Valles Caldera Rim Trip Report Forest Road 144 – Northwest Road Canyon Cutoff

West Rim

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2007 Purpose: evaluate the west-rim motorcycle trail cutting off the FR144 loop around Road Canyon. Participants: Dorothy Hoard, Yvonne Delamater Equipment: Garmin Global Positioning System Model GPS 12; digital camera Olympus Camedia C-3000; notebooks. Methodology: Park on FR 144 where it turns west toward Cebolla Canyon; follow the motorcycle trail north, return on rim. (We actually did this in reverse.) Conclusion: This area has steep narrow ridges; I can now understand why FR144 jogged so far west around them. We actually followed the VCNP fence most of the way going north. The way was nasty, steep, and brushy with only pocket views. The motorcycle trail is well open and clean but is eroded deeply enough that it is unpleasant walking. Parts are steep and parts meander too much. We did not get to Twin Cabins Canyon (or even Road Canyon). Trip Report: We parked on Forest Road 144 at the point where it makes a sharp turn west then straight for about 1.25 miles. Our maps indicated that the motorcycle trail came off FR144 along this straight stretch. We walked about a half mile to the west but never found the trail. We returned to the rim, crossing a road that came off FR144 heading north. The motorcycle trail seemed to follow this road. Near the rim we came upon the VCNP fence and followed it north. At a point that seemed to have a good view, we climbed through the fence and went over to the rim. We saw several pocket views up Valle San Antonio.

Some pocket views on the way up: San Antonio Mountain.

The rim near our parking place. No views here.

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The higher the better: Valle Toledo and east rim on horizon.

West Rim The way got very steep, brushy, and rough up to a high point on the rim. The next canyon was narrow and the rim went right over the pass between the head of that canyon and another going down the Valle side. A passable road ended here and there was a firepit.

Road in the little canyon

We crossed the canyon and went up the other side, also steep. The VCNP fence went over this ridge too. We looked into the next canyon but did not descend. At the top of this ridge there was a logging road on the VCNP side but not on the Forest Service side. We found a place in the fence that others had crossed and went over. The logging roads were extensive atop this rather wide knoll. We had some pleasant pocket views into the Valle San Antonio. We found where the road went off the knoll down to VC10. The sides of the knoll were steep and heavily wooded and I felt we were too far east of the rim so we turned back to our hole in the fence. The route got steep and nasty: Valle San Antonio, Redondito on far horizon between Cerro Seco and San Antonio Mountain.

Pocket view of Redondito along VCNP road.

View to the north rim. I think this must be Hilton Head.

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West Rim

We heard a chainsaw fairly close by. We determined that it was in the little canyon we had just crossed. Instead of going back to the pass, we went west along the ridge; I didn’t want to confront a timber poacher. In time, the truck drove away and we slid down to the road. I felt it would be easier to follow the road back to FR144 so we started west down the road. Soon, we found the motorcycle trail going north up the ridge we had just descended. It indicated that it came down the road we were on, so we turned and walked back the way we came until the motorcycle trail started south up our first ridge. We followed it back to FR144 where we had parked. The trail was quite steep on both sides of the ridge. It was well-used and fairly deeply incised— quite unpleasant to walk upon. On the south side of the ridge it followed a steep old logging road. As it neared FR144, it veered east and contoured around the side of the ridge. At one point we were probably within 50 feet of the car, but the trail did not descend straight down. After a long meander, we finally joined the spur road off FR144 that we crossed on our way to the rim. Vehicles had recently driven on this road. We did not follow it north. I presume it ended near the VCNP fence.

VCNP road along rim.

Valle San Antonio, Turkey Ridge on horizon.

After what we had just been through, the motorcycle trail was a welcome sight.

I had stupidly not taken a good topo map. When I plotted our route at home, I found we had not come to Road Canyon where Ken Kutac had driven me a few years ago. It was still quite a distance to Twin Cabins Canyon where I wanted to go. Even so, my GPS track measured almost six miles.

View to the north rim. I think these are the Hilton Cliffs.

Informant: Dorothy Hoard. Time: 8 -9:45 AM drive. 9:45- 4 PM hike. 5:30 return home. 3

West Rim

The road north from where FR144 turns west over to Cebolla Canyon. From here, the motorcycle trail winds around the breaks of Road Canyon.

The motorcycle trail got steep and eroded in places

October 15, 2007: West rim around Road Canyons. Rim = red, FR144 = purple, blue = motorcycle trail, bright green = our route.

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