ATVOBSESSION

Has anyone ridden this road. I looks like it starts out as Fordyce Lake Rd. and the name changes to Magonigal Rd. and then becomes NF-85. It goes thru Paradise Valley and crosses North Creek as it heads towards Paradise Lake. On my map it ends before it gets to the lake. I hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail last Saturday and there was still a road crossing the trail. I saw tire tracks near the lake so I assume the road is open. I am wondering if it is possible to ride in most of the way to Paradise Lake to camp. Thanks

Paradise Lake
N39°23.988' W120°21.744'

I've backpacked to Paradise Lake as well, so I tried to ride there in 2004. There is a locked gate at this location:

39.39173 N
120.41472 W

I couldn't find any other way through. When I was backpacking out there, a jeep drove right up to the rocks on the west side of Paradise Lake. So I guess access is limited to the landowners who have a key to the gate.

Ive been on the road a few times in the rzr and lots on the sled.
But like GG said, there is a gate on the rd. Actually there are 2 gates, and both are locked. There is a trail in off another road that will dump you out between the gates, but not past the 2nd gate. There are alot of cabins in the area, if you know one of the owners and can get the gate combo its worth it. The trail does go all the way to the lake.

The map I saw showed the gate and I wondered if it was locked. That is too bad. I would like to take Sharon and she can't hike in. I wonder how a public National Forest road is locked to the public.

The public must be kept out of the forest so they can enjoy it.

The unfortunate reality is that ownership is frequently in checkerboard fashion, dating back to the railroad grants. So, a road that might run across a private parcel can be blocked by the owner. It's a pretty sordid story, with much land ownership traced back to the railroad barons buying select properties, and when the Southern Pacific sold a lot of their land in the 80's and 90's, much was acquired that way too (Sierra Pacific got a lot of their land then.

hemingray wrote:So, a road that might run across a private parcel can be blocked by the owner.

Yeah, there's one of those on the way to Poker Flat when you ride in from the east side.

Last year there was just a gate on one end and it was sometimes open. This year they put a gate on the other end as well and it's locked up solid, as if they don't intend to ever leave it open. You can still get to Poker Flat, but you have to take a different route that has a couple of quasi-nasty gulch crossings. Those gulch crossings are fun but a newbie would have a tough time getting through them.