Central Cali Report Here!! [Archive]

the Liz

09-02-2006, 09:27 PM

If it isn't too much trouble - could you guys possibly offer directions that are a little more precise? I'd really, really, really, really appreciate it... :)

I'm pretty new to riding, and have been starving for some nice places to ride that are close enough for a day trip --- sometimes the craving hits and we just can't get away overnight, and it seems that these places just might hit the spot. ;)

Did I mention that I'd really appreciate it?

I AM a gurl - BUT! I can follow directions pretty well ... so it won't be necessary to refer to turns at 'the big tree' or 'that big sign with the flying cow' :p I actually work better with street names.

Thanks in advance for pointing me in the right direction!

09-03-2006, 05:09 PM

Where the hell are all these places around you merced guys at?

I've never heard of the places except the lake of course.

I was just at Le Grange yesterday even though I took a nice fall it was pretty fun.

mike66

09-04-2006, 03:18 PM

the liz.
I also live in visalia,If i don't go to pismo for the day I go riding@Jayne Ave &I-5,its about an hour from visalia.Take 198-Avenal cut-off go south to Jayne Ave then west,When you crossover I-5 there is a Arco gas station on the left side of the road,turn there and travel about 2 miles,on the right handside You will see a dirt road with a sign(Chevron Oil field),turn there.
Its an old oil field lease lots of hills and trails.Thats the only local place I know of for day riding thats with in an hour drive .If you know of any others let me know.

mike

Louie

09-04-2006, 03:54 PM

O.K. all directions will be from merced; T get to miami motorcycle trails you take hwy 140 to mariposa,take a right on hwy 49 to oakhurst, once in oakhurst take a left on Hwy 41 toward yosemite national park. Miami trails will be on the left hand side before you get to westfall.
To get to fresno Dome you go the same way.When you get on hwy41 keep an eye out for the ranger station on the left hand side of the hwy. When you see it take the next right (sky rd) and follow it up.Stay to the left at all forks and you will come to some campgrounds. Unload there and ride. If you want to explore you can drive furthure up the road to a place called Biledo meadows unload and ride up the trails about 2 miles to star lakes and fish. I suggest stopping at the ranger office and get a map of the area and it will show everything.
To get to briceburg from merced take hwy 140 through mariposa as if you were going to yosemite national park. You will pass midpines and start to go down the mountain.As soon as you get to the merced river take a left across the hwy. there will be a little parking area there but continue through the small road across the wooden suspension bridge. You can follow the road next to the river and you will come to the campgrounds. You can also take the road right past the bridge up and find a spot to unload and ride. If you follow the upper road long enough you will come to anderson flats campground.
To get to Hollister hills from merced take hwy59 south to hwy152. go right (west) toward Los Banos. follow hwy 152 over pacheco pass. After casa de fruita you take hwy 156 to hollister. The riding area is up in the hills. I dont know any of the street names so i cant go into detail. You can ask anyone there and they can tell you how to get there. That is a very nice place to ride. The camping facilities are awsome with lots of shade. They even have a store on site that sells parts,gear, and food. They have some crazy offroad trails, a few nice mx tracks, a T.T. track, and a 90cc and under only track.
Hope you all can get to these places. If you decide to go to one, email me ahead of time if you need more details, and i'll be happy to help.
Be safe!

mrshoer

09-04-2006, 06:18 PM

We're in Three Rivers. We've been up here for a while and there is VERY little riding areas anywhere close.

Check Clubatvwest.com. It's a bunch of locals from around the area. Some are from the bay area. We usually get together at least once a month and do weekend trips to Pismo, Hollister, Gorman etc.. Big group to ride with and a ton of fun!!!

Eshom campground has riding trails ( It SUCKS!! ) Another place I haven't been to yet is Sequoia Lake ( Off Hwy 180 ) From the maps I got from the National Forrest Office, it looks like there are a lot of LEGAL trails.

Jason

the Liz

09-05-2006, 09:39 PM

Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking forward to checking everything out ...

I'm still learning - so if I survive, I'll check back in and let you know how it went down... I may even share some pics - but only if I don't embarrass myself. :p

slammed97s

09-13-2006, 01:06 AM

i just heard about a track just out side of atwater off oakdale rd by shaffer
im going to go looking for it tommorrow. il update with any info i get from there

banshee84

09-13-2006, 09:35 AM

I live in Hollister, I go to Pismo for dunes

Louie

09-13-2006, 01:47 PM

I start vacation on the 23rd and will be in pismo that weekend and in hollister sometime during the week. I think i'll take a drive out on shaffer and look around also. It may be the track next to the archery range.

