Overlanding Central California - Clear Creek
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2024
- Overlanding in Central California, exploring the area of Clear Creek.
You will need 2 permits to get into the Clear Creek area (less than $20 total): www.recreation...
Coordinates in the video.
OverlandOutAndAbout.com
OverlandOutAndAbout
OverlAndOutandAbout
This is my backyard. I lived in Gonzales for 5 years and now I'm in Salinas. I grew up going to Clear Creek and I was just there on New Years Day this year. To quote, Endless Summer, "Man, you just missed it by like 20 years". Clear Creek used to be a dirt bike heaven. Dirt Bike magazine once called it the "Best Off-Roading Area in the Country". Certainly it rivaled those places like the Hatfield McCoy Rec Area, Swingarm City, etc. But the Feds closed it on bogus science. The "ACEC" as you mention is home to serpentine soils which are the base material for creating asbestos. However, the dirt and even the dust are not harmful because they haven't been refined. The long shank fibers of the serpentine material is unlike the short shank fibers found in asbestos which make it so dangerous and that transformation only happens by refining it. Anyhow, I could go on and on, I was at the "Save Clear Creek" rallys and still have the stickers on my stuff. I miss spending winter and spring out there riding, the exploring was endless. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Clear Creek.
There are still dirt bikes there, I saw a few.
But yes, it's really a great area to explore and camp, I'll definitely go again once or twice this summer.
Dude! Same here. The Rally at the Hollister BLM office. Local senators. Still locked gates.
Back right before it got reopened for a window to the public.
2010/2011? The legal judgement was passed, but it was not "Officially" open. We snuck down there for three days. The main road was still impassible to anything but a motorcycle. The BLM didn't even drive it or patrol it. Saw a Golden Eagle while we were down there. Sawmill Creek.
I grew up in that area. Clear Creek was closed to the public years ago because of naturally occurring Aesbestos, which is why access is restricted by a gate- they didn’t want lots of motorcycles and jeeps kicking up that dust. The New Idria area was once Mercury mining and the area is (I believe) a Superfund toxic cleanup site- I wish your dog had not drank the water but he probably didn’t get too much. I went through there in a 4x4 truck and it was a challenging drive, for sure. The road from New Idria to Panoche (going toward I-5) is the most potholed road I have ever had the misery of driving on!
The ground was damp when I was there so almost no dust, but yes, on the website they did say that there is some asbestos there.
Don't believe the hype! Nobody ever died of mesothelioma from camping and riding Clear Creek. Zero body count. Faulty science and public apathy allowed the BLM to get their way.
I've been in that whole area so seeing it again makes me miss it. I moved to another state. Thanks for sharing. The new rig is a beast.
Thanks.
was my first time getting passed the gate, and it's a really nice area to explore.
Great video . I grew up in the Salinas valley.
I rode dirty bikes & hunted there 40+ years ago.
You brought back Great memories Thanks.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Back in the 1990's, we used to drive in from the Idria side. Reverse of your trip. Up and over into Clear Creek canyon. My truck with a trailer. Two dirt bikes. Friends doing the same. So much fun.
Same here good fun.
Man those pointers can run forever!! My dogs love running ahead of me!! :)
Ghost is a Weimaraner, if the weather is not too hot he'll run for miles and miles.
Thanks for sharing your trip. I used to head to clear Creek for camping and dirt biking... Quite a bit in the '90s
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I saw many dirt bikes in the area before the gate.
Great video! We’ve done La Gloria Rd, Old Hernandez Road (in its entirety) and Panoche Road on our channel, and just recently went to Clear Creek where we tried (and failed!) to find New Idria. It was great to see you complete the trip and it gives me hope that we’ll make it through on our next trip! Also, La Gloria road just about shook out my teeth with the corrugations and I could not air down at the time, airing down was smart.
New Idria seats right on the main trail (the coordinates are in the video).
Did you get a permit and a code for the gate to get in?
@@OverlandOutAndAbout Yep, I had the ACEC permit. For reasons I will not go into, I did not have my usual maps. Took a wrong turn at a poorly signed fork in the road. ruclips.net/video/etz04eUl048/видео.html
I'm watching the video now (you have a professional broadcaster voice)
@@OverlandOutAndAbout haha thx. Doing voiceover is hard, and then I realize I've slipped back to my British roots and weirdly pronounced something. We do what we can. :)
AWESOME trip ! amazing views and a whole lot of Wow that is rough road!! nonstop fantastic thanks for sharing
One of these days you'll have to join me for camping and a beer
@@OverlandOutAndAbout yeah i agree
Great adventure! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for watching.
Your videos are really well done and are making me envious of your trips. I’m trying to get out there but short on time until the kid is on summer vacation.
Thank you...you are welcome to join me at any time.
Lived in California all my life and have never seen this area. Quite beautiful, though lacking a vehicle that could navigate this, I’ll just to enjoy it on RUclips! Subbed!
Thank you for subscribing.
Just as an F.Y.I, the first section of Gloria and Old Gloria road is unpaved but can be done with any car.
BLM does not want you to see this area.
Nice video. Great van!
I live about a half hour north in Hollister. I used to drive this area often, but since the gates went up (about 20 years ago) I haven’t seen the Clear Creek part. I really should get the permit. It would be nice to camp back there. It looks exactly like I remember it. I’m glad you were able to get through the road closure on the New Idria side. That washed out a couple years ago, and the county doesn’t seem to care about it. It’s probably going to be that way for years to come.
