Connector Rides - Hunting season

[seenvic]

Just a heads up on riding the "Connector". Alot of the land between the two trails is private property leased to a hunting club. A few years ago, the law changed that allows hunting on Sundays on private property. So, if you know the various connector routes, please ride the one that is all USFS/public property and don't trespass onto the privately leased hunt club lands. I have heard they are not friendly (downright scary) if they catch you riding on the land they pay to hunt on.

[ted]

seenvic said:

Just a heads up on riding the "Connector". Alot of the land between the two trails is private property leased to a hunting club. A few years ago, the law changed that allows hunting on Sundays on private property. So, if you know the various connector routes, please ride the one that is all USFS/public property and don't trespass onto the privately leased hunt club lands. I have heard they are not friendly (downright scary) if they catch you riding on the land they pay to hunt on.

So which one is "The one" to ride? Is it 632 & 632A? Is this the one accessed in the middle of Modoc or at the end when you ride up the property line?

[seenvic]

Both FS 632 and FS 632A are legal. FS 632A is the one that you get on the end of when you ride up the property line at the end of the singletrack. The legal route takes you right past the Modoc Speedway and the old school.

The private property routes are the old school connector and the dirt road that leads you out to the pavement really close to the old school. This route bypasses the Modoc Speedway.

I think the USFS has acquired alot of the land in the old school connector. But there still is a part of that route on private land leased to hunters.

[JIMMYC]

let me ask, when you ride to the end a Modoc then follow the power lines to the creek then cross to get on Turkey have you crossed private land?

thanks

[ted]

jimmyc said:

let me ask, when you ride to the end a Modoc then follow the power lines to the creek then cross to get on Turkey have you crossed private land?

thanks

Yes, I'm pretty sure.
Bill?

[seenvic]

jimmyc said:

let me ask, when you ride to the end a Modoc then follow the power lines to the creek then cross to get on Turkey have you crossed private land?

thanks

Good question. I really don't know. Back in the old days, the answer was YES, without a doubt you would be trespassing onto private property. The last 3/4 mile of that old trail was actually on private property. That's why it was lost to the timber cut - it was paper company land and they cut it.

But sometime w/in the last year, the USFS has taken ownership of alot of land b/n the two trails. I am not sure of the new property lines. If I had to guess, I would say that the wading the creek route is now legal as far as being public property. But I know that the land deal did not cover a large enough piece of land to get all the fireroads that can connect these two trails.

I need to find this out.

[seenvic]

I found the pdf file that had the land lines on it. It is very hard to say if the "best wading the creek" route is legal. I had waded the creek at the forks in the creek (not the best place to wade the creek) and it is definitely now USFS land.

The best place I have waded the creek is west of the forks of the creeks. This spot is very close to what looks like the new property line. If I had to guess, I would say that it is legal to wade the creek in the spot most folks have waded it for the last 15 years.

From what I know, the USFS is acquiring land from the paper company owner in two large blocks. One has been done for sure and it includes the land on the Modoc side of the forks in the creek and may include the "best location to wade" as well. The second piece of land may be a done deal as well. And it covers the Modoc side of Stevens Creek paralelling the Turkey Creek Trail all the way to it's end. Unfortunately it does not go all the way to the Price's Mill Bridge on the Modoc side.

I'd love to see this new land get a singletrack trail added to it that would almost connect the two trails (Modoc and Turkey Creek). I never thought it made much sense to spend the money to build a trail bridge over Stevens Creek. I always figured we could connect the trails by making them both go out to Price's Mill Rd. Then ride across the creek on the paved bridge. This would entail adding 5-8 miles to Modoc and about a mile to Turkey Creek. Also adding a parking lot to the new end of Turkey Creek on Price's Mill Road. Probably a pipe dream, but so was several of the trails we now ride.

[ted]

I recently saw a map that Tommy T. got from the Forest Service office in Edgefield. It appeared to me that you would cross private land, or come close to it.
However, don't take my word for it. Obtain a map and see for yoursef.