7 speed

09-13-2006, 02:19 PM

www.newmanflattrack.com
www.chowchillabarnburner.com

slammed97s

09-13-2006, 06:11 PM

well i went out looking for that track i mentioned earlier and actually found it.
there are no signs around it or anything that can tell me who runs the track or how to get any info on it.
from merced to get to the track:
go out hwy 59 north to oakdale rd and veer right. follow oakdale rd towards montpellier until you see shaffer bridge the keep going about 1 mile until you see a paved road to the right. turn on that road its looney rd but there arent any street signs to tell you that. once you turn there go a little ways and you will see the track on your left.
i appologize for the poor directions but the speedo on my harley decided to stop working today so i cant give exact distances

Louie

09-21-2006, 04:30 PM

Well i went to hollister hills this last weekend and it was a blast. It started off bad cuz we left later than expected then when we got there the park rangers said i would not be able to ride my quad because i forgot to reinstall the spark arrester. Well we stayed up late around the camp and it was bothering me too much so i left at around 2:00 a.m. and took the 1 1/2 hour drive back home to get my spark arrester. I got back to camp at about 5:00 in the morning to find everyone up. Seems while i was gone the wild hogs came into our camp and got into our ice chest and ate most of our food. Well i finally went to bed for about an hour only to wake up to my daughter screaming DAAAAD!! Well they were back. Them hogs came back for more. So there goes me and my cousin in our dad dun da duns chasing them through the camp grounds. As you can guess my blood was pumpin after that so we jumped on the quads and rode most of the day. Later that evenig we spotted some more hogs hanging on the outskirts of camp but they soon dissapeard. As soon as night fell we heard our camp neighbors yelling and a hog squeeling so we rushed over to see what was going on. Yep, there back! So the chase was on my cousin chased it up the bank to a trail that i was waiting on. The hog rushed right by me and the next thing you know i have it in a headlock while he drags me down the trail. After a few feet his legs give out and were both rolling down the hill. Needless to say we finally got him under controll and began taking photos with it. After all the camp neighbors got there share we let him go. In all the hustle i twisted my thumb a little and couldnt ride much on sunday but it was well worth the memories. I start vacation today so i will have to get back up there soon. Maby i"ll go to pismo to battle the sea gulls:D

the Liz

09-21-2006, 07:09 PM

lmao!

sounds like you had a great time!

in the end... it isn't always about how much $$$ you spent or how fast you went... it's all about the memories. :)

good times.

work's been keeping me tied to home... hopefully i'll have a weekend to report about soon!

banshee84

09-22-2006, 09:46 AM

Yeah I hate those pigs there. The rangers say they will shoot them but I have never seen it. Those pigs go trough the parking lots during the day, they are too friendly. Too many people feed them oleave their food out. The blue jays there are pretty agressive also.

Louie

11-24-2006, 10:16 AM

Went to hollister hills yesterday and it was sweet. The campgrounds were packed but there did'nt seem to be many people riding. I guess everyone was just hanging around their camps. I was riding the atv mx track by myself for a good 20 minutes before someone showed up. I wish they would add some doubles or a tripple in there somewhere. I over launched one of the tabletops and bottomed out big time. Next thing you know someone is bringing me my skidplate. That thing just ripped right off. All in all it was a great day.

the Liz

11-24-2006, 10:40 AM

We were there a few weekends back when it rained. It was my first time there... and my quad was a mud virgin... but that weekend popped her mud cherry!

I loved that quad track... but agree that it'd be much improved with some more jumps.

Here are a few before/after pics:

the Liz

11-24-2006, 10:47 AM

Before

the Liz

11-24-2006, 10:47 AM

After

the Liz

11-24-2006, 10:48 AM

After After

hornetgod13

12-06-2006, 12:47 AM

I'm in the Navy and stationed at NAS Lemoore. It's good to see other riders in the area. My riding has been limited to the base. We have a great bunch of tracks here for beginners up to advanced riders. I pay an annual fee for membership and had to attend a safety course before the Navy would cover any medical costs from injury (haven't been hurt yet). Not certain if they are open to the public but, I can look into it. You might need to be sponsored on by a military member.
I'd like to get out and trail ride. I wasn't certain where to go until I saw your replies. I might have to check them out.
I'm not a huge fan of riding alone so if you all want to get together to go riding. Let me know.
BTW.....Liz you need to wash that Quad. It's so dirty you make me want to wash mine twice.

the Liz

12-06-2006, 05:55 AM

No worries... I'm a clean freak, so she was back to original clean status the day we got back. :) It only took three hours. ;)

When we headed up i knew it was going to rain... so i had to resign myself to the fact that we were going to be filthy. Once i accepted that... it was somewhat exhilerating to rush through every mud puddle in sight and not care!

