Prairie Fork - Lupine Road (3N39)

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:20 pm

Anyone know if the road to Lupine is open? I assume it is, but I thought I'd check. I got down there fine last year about this time in my Honda Accord.

Any updates appreciated.

HJ

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 6:56 am

Blue Ridge Road (3N06.1 / .2) was open last weekend from end to end. The Lupine / Cabin Flat spur 3N39 was open at the top. We didn't drive down it to Lupine.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:33 am

Cool. Thanks!

HJ

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:05 am

Is that the same road to access the Fish Fork Campgrounds? How do you access that road?

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:25 am

Unless there's a more convenient route of which I am unaware, this is the closest road to upper and lower Fish Fork trail camps. Follow 3N06.1 around six miles just past Guffy, turn down 3N39, continue ~ 3 more miles down to Lupine. A foot trail from Lupine follows up past the spring on an abandoned logging road over Pine Mountain ridge then down to upper fish fork trail camp. An alternative route is to continue along 3N06.1 and 3N06.2 to the north devil's backbone trailhead and hike over Pine Mountain and down to the Dawson saddle, following the old trail down to Fish Fork.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:25 pm

Some of those trails are really tough to find. The trail from the top of the ridge near Dawson Peak down to the Fish Fork area is really spotty. You can find stretches of it but it's easy to lose the track. Better be up on your XC land nav if you take that route just in case.

The trail to Little Fish Fork from Lupine isn't bad to follow although there are downed trees and such. Past Little Fish Fork down to Upper Fish Fork (yes "Upper" Fish Fork is lower than "Little" Fish Fork), the trail is followable -- if you are accustomed to following all but gone trails. I went down that way about a year ago. I had no trouble finding the trail, but the two friends I was with were just scratching their heads.

If you take a look at this map of the area, start at point "A" just out of Wrightwood. Turn left at "B". Drive down the Blue Ridge Road to point "I". Veer right at "I" and head down toward Lupine CG. The trail head is at point "N" just before Lupine CG. Take the trail up and over Pine Mountain Ridge. Leave Pine Mountain Ridge at "S". The section from "S" to "U" is loose slidey stuff that you must traverse across. From the small saddle at "U", drop down the switch backs which are more or less followable (some fallen logs) down to "Y". There is an old logging road that runs in through here, so be careful to stay on the trail. Turn left at "Y" (where you meet another logging road) and follow the old road bed down to Little Fish Fork Camp. The camp is on the old logging road bed in a wide spot. The map shows the road staying south east of the creek. This is not correct. The road recrosses the creek and the camp is on the NW bank of the creek.

HJ

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:16 pm

Jim Bob,

Where you headed? Are you planning a little Pine Harwood adventure?

Send me a PM

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:59 pm

ACME-FU is baaaaack!

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:07 pm

Zé wrote:ACME-FU is baaaaack!

I freakin' love Acme Mapper. Nothing makes it clearer to me than to see a route plotted clearly on a topo map.

lilbitmo wrote:Jim Bob,

Where you headed? Are you planning a little Pine Harwood adventure?

Send me a PM

Actually, I was thinking of doing a quick overnighter down at Upper Fish Fork. Really nice area, and I'm willing to bet that even on the 4th of July weekend it'll be crowd free. It's not quite straightforward to get there.

I re-injured my knee

again about a month and a half ago. I was in a hurry going down a steep mountain trail. I should know better than to push it down hill, but my friend needed to get back for his kid's birthday party, and I didn't want to be the jerk that made him late.

Knee bad, so, no big gain hikes for me for a while.

Actually, Upper Fish Fork might even be a bit much. It's a pretty steep pull back out of Upper Fish Fork to Little Fish Fork. Argh. A hiker with a bum knee? Sux.

HJ

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:30 pm

Bad leg - HJ if it's the opposite leg to Norma, maybe you can tie the two together and hike side by side assisting each other

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:23 am

lilbitmo wrote:Bad leg - HJ if it's the opposite leg to Norma, maybe you can tie the two together and hike side by side assisting each other

Or I could take two good legs one weekend and she could take the good legs weekend after that. Sort of an exchange program. Course I'm a little taller than Norma...

What happened to Norma's leg?

HJ

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:53 am

Hikin_Jim wrote:
lilbitmo wrote:Bad leg - HJ if it's the opposite leg to Norma, maybe you can tie the two together and hike side by side assisting each other
Or I could take two good legs one weekend and she could take the good legs weekend after that. Sort of an exchange program. Course I'm a little taller than Norma...

What happened to Norma's leg?