Thank you.
The permit is very easy to get and only cost $17...I think itscwell worth it, that whole area is really nice.
I think the washout is passable with most stock 4wd, but it would be nice if they fix it properly.
Awesome option I never knew about. Reading the website, peope are not happy w/ the user interface. Both gates open?
Yes both gates can be opened with the code you get once you get the permit
Grew up dirt bike riding there as a kid we would camp and spend a few days not to far from San Jose
Nice...I did see a few dirt bikes there
Perfect place during the rainy season no dust or it used to be years ago.
When I was there it rained a bit so there was 0 dust, I'm sure that during the summer months it can get dusty.
@@OverlandOutAndAbout For sure, and then everybody worried about the asbestos.
Hey man, as a local if you paid $70 you over paid it’s only like 25-30$. It’s definitely a good drive and camp in the spring. Summers unbearable. Most of the roads have been redone since the massive rain. There’s also camping and offroad trails down the way in condon peak.
The permit cost $17 not $70...maybe it's my accent 🙂
Great Video!! I’m a Salina’s local, what do you think about a short wheel based sprinter making that run??
I think you should be just fine. Most of the trail is fairly simple, in some spots you may need 4wd, but nothing too difficult.
@@OverlandOutAndAbout Thank you! Digging the content… I have some catching up to do on your channel. Have you been up Tassajara Rd Carmel Valley?
No I did not...I'll look it up
Could you please put the coordinates in the description because in the video it is extremely hard to get... thx 😊
It's too much work, it's much easier for me to put it in the video 🙂
Is the gate still there on the entrance you went through? No issue with other people while camping? I've been there a lot on a motorcycle during the day, but not overnight.
You can get to the initial area with no gate (there are a bunch of trails there), and the gate lets you into the area you need a permit for (lots of places to camp, I didn't have any issues)
Thanks for a great story in the western hills of California. I have an Kawasaki KLR motorcycle I like to ride around this area.
Nice...I used to have a KLR with an off-market 9 gallon tank for long adventures... your comment just made me nostalgic 🙂
Great explore! You have a new sub
Thank you, and thank you 🙂
Oh yeah, I thought you were gonna get stuck in that rutted out area. Brave man!
Not "brave man"...more like "great van" 🙂
Well done sir.😎👍
I’ve only skimmed over the far easternmost part of the Panoche Hills. Not far from I-5.
Thanks...yea the last part after Idria started with some pavement, than turned into dirt. It was very easy so nothing too special as far as "off roading", but the scenery was nice.
Ar first, I wasn't sure where you were at, but I thought this was Yolo county road 40 between highway 16 (Cache Creek) and Berryessa/Knxville road in Lake county.
I was way off.
Yea, I was about 300 miles south of Lake County
New Idria. Possibly the largest Cinnabar/Mercury mine on the planet. Billions of dollars. Over 27 miles of tunnels. The refinery is still there.
Nice headed to New idria this weekend. Did BLM mention the washout?
I don't know, I didn't not encounter any major washouts.
@@OverlandOutAndAbout I guess I answered my own question by watching till the end lol. That last big drop/water crossing you made is the way around the washout on private property. To the right is where the road washed out it has been a few years but they just recently began construction.
Oh right, they are working on fixing that part...but it's passable.
you should air down to 18/20 for a smooth offroad ride.
I don't know, I'm thinking that a heavy vehicle like this will create too much of a "belly" on the wheels and risk sidewall puncture. These days, I air down to 25, I may try 20 just to see how it is.
@@OverlandOutAndAbout Depends a lot on your tires. When you air down, you have to keep your speed down also.
Nice. Good stuff!
Thank you.
Sucks that they only allow you to enter 5 times a year due to the high levels of asbestos, But if you don’t mind breathing in a little asbestos
it’s the perfect place.
I’ve been going there for years and ain’t died yet. 😂
its truly a hidden gem! 💎
I'm not too concerned about it, it's a beautiful area, and I plan on continuing to enjoy it.
I love the rig by the way, Hope to see you on the trails brother. 🤘
Thanks.
I just got it a couple of months ago and still need to do some things to it, but it gets the job done 🙂
The asbestos fiber claim is pure smoke and mirrors. I grew up riding down there before any gates. They used to race AMA National enduros down there. The asbestos found down there is raw. 100% natural. These are not the fibers that collect in your lungs. Processed asbestos fibers are the problem. Ground up. Besides that point, the best time we used to ride down there was in the winter/spring. When it was wet. Born in 1960, currently live in Santa Cruz county. Your permit today gives you access to drive on what are essentially county roads under BLM Jurisdiction. There used to offroad access down there to over 300,000 BLM acres.
Nice setup. Hit those buttons for ya. Adventure on.
Thank you!
I have a lifted power wheel drive Chevy Express that I want to take on an adventure with some other all-wheel drive or 4 x 4 Vans and SUVs
Cool, let me know if you'd like to join me on further trips.
Plan around Vegas June 26-29. Will be there with boys (Sam turning 21)
Hi Slavic,
Ok, I'll see if we can make it.
This place looks cool, nice video!
Hit me up if you want someone to join you on the next one!
Yea, I only explored a small part of it. Sounds good, next time I go will most likely be the weekend after Memorial weekend (not sure where yet)
@@OverlandOutAndAbout Cool, just let me know when and where!
Mountain Mike's planting cannabis in the rain
?
Old Hernandez. The ford. It was closed and unpassable for years. Open now.