Louie

12-06-2006, 03:50 PM

I have a cousin and good friend that live in hanford and ride all the time. They mostly ride at pismo and some river bed off of 41 or 42, not sure. I also heard of some place off of I-5 that people ride at. It's an old oil field or something. maby i can get you all hooked up for a ride.

mike66

12-15-2006, 06:56 PM

hornetgod13,

hopefully we get some rain ,last time i was there it was hella dusty,and stay away from those big hills in the back they are quad killers.I had one of my buddys lose his 700 raptor down one and did about 2k worth of damage.I also prefer to go on sundays,about 10:00 am not so crowded then.anyway have a good one and be safe.
Mike

protegespecter

12-22-2006, 01:12 AM

I'm goin to hollister today for the first time hopefully it'll be a blast

NOS_350x

12-22-2006, 11:12 PM

Ive riden just about all the places mentioned. I also make trips to Glamis, and dumont. Hollister and gorman are a little to plain for me, nothing challanging for me. Miami creek is fun if you like the TIGHT trails. The kinda stuff only bikes truely fit on. (i have that whole place memorized) Carnage (sp?) is nice if you like hillclimbs (its up by tracy)

Im from selma and spend most my time on the tracks around here or the track in my backyard.

protegespecter

12-22-2006, 11:26 PM

NO way the weather was awesome today hollister was a blast I only got to ride for 2 hours tho my wheel came off on a trail and went out in the middle of a pond and I wasn't about to swim in that freezing a** water to get it. There atv track is pretty fun, but it was to muddy and nasty slippery mud. I hate to judge, but the dirtbikers there were a-holes I usually get along with dirtbikers but these guys got on the atv track because the mx track was closed and were smashin past the little kids on the track like three at a time I past the kids on the track, but I would wait till the kids pulled to the side and knew I was gonna pass them, and when I lost a my wheel I counted 13 dirtbikes that past me and not one of them asked if i needed help or if I was alright, but the first quad that past stopped pulled to the side and asked if I needed help then a second third and fourth quad all asked if I needed help as I was pushin it back to my truck. Like I said I get along with dirtbikers not trying to start stuff, maybe it was the weather, but hollister kicks a** its a little bit of a drive, but its well worth it.

Louie

12-23-2006, 03:39 PM

Glad you had fun. Wait until the weather gets nice and it's even better. Thats too bad the bikers were rude. If anyone is in need all should do something to help out. So what did you do after you lost your tire?

banshee84

12-23-2006, 03:48 PM

just got back from hollister, fun ride. no dirtbikes on the track today but I did see this guy on a nice yfz go into the fence outta the "S" turn section

Pic from last weekend

protegespecter

12-23-2006, 09:45 PM

After I lost the tire I pushed my quad back to the truck packed up and bounced one of the guys that was helpin me out was gonna pull me back with a rope (i think he was kinda bummed he didn't get to pull me back). Thats the same way I feel If someone is in need of a helping hand I'm always one of the first to reach out especially when it comes to riding, one time at carnegie i was draggin with a guy on a raptor he high centered and got stuck it got off my bike and pulled his bike off the little hill just so we could keep racing. Hollisters track is pretty nice it needs some bigger jumps maybe like a double or something I bet that tracks a blast when its a little drier.

Louie

01-08-2007, 05:46 PM

Well i went to hollister hills this weekend and it was great. The weather was perfect, no dust, and the dirt was tacky. They were rebuilding the dirtbike mx track. hopefully they will do something with the quad track. I gotta get back there soon.

banshee84

01-10-2007, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by Louie
Well i went to hollister hills this weekend and it was great. The weather was perfect, no dust, and the dirt was tacky. They were rebuilding the dirtbike mx track. hopefully they will do something with the quad track. I gotta get back there soon.

