BigJ
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http://www.stancounty.com/ER/PARKS/off-road-park.shtm
To cut to the chase... this is NOT a Raptor friendly park. This is definitely an ATV and dirtbike focused area. I imagine you'd be ok in a Jeep, but most of the trails are specifically setup for dirtbikes.
There are a couple fire roads that circle the park, and I did take them as far as I could (maybe 1 mile deep, each?). But there came a point where the width of the Raptor stopped me dead. In one case, I had to back out about 1/4 mile. Thankfully a group of dirtbikers had pulled up behind me and guided me out. They had to stop me once or twice to have me reset, to make sure I didn't lose a rear tire off the edge :sad:
Still though, getting to this park was a trip all by itself, that made the effort more than worth while. I took the scenic route in and a different scenic route out. Getting in, I took Mines Rd from Livermore all the way (40ish miles, that took about 1.5hrs) to "The Junction", the only pit stop for 30 miles in any direction. When I got there, there must have been at least 3 dozen Harley's in the parking lot. At The Junction, you pick up Del Puerto Canyon Rd/Hwy 130 East for about 7 miles before reaching the park. On the way back, I stayed on 130 all the way down and out, dumping into San Jose (about 45 miles that took around 1.5hrs).
The route both in and out is paved the whole way, but narrows to a single lane in several spots for dozens of miles, the creek crosses it a few times (no more than a couple inches of running water, and thats a week after a lot of rain/snow in our area), its VERY hilly, VERY windey and generally offers gorgeous views in all directions. It takes you up and over the summit of Mt. Hamilton which climbs over 4500feet from the surrounding area. It also takes you by the observatory on the very top.
So while I was disappointed with the "off roading" of this trip, I'm really glad to have made it anyway. The entire adventure took me around 6 hours to complete (you can do it in 4 at a leisurely pace if you skip the OHV park), and it presented me some awesome sights along the way. I'll definitely be making this drive again.
Almost time for a rear bumper with more clearance.
The clinometer said 36degrees
Some of the dirtbike track
The fire road
A bit of the view
The observatory
You can't really tell, but in the foreground you can see the dirt there. Just past that is about a 300 ft straight drop. The greater view shows the valley floor down there over 4500 ft below.
To cut to the chase... this is NOT a Raptor friendly park. This is definitely an ATV and dirtbike focused area. I imagine you'd be ok in a Jeep, but most of the trails are specifically setup for dirtbikes.
There are a couple fire roads that circle the park, and I did take them as far as I could (maybe 1 mile deep, each?). But there came a point where the width of the Raptor stopped me dead. In one case, I had to back out about 1/4 mile. Thankfully a group of dirtbikers had pulled up behind me and guided me out. They had to stop me once or twice to have me reset, to make sure I didn't lose a rear tire off the edge :sad:
Still though, getting to this park was a trip all by itself, that made the effort more than worth while. I took the scenic route in and a different scenic route out. Getting in, I took Mines Rd from Livermore all the way (40ish miles, that took about 1.5hrs) to "The Junction", the only pit stop for 30 miles in any direction. When I got there, there must have been at least 3 dozen Harley's in the parking lot. At The Junction, you pick up Del Puerto Canyon Rd/Hwy 130 East for about 7 miles before reaching the park. On the way back, I stayed on 130 all the way down and out, dumping into San Jose (about 45 miles that took around 1.5hrs).
The route both in and out is paved the whole way, but narrows to a single lane in several spots for dozens of miles, the creek crosses it a few times (no more than a couple inches of running water, and thats a week after a lot of rain/snow in our area), its VERY hilly, VERY windey and generally offers gorgeous views in all directions. It takes you up and over the summit of Mt. Hamilton which climbs over 4500feet from the surrounding area. It also takes you by the observatory on the very top.
So while I was disappointed with the "off roading" of this trip, I'm really glad to have made it anyway. The entire adventure took me around 6 hours to complete (you can do it in 4 at a leisurely pace if you skip the OHV park), and it presented me some awesome sights along the way. I'll definitely be making this drive again.
Almost time for a rear bumper with more clearance.
The clinometer said 36degrees
Some of the dirtbike track
The fire road
A bit of the view
The observatory
You can't really tell, but in the foreground you can see the dirt there. Just past that is about a 300 ft straight drop. The greater view shows the valley floor down there over 4500 ft below.