HJ

She hurt her ankle on a rappel a week ago, she's running around on crutches for the next 8 weeks - we miss her crazy antics, otherwise I think she would have joined the rest of us for the Cirque/Langley (mini death march) last Saturday. Hope your leg heals fast as well, there's nothing more frustrating than being out of commission because you cannot do your favorite activity - hiking. I tried two winters ago to burn through it when my knee was a twitching and it just took longer to heal, good ideal to just take it easy. Let us know how the water is running and the temp's back there at Fish Fork, enjoy yourself.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:07 pm

lilbitmo wrote:She hurt her ankle on a rappel a week ago, she's running around on crutches for the next 8 weeks - we miss her crazy antics, otherwise I think she would have joined the rest of us for the Cirque/Langley (mini death march) last Saturday.

Ouch. I'll have to drop her a get get well soon card of some sort.

lilbitmo wrote:Hope your leg heals fast as well, there's nothing more frustrating than being out of commission because you cannot do your favorite activity - hiking.

You're telling me. Sux.

lilbitmo wrote:I tried two winters ago to burn through it when my knee was a twitching and it just took longer to heal, good ideal to just take it easy.

Yeah, trying to "hike it out" can result in permanent injury. it's just plain not a good idea. I've been resting it some and all like that.

lilbitmo wrote:Let us know how the water is running and the temp's back there at Fish Fork, enjoy yourself.

As much as I like that area and want to get back out there again, I'm thinking that the pull out of Upper Fish Fork is tempting "Murphy" with questionable knees like mine. I'm thinking about doing something easy like the Cloudburst -Cooper - Buckhorn semi-loop. Gotta watch out lest I get a bad case of "get-out-there-itis" and make things worse.

HJ

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:54 am

Is that dirt road open to get to that area?

MtnMan · Post by **MtnMan** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 3:36 pm

No, it probably won't be until sometime in May, which is when it opens most years. Remember, that road also goes right through Mt. High ski area, and they're usually open well into April.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:50 pm

Zach wrote: Is that dirt road open to get to that area?

Dude, don't you know it's bad luck to go in there?

I think they usually have the road open Memorial Day weekend - November 15.

HJ

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:16 pm

I'm planning to set the record straight this summer. But first, I just want to go camping at the sweet little spot in UFF.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:33 pm

Anyone know?

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:55 pm

I only know with certainty that Blue Ridge Road was open this past Sunday. Don't know (sorry) regarding Guffy or beyond.

MtnMan · Post by **MtnMan** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 11:15 pm

According to the District Office, It is open to Guffy only right now. Maybe next weekend to Lupine as soon as they get the road cleared beyond that point down to Lupine and out to Wright Mtn.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:06 pm

Thanks for the help!

Post by **HikeUp** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:11 pm

Planning on bagging those new HPS peaks?

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:53 pm

HikeUp wrote: Planning on bagging those new HPS peaks?

Been thinking Prairie Fork must be a good place for critters, actually!

Funyan005 · Post by **Funyan005** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:15 pm

Anyone get out that way this weekend to see if it's open to lupine?

-edit. Today(Tuesday) they were bringing in a loader to move a 4 foot boulder and an even bigger tree to clear the road between guffy/the split to wright mountain and down to lupine. The ranger said they'd be done today or tomorrow

MtnMan · Post by **MtnMan** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:34 am

still closed at Guffy. There is apparently a large washout near Lupine camp that took out the whole road that they have been working on, so it's going to be a little longer before it opens. (per Big Pines RS)

Dominik · Post by **Dominik** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 9:43 pm

It's open now. Just drove through there this morning.

http://dominikn.smugmug.com/MotorcycleT ... 025_Q2dSmB

ur2slo · Post by **ur2slo** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 6:54 am

Mornin all.

Does anyone know if gate at is open down to valley. Wasn't a few weeks ago, but CDF guys were saying it might soon.....

thx...

I may be up...er down Miners gulch, smell da coffee. stop in...........say hi

ramblings of different mind...uh, kind

Quaeritur Stultitiae

Non sunt quaestiones. Modo solutiones

yea I was in the Boy Scouts.........but I got kicked out for eating Brownies.

I dont call 911....

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:22 am

As much as I hate non-responsive replies...

I hiked down this road on the 21st. I think the gate is less of an issue than the washout around 0.5 mile short of Lupine C.G.

Good Luck

ur2slo · Post by **ur2slo** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 8:04 am

Thx Elwood,
I been down 4 time since May, know what ya mean, Ford F250, 35" tires, heck i'll make Cabin Flat for sure.

(usually base at Guffy, stop in)

Hate it when I c a Range rover driving by, me huffing a 50# up the trail, says they just drove around it........errrr

c u when i c u........

davantalus · Post by **davantalus** » Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:02 pm

Heard it was shut two weeks ago. Dunno if that's changed though.