Well they did do something to the quad track...they f'd it up. They took out all the berms prett much and they made the jumps flatter. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Louie

01-11-2007, 06:22 PM

When did they do this?

broncogurl

01-11-2007, 09:30 PM

It was like that this past weekend when we were there on Saturday (1/6). We had been there the Saturday before so they did it sometime within that week. No more berms, and no launch off the jumps.:grr:

norcalduner

01-12-2007, 03:11 PM

can anyone take pics of the atv track plz. for i am planning a trip there at the end of the month and mostly just go there for the track. if the track aint as okay as before..... then i might just plan for sand mountain. thanks in advance.

protegespecter

01-13-2007, 12:44 PM

ya that would be cool if someone could take a few pics of the new track and how bad they messed it up, the old track was a fun track before a little boring but still fun

broncogurl

01-13-2007, 07:57 PM

It's not a new track. It's the same one but just ****ed up. We'll be going on Monday though so I'll try to get some pics. Hopefully they changed their minds and put the berms back.:ermm:

banshee84

01-14-2007, 04:27 PM

yeah we will take some pics tomorrow definitly

broncogurl

01-15-2007, 11:17 PM

Here are some pictures of the track at Hollister Hills from today. Still ****ed up. :( If you've been there before I'm sure you know all the turns and where all the berms used to be.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3680.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3681.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3752.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3753.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3754.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3755.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3756.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3758.jpg

Louie

01-16-2007, 06:06 PM

Good pictures. Thats how the track was two weeks ago when i went. Dont know why they did that, but i hope its temporary. They are sure putting a big effort to make the dirtbike mx track better. Hope they do the quad track next, and maby add a tt track for quads. We need more riding options.

broncogurl

01-16-2007, 07:39 PM

Yeah I hope they do the quad track next. If not then they should let quads onto the dirtbike mx track for a little bit each day. It's so wide now and they turned the little jumps into two bigs ones with huuuuuge landings!

I really hope they re-do the quad track though. Those jumps get old after awhile. Need some bigger ones!

norcalduner

01-17-2007, 08:32 PM

thanks a lot for the pics ..... it seems like they attempted to widen the lanes for passing yet had to sacrifice the berms to maximize space . is it me or did the take off for the jumps seem flatter ?

broncogurl

01-18-2007, 02:55 AM

No problem. :D No, the track isn't any wider than it was before. On this turn though it seems like they added some dirt to it:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/broncogurl351/Random/100_3680.jpg

Used to pretty much be a drop off and people flying into that turn would go off the edge alot. I know I did once upon a time. :p

And I think the jumps are a little flatter. As I said before, they don't really launch you at all.

Pismo?! :confused: You're lucky! We were going to go this month but have now pushed the date back. I can't wait to get back out there though.:devil:

Louie

01-19-2007, 05:45 PM

With that straight flag and bent pole it looks like it might have been a little windy at pismo. How was the creek crossing?

banshee84

01-19-2007, 07:17 PM

very nice R, do you have any more pics anywhere on here?
Damn how loud is your bike?

eganracing

01-27-2007, 11:28 PM

i might have to convert my quad into TT mode to ride that hollister track :rolleyes:

Louie

02-04-2007, 10:34 AM

Went to Le Grange on SAT. and the weather was great. There was a good crowd and everyone seemed to be in a very good mood. The mx track was a blast. I think the track is more challenging than the Hollister hills track. There's about 10 jumps and the track is not flat. It has alot of uphill and downhill travel which makes it pretty fun. There are some pretty fun natural terrain jumps if you look. The 90cc track is perfect for the little ones and the mid level track is o.k. for begginers. There are some pretty gritty 80-90 foot vertical hill climbs that some quads were doing. They made it look so easy in about 2nd or low 3rd gear. The utility quads wre tearing it up in the mud pond. I will be going out there more often before it starts getting too hot. Plus it's closer to home. Hope to see some of you out there.:D

banshee84

02-06-2007, 10:10 AM

Originally posted by Louie
Went to Le Grange on SAT. and the weather was great. There was a good crowd and everyone seemed to be in a very good mood. The mx track was a blast. I think the track is more challenging than the Hollister hills track. There's about 10 jumps and the track is not flat. It has alot of uphill and downhill travel which makes it pretty fun. There are some pretty fun natural terrain jumps if you look. The 90cc track is perfect for the little ones and the mid level track is o.k. for begginers. There are some pretty gritty 80-90 foot vertical hill climbs that some quads were doing. They made it look so easy in about 2nd or low 3rd gear. The utility quads wre tearing it up in the mud pond. I will be going out there more often before it starts getting too hot. Plus it's closer to home. Hope to see some of you out there.:D

Do you have any pictures of the track? Is is atv only?

broncogurl

02-07-2007, 10:59 PM

I would also like to see pics if you have any. :D

Louie

02-08-2007, 03:54 PM

If the weather is not too bad this weekend i'll go up and take some pictures.

broncogurl

02-08-2007, 05:05 PM

It's going to be raining like a mofo down here all weekend. No riding for us unless it clears up a little. :(

banshee84

02-09-2007, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by Louie
If the weather is not too bad this weekend i'll go up and take some pictures.

