Can anyone tell me what to expect at the water crossings?I am thinking of doing a snow run in feb. and just want to know if its going to swallow my jeep on 42's.

Others with more experience can chime in here but the way I understand it, it's the snow that will swallow you long before you get to the water crossings on Fordyce in February.

Good luck. I drove by eagle lakes on last friday and there was 6 ft of snow:shaking:

The fun if you get to the river will be coming back out. I hope you have a couple of rigs with some winches. :D

i was up there on sun..cant post pics but the snow is fun, just air down to like 5psi. i saw a bunch of dumbasses slidin all over with rock hard tires. didnt make it to watercrossing 1 tho. i hear the other side of the river there is like a vertical ice wall.

i was up there on sun..cant post pics but the snow is fun, just air down to like 5psi. i saw a bunch of dumbasses slidin all over with rock hard tires. didnt make it to watercrossing 1 tho. i hear the other side of the river there is like a vertical ice wall.

Ya Baby! Damn I love that trail. Wish I was there right now!!:grinpimp:

Like everyone else said good luck the snow will get you first. try the fordyce lake by pass if the gate is open

With all kinds of new stuff going on with my crap its looking like march.I will be starting by bowman and heading to meadow and then head down.I think 48" tires will have a better chance of running the trail.

I'm thinkin you could probably run Fordyce without 48's. My rig is on 35's and was on em all last summer.

Jeepfamily

March?

It all depends upon the snow. A lack of snow year? You might make it, but don't expect to - just have fun. I know the route your planning on taking, you'll be up at 7000 feet with deep snow and if that doesn't get you it will be the side slope snow banks. It will be very hard work, slow going, a lot of winching and getting unstuck. If I could get a week off I would like to try it sometime

The gate getting back out to Cisco Grove (fordyce lake bypass) will be closed and locked, I believe it wasn't opened till May of last year.

At that time of the year the snow has not started melting and the lake is not releasing much so the creek crossing should be no problem. Getting to the creek crossing is the problem.

I'm thinkin you could probably run Fordyce without 48's. My rig is on 35's and was on em all last summer.

I am thinking there might be 3-7' of snow with water crossings over 44" tires if not more.Did I forget to mention March?:shaking:

Jeepfamily

March?

It all depends upon the snow. A lack of snow year? You might make it, but don't expect to - just have fun. I know the route your planning on taking, you'll be up at 7000 feet with deep snow and if that doesn't get you it will be the side slope snow banks. It will be very hard work, slow going, a lot of winching and getting unstuck. If I could get a week off I would like to try it sometime

The gate getting back out to Cisco Grove (fordyce lake bypass) will be closed and locked, I believe it wasn't opened till May of last year.

At that time of the year the snow has not started melting and the lake is not releasing much so the creek crossing should be no problem. Getting to the creek crossing is the problem.

Dont be shy,you can come.It took me some time to get the locals to agree to go with me,but they think its doable going down.I think cisco water cross is going to be flowing.The last two crossings on the way out are whats making me nervous.We will start off at washington and start heading up,it will take alot of fuel and time but by the time we get up to meadow we should be in the worst of it.Bring chains!!!!!!!I hate ice.

I would not expect ICE at all along the trail. You may not even be able in many places to actually find the trail. Things look VERY different in the snow. Getting lost is a real possibility; bring as much navigation equipment along as possible as well as survival gear. There maybe some ice at the water crossings, but getting thru the snow banks at the crossings could be the most difficult. Especially if we get some snow and it does not get tracked from the other direction. There can be snow as high as your vehicle at the stream banks.

During the winter, travel to the first creek crossing is common. Taking the bail out or Committee crossing at Fordyce Lake last February was done, but getting to Meadow lake was not done until much later.

High water at the crossings require PG&E to release water from Fordyce, large amounts of snow will not yet be melting to fill the lake in March. Thus they will only be releasing a "Fish Flow" amount of water - just enough to keep the downstream fish happy.

I have encountered during the Spring a stated 50CFM flow from the dam, but at the first creek crossing found much more from the melt, "my estimate 250CFM" and progressively less as we went up creek. The falls coming from the canyon walls are VERY nice in the spring. In March I would not expect the melt to be in full flow. Pun Intended.

As far as using chains - they don't work well in unpacked snow. My experience is they just help you dig in deeper and getting stuck sooner. For those in the tail of your group, depending upon the snow conditions they may find chains to be useful, but not the leader.

My prediction is you won't get anywhere near Meadow Lake. Here's why:
The road around Bowman Lake is 5600’, if there is enough snow it will not be visible do to the snowdrifts and banks. I have seen it this way. I "knew" there was a road there, but do to all the snow it just looked like the hillside descended into the lake. There are other places much worse than this on the route up to Meadow Lake, such as Meadow Lake Road from Catfish Lake to just above Tollhouse Lake at 7600’. Get out a Topo map and take a look.

Bowman Lake Road around the lake in many places does not have an abundant amount of trees to winch to for safety.

As I stated earlier, I would like to try this endeavor sometime, so don't take my cautious nature as trying to dissuade you from going, just be careful!

I wouldn't like to read about some "Snow Wheelers" getting stuck in the forest and having to be rescued. It would not be good press and lately we wheelers have been the red-headed-stepchild of recreation. Keep out of the Snowmobile and winter recreation areas just to the north.

Also next year “Fordyce Trail” may very well be closed to winter travel due to the RDP.

.This isnt the first time we have triied this.I just thought that maybe going up might be better than going down.BTW we have almost made it to meadow a couple times in the past few years in the winter.Also with the weather conditions that they are as of late,I dont think there will be much snow between now and then but you never know.The locals know all the roads that we will need,we have never gotten near bowman,but we were in the nearby vicinty.You dont have to come but if you do I will bring a fork.:)

This thread is becoming really close to being transferred to Chit Chat.:flipoff2:

.I wont be posting anymore in here.:flipoff2:

edit:Whats wrong tinman you didnt get the invite?




I couldn't help it just one more sentence in a forum thats usually dead in the winter.JK