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Location: HWY 395, 6 mi south of Seneca, 2 miles west to 3790 jct. & up to 310 jct.
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| looking north, down, 310 rd from 3790 jct., with atv tracks |
Road & Trail Conditions: 395 good; FS 37 & 3790 6-10" snow, truck tire deep ruts.
on return home, 395 had sections of standing water & slush.
Snow Conditions: 2+', crusty base where groomed or driven on, with 6-8" snow since grooming; 1+" new snow today, got mushy & sticky as day progressed. alternating flurries, moderate snow & wind, especially on ridge; then mixed snow & rain
Skis on & temperature: 10am 29° (JD 33°, CC 38° rain, Starr Ridge 34° flurries). used backcountry skis for accumulated snow over groomed. touring skis might have worked
Skis off & temperature: 4:30pm 36° ( 36° & rain all the way to CC, then 42° )
Distance: Google earth says 10 miles. seemed much longer
Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): started as a 10, ended as a 6, snow became mixed sno & rain. surface became sticky & mushy
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| 310 jct with 473 - looked like the groomed trail (did not check map) |
Comments: started at 3790/310 jct. to ski downhill 310 to 472. mistakenly took 473 as it was plowed & groomed for 1.5 miles where it stopped. broke deep (6" steps) trail until it connected with 472; very hard work - 2+ miles (felt like 6). i'd recommend staying on the groomed 472 from the 310 (the map doesn't show this rd - dashed line in map above - somewhere). Dan, who groomed it, called it the 472.
all of these roads have had logging activity that looks to be on pause with the snow. many stacks of felled trees waiting to be hauled out, 12' of snow on top. some of these roads have been plowed & traveled because of this.
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| elevation profile |
this is a lovely loop that would be more fun on a clear day (to see bear valley) and without sticky snow. nice variety of land: up along a forested ridge, down to the border with bear valley pastures & in between.
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| along 473 rd |
310 rd is a little steep; better to go down & then take 3790 back up to the ridge as it has a more gradual slope, still good work.
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| slope of the 3790 rd heading back to start |
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| starting up the 472 toward 3790 jct |
could also start from the beginning of 310 from seneca (take Shirttail creek/ camp creek rd from town). unsure how far you can drive in.
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| 473 bordering bear valley |
this is the second trip to this area; i like it a lot. i'll be exploring this area more for other trail possibilities
i may be a seneca kid who grew up in kansas
