Sawtooth Ridge

[hemingray]

Decided to go ride Sawtooth Ridge (runs along N. Fork American River) from top to bottom. I rode most of it last year, but turned back (weather) before, as it turns out, the fun section.

No weather today though, it was gorgeously clear and nicely warm in the upper 70's.

First - lovely loggers closed off the nice parking spot on FR-19 just up from the pavement end. Grrr. Hopefully when they are done, they will not leave the logs blocking it.



Smoke - my guess is burning off the slash piles on Last Chance Road.



The gate was open on the short stub road where Government Spring is located, so I took a look. It's basically an overflowing 55-gallon drum, but a very small flow (hey, it's the Government...



Looking down canyon, Giant Gap and Lover's Leap (on the right).



Typical road on Sawtooth Ridge. It's up and down and around and over the "teeth".



The North Fork is a lonnng way down...about 2000 feet.



The quest is the last hill (in the middle of the pic). The spot on the ridge at the right - the white or beige area - will figure into a shot I took later in the day.



Typical road in this area, lots of small trees and in and out of the fire area (2008's Government/Westville fires).



Coming back, there's a nice view up the canyon, looking east.



Snow Mountain, looking majestic as always.



It's just a long ride back to the start from here, and encountered lots of deer hunters. They are all on ATVs up here on the Yuba Gap side, and it seems they are all in pickups down on the Texas Hill side.

So, if you exit I-80 at Alta and get on Casa Loma Road - first, you get to see a train.



Then you cross the RR again on Casa Loma Rd and go down to the Euchre Bar trailhead for a nice view of Sawtooth Ridge. A few pictures ago, just below where the white/beige area is on that photo is the spot where I took this picture, looking back up the ridge (you can see the spot where I took the other picture as the light spot between the two clearcut areas.)

The knob in the right center is the last part of Sawtooth, and the road I went down and turned around on is on the opposite side, towards the river.



If you like trail riding, this one's for you - twisty and curvy, fun grade and some speed running on the upper part.

[EigerMike]

very nice you need to make us a pic book of trails! =D>

[hemingray]

That would require the "o" word....... organization!

[Rubicon_Rider]

Nice pictures. It was a great day to ride on Saturday, we actually rode a trail off Yuba Gap after we did Fordyce trail to meet some friends that were bear hunting. We may have crossed paths.

[hemingray]

I think I saw one group of recreational riders - but I thought that was in the morning. Everyone else was huntin'.

My ride Saturday was basically from Yuba Gap on Forest Road 19, all the way out to the North Fork canyon, then down the ridge all the way to the other end of it (but you can't make a loop out of FR-19 and Emigrant Gap because it's paved to Texas Hill.) Still, I managed over 50 miles just doing that. It's a great area.

[Rubicon_Rider]

it sounds like you are familiar with many trails around the sierra, we are always looking for new places to ride. We are looking to find a destination to ride to where we can have lunch and a beer, a small mountain town like Washington.

[hemingray]

Hmm, not sure there is too much you can ride right up to like Washington.

Downieville is near to riding, but town riding is frowned upon as is well known here...

[Ken]

LOL...what a day that was.

Actually...that was the last ride I went with Terry....so memorable for a few reasons.