevation of this area, approximately 9000 feet elevation, the trails are subject to seasonal closures and will only open when clear of all snow. The snowpack this year is projected to be much heavier than last year and could impact the opening of the Dusy. The trail traditionally opens August 1st, but has opened later in the past (mid-August in 2011) and not an all in extreme cases. With that in mind, if the Dusy is not open on August 8th, we will be running an alternate trail, most likely Swamp Lake.
Rig Requirements: The Forest Service rates the Dusy Ershim Trail as “most difficult,” the same rating given to Swamp Lake and Coyote Lake trails. The trail itself is over 30 miles long and features some very challenging sections along the way. The Forest Service recommends the trail be driven in short wheelbase vehicles with 32” tires and at least one locker. Based on this, in the interest of keeping the run moving at a good pace, the requirements for this portion of the run will be 33’ tires and at least one full locker.
There will be a day run on Friday, most likely the Red Lake/Coyote trails.
Saturday the 13th we will be running the Bald Mountain trail. This is an easy trail with many optional obstacles to play around on. The actual trail itself can be run with a 2wd vehicle. We will break for lunch at the top of Bald Mountain, and head back to Dinky Creek for the BBQ dinner and raffle.
And to answer any questions about the Shaver Lake area, here are some facts copied from last year’s info thread (thanks to B.C.)
Q&A:
Where the heck is Shaver Lake. It is in the Southern Sierras east of Fresno. Follow Highway 168 into the town of Shaver Lake and to Dinkey Creek Rd, turn right and follow the road for approx 24 miles for the meeting area near McKinley Grove rd. Specific directions to the staging/meeting area will be posted as the event gets closer.
What about tow rig parking and camping? The normal meeting area has plenty of free camping and tow rig parking.
Wow, that seems far away. From the Bay Area it is about a 4 hour trip. For comparison it takes me 3 hours to get to Hermit Valley from the bay. Sacramento area people will have a similar drive time of 4 hours.
What about showers, gas, ice, and supplies? The general store in Dinkey Creek has has gas (although it is very expensive), pay showers with plenty of hot water, ice, and plenty of food. They do close early so if you want a hot shower you need to get there before closing. The town of Shaver Lake is about 30 to 45 minutes away from Dinkey Creek and has full service supermarkets, restraunts, and gas stations.
What about the other trails? If your rig has one full locker and 33" tires you won't have many issues running any of the trails in the area. Bald mountain is a very easy trail to run with many optional obstacles. If you choose only to run the trail you will still have a great time enjoying the scenery, and watching other rigs try their luck on the fun stuff. The lookout at the top of Bald Mountain gives you a really nice high perspective of the area.
Is there anything else to do other than wheeling? Shaver Lake is a winter resort community but during the summer it turns into one of the premier outdoor recreation locations. The town of Shaver Lake has many cabins available for weekly rentals. There are also boat rentals and biking & hiking trails around the lake. Near the meeting area in Dinkey Creek there is a large grove of Giant Sequioa trees that are impressive to see. Along Dinkey Creek Rd there are numerous trailheads for scenic and challenging hiking trails. Town is about 30 to 45 minutes away from the meeting area.
We are returning to Shaver Lake, CA, the site of last year’s Sierra Fest. We will be holding the event near Dinky Creek, about 25 miles from the town of Shaver Lake. The dates for the event are August 8th - 13th, 2016.
The main trail we will be running this year is the Dusy-Ershim Trail. We have tentatively planned to run the trail early in the week. The plan is to spend 4 days wheeling the trail, beginning Monday the 8th, camping at different locations along the trail each night. We will be coming off the trail on Thursday, and camping at the group site Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the raffle and BBQ to be held on Saturday evening.
Note: Due to the high elevation of this area, approximately 9000 feet elevation, the trails are subject to seasonal closures and will only open when clear of all snow. The snowpack this year is projected to be much heavier than last year and could impact the opening of the Dusy. The trail traditionally opens August 1st, but has opened later in the past (mid-August in 2011) and not an all in extreme cases. With that in mind, if the Dusy is not open on August 8th, we will be running an alternate trail, most likely Swamp Lake.
Rig Requirements: The Forest Service rates the Dusy Ershim Trail as “most difficult,” the same rating given to Swamp Lake and Coyote Lake trails. The trail itself is over 30 miles long and features some very challenging sections along the way. The Forest Service recommends the trail be driven in short wheelbase vehicles with 32” tires and at least one locker. Based on this, in the interest of keeping the run moving at a good pace, the requirements for this portion of the run will be 33’ tires and at least one full locker.
There will be a day run on Friday, most likely the Red Lake/Coyote trails.
Saturday the 13th we will be running the Bald Mountain trail. This is an easy trail with many optional obstacles to play around on. The actual trail itself can be run with a 2wd vehicle. We will break for lunch at the top of Bald Mountain, and head back to Dinky Creek for the BBQ dinner and raffle.
And to answer any questions about the Shaver Lake area, here are some facts copied from last year’s info thread (thanks to B.C.)
Q&A:
Where the heck is Shaver Lake. It is in the Southern Sierras east of Fresno. Follow Highway 168 into the town of Shaver Lake and to Dinkey Creek Rd, turn right and follow the road for approx 24 miles for the meeting area near McKinley Grove rd. Specific directions to the staging/meeting area will be posted as the event gets closer.
What about tow rig parking and camping? The normal meeting area has plenty of free camping and tow rig parking.
Wow, that seems far away. From the Bay Area it is about a 4 hour trip. For comparison it takes me 3 hours to get to Hermit Valley from the bay. Sacramento area people will have a similar drive time of 4 hours.
What about showers, gas, ice, and supplies? The general store in Dinkey Creek has has gas (although it is very expensive), pay showers with plenty of hot water, ice, and plenty of food. They do close early so if you want a hot shower you need to get there before closing. The town of Shaver Lake is about 30 to 45 minutes away from Dinkey Creek and has full service supermarkets, restraunts, and gas stations.
What about the other trails? If your rig has one full locker and 33" tires you won't have many issues running any of the trails in the area. Bald mountain is a very easy trail to run with many optional obstacles. If you choose only to run the trail you will still have a great time enjoying the scenery, and watching other rigs try their luck on the fun stuff. The lookout at the top of Bald Mountain gives you a really nice high perspective of the area.
Is there anything else to do other than wheeling? Shaver Lake is a winter resort community but during the summer it turns into one of the premier outdoor recreation locations. The town of Shaver Lake has many cabins available for weekly rentals. There are also boat rentals and biking & hiking trails around the lake. Near the meeting area in Dinkey Creek there is a large grove of Giant Sequioa trees that are impressive to see. Along Dinkey Creek Rd there are numerous trailheads for scenic and challenging hiking trails. Town is about 30 to 45 minutes away from the meeting area.
