I know some places to camp, depending on how far you wanna be from the lake/river. There's also a badass 4wd trail right off the 178 after you exit the jawbone/Isabella route. I did it downhill years ago but uphill would be a fuck ton better.
Wheeler's Thread
- Thread starter AssBurns
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I know some places to camp, depending on how far you wanna be from the lake/river. There's also a badass 4wd trail right off the 178 after you exit the jawbone/Isabella route. I did it downhill years ago but uphill would be a fuck ton better.
Yeah uphill would be way more fun. The trail/fireroad is only like 50 miles, so shouldn’t take more than a few hours to complete the trail at a decent pace. That would give us plenty of time to find a good camp spot by the river or lake. We could even cruise up to Kernville area. Some cool camping up there too
Probably going to be the busiest they've been in years this year if the lake is full. My ex's dad used to live in Isabella so we were up there regularly. We had to make a few stops because Robbie was getting car sick but it's a real fun drive.
Hold My Beer & Watch This
My Truck Stays Broken
I did a motorcycle ride up there years back with a group I used to ride with. We took a back road off the 58 to Isabella and came across one of the few anxiety producing moments of my life. Coming around a winding turn and a free range big fucking bull just lounging in the middle of the road staring at me like he is about to collect a toll for me to continue. This fucker just stared at me for a good 5 minutes and would not budge. I got off my bike and gently clutched and throttled it while walking along the opposite side of the bull so the bike separates us. I was inches from a testosterone filled bull that could have ruined my day at any second. My heart rate had to be about as high as it has ever been.
Now I respect these signs when I see them.
I did a motorcycle ride up there years back with a group I used to ride with. We took a back road off the 58 to Isabella and came across one of the few anxiety producing moments of my life. Coming around a winding turn and a free range big fucking bull just lounging in the middle of the road staring at me like he is about to collect a toll for me to continue. This fucker just stared at me for a good 5 minutes and would not budge. I got off my bike and gently clutched and throttled it while walking along the opposite side of the bull so the bike separates us. I was inches from a testosterone filled bull that could have ruined my day at any second. My heart rate had to be about as high as it has ever been.
Now I respect these signs when I see them.
Don't think there's as many cows up in Isabella as there used to be. I've never seen one on the roads but all the cattle grates and signs are still up.
I couldn’t imagine hitting a cow on a motorcycle. A buddy and I hit a baby cow in AZ while driving my wife’s car. Even a small cow at low speeds can do a lot of damage.I did a motorcycle ride up there years back with a group I used to ride with. We took a back road off the 58 to Isabella and came across one of the few anxiety producing moments of my life. Coming around a winding turn and a free range big fucking bull just lounging in the middle of the road staring at me like he is about to collect a toll for me to continue. This fucker just stared at me for a good 5 minutes and would not budge. I got off my bike and gently clutched and throttled it while walking along the opposite side of the bull so the bike separates us. I was inches from a testosterone filled bull that could have ruined my day at any second. My heart rate had to be about as high as it has ever been.
Now I respect these signs when I see them.
Hank
Sarcastic asshole
half way up claw hammer, i was genuinely thinking we could hit another trail or 2 before the sun went down.
We were totally on track too! until the last 2 minutes turned into 8 hours of winching. Time for round two?
I'm heading up to Lake Isabella this weekend....Keyesville to be exact. Going up to watch my nephews MTB race on Saturday and camping the night. Other than the people there for the race, does it get pretty crowded up there?
Definitely want to try hitting a trail while im out there, any recommendations? I didn't find anything anywhere near the Lake.
Definitely want to try hitting a trail while im out there, any recommendations? I didn't find anything anywhere near the Lake.
We were just talking about taking Jawbone Canyon all the way up. It's supposed to be a pretty neat trail. It's all easy enough for a stock rig, but it still seems like a good time. It's almost 50 miles of fire roads. @4runner DOA has done it.
I've been on Jawbone Canyon Rd quite a few times, there's a gate with security a few miles up from the highway. I used to go visit the Wind sites up there at least once a month but never know of the trail. Is right off the road close to HWY14? I'm gonna have to look into it, that would be perfect to check out on the way home Sunday.
EDIT: NVM....just found it, it cuts right way before the gate i was talking about. Nice suggestion too, thank you @AssBurns
The keysville area is a bunch of fire roads, just make sure you don't turn down the wrong one. There's a couple gnarly double black diamond ones in the mix. There's some mines and shit in the area I believe. Careful if you drive down onto the lake too, the sand can get pretty deep. If the lake level is up like the rest of them, it might actually be pretty crowded. Been a few years since I was out there.
Yeah there's no security. Fire road the whole way, couple jeep trails in the middle as you get closer to Isabella but you can go around them.
@theesotericone and I are looking for ideas on a trail to run this weekend. Something halfway between us both (within 50+/- miles of Ridgecrest). Preferably something more difficult. Doesn't have to be super extreme, but we'd like a challenge.
Any ideas for something that direction?
Any ideas for something that direction?
Freeway ridge trail, outside lake Isabella on the 178
We did it down hill and it was a challenge, I probably had no right even being on it at the time honestly.
I'll look into that. What made it difficult? Were there any legit obstacles?
There were a couple big boulders in the middle of it, 178 side it's pretty steep. Haven't been on it in like 3 years so no idea what the conditions are now. Lots of deep ruts. The one boulder we came down you had to ride the side of the hill.
Just checked on it. The forest service has graded it and it's easy now.