This Memorial Day, I went to the Hite Cove OHV trail, with my wife. We were camping there from Friday till Sunday.

For those who is not familiar with this place: this is a dead-end road near Yosemite, in Sierra National Forest, along the South Fork Merced river, in a huge canyon, with a very steep descent along Class 2 or 3 narrow shelf road. The road dead-ends at the river, where a bridge was located decades ago, now destroyed. After the bridge, the road converts to a foot trail to Savage Trading Post in highway 140. The road is used mainly by OHV enthusiasts (bikes, ATV). It also sees some 4WD and horse traffic. There are several camping spots. The place is totally quiet, seldom visited and provides a real rest from Internet, crowds, cell phones and TVs.

This weekend, there were three groups: ours, in the very end; two couples in two jeeps, a hundred yards before us; and a guy with two horses.

When we were leaving in Sunday, I noticed that there was only one jeep in the other camp. The lady in the camp told me that the other jeep went to the town delivering an old French couple that drove to this place in Dodge Caliber in the previous night. They somewhere found an old map that lists this road as the main access road to Yosemite (that was probably the case in 18th century or in 1920s). They started driving the road and they were forced to continue along the steep descent over the rocky road... The poor sedan was destroyed by the road (I saw it on my way out). They managed to get to the horse guy then they abandoned the vehicle and walked to the jeeps.

I'd personally be scared to death by the driving situation: the road is steep and narrow, with many off-camber places over the high canyon. It would take an extremely reckless and stupid person to deliver a sedan to the bottom of the road in the night; it would take also a Paris-Dakar level of driving skills to take a small sedan over the boulders.

So, the old French couple is safe, the vehicle is destroyed (I wonder how they are going to lift it from the canyon). I suppose the Forest service will be sued by the enviro-nazis because this "road to nowhere" "must be closed" (they have been trying to close this road many times). I hope this incident will not lead to the closure one of my favorite camping spots. This road is safe according to the latest road inventory plan, but who knows ?

Where did they find that stupid map ?

Forest service must post "high-clearance 4WD vehicles only" sign before the road entrance. The entrance looks very innocent right now.

That all said, have you contacted the USFS yet?

I am sure they will hear a lot from the older couple, anyway.

Well, don't assume they'll speak to them. Sounds like an old map from a previous tourist visit, am willing to bet.

IF wanting to keep that road open to what sounds like some awesome camping etc, I think the USFS would welcome your suggestion, and I think it's also a sign they'd put up to spare themselves some grief later on.

A thought; your first paragraph alone makes this place sound like it's worth fighting for to maintain public use don't you think?

OK. Thanks for the encouraging. I'll contact USFS tomorrow.

I am not that shy in dealing with the law enforcement. Few years ago, in the night, I found a dead body in my town. I called police and I waited for them to give my information.

After a game of MAFIA ...I assume. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

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FS lists it as an open OHV route -- http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra/recreation/recreports/recrepbl.shtml

For more trails in the area: http://www.4x4wire.com/trail/report/ca/sierras/central/index.htm

Yes, John, you are right, this is an open OHV route and it is included into their latest forest management plan. But somehow they do not post any kind of "4WD only" sign along the road. This is why people regularly are getting stranded into the route. I remember I was reading an Internet article about a guy in Toyota Prius who almost got to the bottom of the canyon, got stuck eventually, and sued the Forest Service demanding the road closure.

What I do not understand is how the people manage to get there in sedans. Definitely their driving skills are well above my own abilities. And their recklessness is well above anything.

Sounds like it needs the ol' homegrown skull n crossbones with something like
'At your own risk, you grocery gettin' yuppies and tourists'

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