Cool thanks

protegespecter

02-11-2007, 08:32 PM

La Grange has a fun track ya its challenging last time i rode on it tho it confused the bejesus out of me because of all the ruts where people made the own turns/shortcuts its a fun track just not well maintained at least thats how it was about 5 months ago

norcalduner

02-13-2007, 08:16 PM

where is everybody here headed this presidents day weekend? im feeling sand mountain but might hit up johnson valley.

broncogurl

02-14-2007, 10:29 PM

This weekend is Presidents Day weekend? I didn't know that. lol

We're going to Hollister on Friday, and possibly Clear Creek on Sunday. If not Clear Creek then maybe Hollister again. :D

Louie

03-11-2007, 10:33 PM

So where's everone been riding? I just installed a shift pin support on my LTR and now i have to get my clutch adjusted before i can ride. Hopefully by this weekend. I was driving down the I-5 by avenal and was wondering where you guys ride. I was gonna drop in , but was'nt sure where it was at. Looks cool in that area. Lots of open range.

Louie

03-13-2007, 03:19 PM

I remember seeing the arco station. Damn I was right there!! It will be at least a couple weeks before i can get up that way again, but i will contact you when i do ..Thanks for the info...

7 speed

03-14-2007, 01:33 PM

Races are starting soon!

www.centralvalleyracing.com

hornetgod13

04-01-2007, 08:58 AM

The riding area near Avenal has been closed down. Don't waste your time driving out there. That's a shame too, there was a lot of great riding out there.

Louie

04-01-2007, 08:36 PM

OH man, what happened?

hornetgod13

04-02-2007, 02:52 PM

The Oil Company bought all the land and filed an emergency closure on all the land with the local law enforcement. I drove out there Saturday and saw all the signs posted. There wasn't a single person riding.

mike66

04-02-2007, 10:00 PM

well that really sucks,did they have fences up or just law enforcement?I hate seeing places close down ,mostly ones like that.:(

hornetgod13

04-03-2007, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by mike66
well that really sucks,did they have fences up or just law enforcement?I hate seeing places close down ,mostly ones like that.:(

No fences. Lots of signs. It's pretty clear you are not to ride there. The sheriffs (on 2 quads) had been riding around warning people the last few weeks that it was going to happen.

fresno400ex

04-10-2007, 08:55 PM

anyone riding this weekend? looking for a place to ride near fresno and some people to ride with. i will have a group of about 3-5 riders but the location is to be determined.

Louie

04-27-2007, 04:56 PM

Well i was at Hollister hills on wednesday and it was empty. We had the whole place to ourselfs. Fun time but it's starting to get dusty on the trails. I was at miami motorclcle trails a couple weeks ago and the weather there was perfect. Riding in the shade of those huge pine trees is great. I will be back up there probably next weekend.

broncogurl

04-27-2007, 05:00 PM

Yeah, Hollister is usually pretty dead on the weekdays. Friday-Sunday is the days to go. We were supposed to go today but my bf had to work. Probably pretty hot/dusty today anyways. Just need a little rain. We might go next Thursday.

hornetgod13

04-27-2007, 11:06 PM

Now that Avenal is closed I wondered up to Miami Creek this past weekend. That was my first time there. It was a blast. I'll be going back real soon. It's was well worth the hour and a half drive.

Louie

06-23-2007, 09:30 AM

So whats going on people? Where have you all been spinning your wheels at? I was at pismo last week and it was sweet. No wind, no river to cross, and hardly no one was there. Of course it was during the middle of the week though. So whos been riding? Hornetgold where have you been since avenal closed? Broncogurl i will still get your pics of Legrange its just i have'nt been up there lately and i dont want to send old pics. I'm waiting for my shocks to get back from ishock. I sent them in for a revalve. Also have some hipers due any day now so my bike is on stands right now. Hope to see ya soon.