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M.E.T. Snow Update

Just to clarify this.
it used to be you could not go past the Silverfork junction in a wheel vehicle.
this year it is now the 9N20 junction, about a mile past Silverfork ( high saddle before the meadow)


here is the Forest order that relates to that
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd878840.pdf

also you cannot go down Silverfork road as well any longer
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd872626.pdf

I was reading the #878840 the other day, and it confused me. Says that travel is restricted but then exempts ATV, OHV and street legal cars? Am I reading it wrong?
 
Just to clarify this.
it used to be you could not go past the Silverfork junction in a wheel vehicle.
this year it is now the 9N20 junction, about a mile past Silverfork ( high saddle before the meadow)


here is the Forest order that relates to that
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...eprd878840.pdf

also you cannot go down Silverfork road as well any longer
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...eprd872626.pdf

So super annoying! Lol... because this MVUM shows Silverfork clearly exempt from seasonal closures, but that forest order says otherwise.

https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/en...-placerville-2

I was reading the #878840 the other day, and it confused me. Says that travel is restricted but then exempts ATV, OHV and street legal cars? Am I reading it wrong?

And yes, as for 878840, it says highway legal "4wheel drive", not "car"
 
Had to Re-read my question, and the order. I was thinking it said these were allowed uses past Silver Fork, that is what it read wrong. This is saying that all of MET is closed.


Ooo, okay, so it says nobody can use MET when snow covers the road. Butt, then it allows all of these exemptions, ATV , OHV, passenger vehicles and tracked vehicles.


I was wondering how the SXS crowd was able to travel on the MET given that it is a road. Now it makes sense.


But, I thought that tracked vehicles were allowed past Silver Fork, maybe that is in another order.
 
So super annoying! Lol... because this MVUM shows Silverfork clearly exempt from seasonal closures, but that forest order says otherwise.

https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/en...-placerville-2


And yes, as for 878840, it says highway legal "4wheel drive", not "car"

that one is new starting last year.
You are correct the MVUM does show Silverfork open year round. but the Forest Order now closes it when covered in snow.
I have asked why that was done. originally I was told is was to keep people from driving up and vandalizing the cabin area around 12 miles from Kyburz. I do not believe that is correct as I know him very well, and though he has had problems with people in the winter, he is very open to having people on the road as it helps pack the snow for him when he drives out.
I think the real problem is the hill right out of Kyburz. once it gets a little snow, it becomes a mess with people trying to get up it and sliding off the road. there is a gate there, and it should be closed when icy, but open all other times I feel.
we have a new Forest Supervisor that started last summer and we can talk with him to see if he is open to not having this order renewed when it expires in September


Yes 4 wheel drive vehicle ( keep in mind, all wheel drive is not allowed as that is not considered 4 wheel drive :laughing:)




Had to Re-read my question, and the order. I was thinking it said these were allowed uses past Silver Fork, that is what it read wrong. This is saying that all of MET is closed.


Ooo, okay, so it says nobody can use MET when snow covers the road. Butt, then it allows all of these exemptions, ATV , OHV, passenger vehicles and tracked vehicles.


I was wondering how the SXS crowd was able to travel on the MET given that it is a road. Now it makes sense.


But, I thought that tracked vehicles were allowed past Silver Fork, maybe that is in another order.

it is goofy how they have to do it.
to allow OHV vehicle on MET, it first has to be closed. then they list those types that are allowed to use the closed road.
this allows OHVs. and snowmobiles to use the road along with highway legal 4x4 vehicles.
the prohibited vehicles are 2 wheel drive and all wheel drive vehicles
and OHVs that are over 1000cc, so technically you cannot use a greensticker rig that is over 1000cc on MET.

also the order use to list Silverfork as the point you could not go beyond, that has changed last year to 9N20.
the reason has always been that they did not want wheeled vehicles on the Silverbear groomed snowmobile trail. that trail uses MET from the snowpark to 9N02 and goes up to Leek Spring Lookout. It makes sense because a wheel vehicle will mess up the trail. it didn't make sense that they had it all the way down at Silverfork as that is two miles before the snowmobile trail. they have done better now and moved it to 9N20 which does make sense.
 
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Any current reports?
Anything decent in this storm?
Thinking of a run up there this or next weekend.
 
Any current reports?
Anything decent in this storm?
Thinking of a run up there this or next weekend.

Go next weekend, I’ll join you.

Last weekend I went up Georgetown way to see about Wentworth Springs. It was mostly dry through to UTC. No 4x4 needed. Only went another few miles then stopped for lunch and wife and I just sat by the roadside for the afternoon. There is not much traffic on that road.
 
Had a a couple buddies up there Tuesday and Wednesday. They said decent snow. Mostly packed. This storm probably brought in a couple feet at the top at most. It's raining there right now so it's probably slushy and icy. Most of it will probably melt this weekend.
 
Wellllll
looks like we need a new playground for this season:emb:
 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd961876.pdf

Order 3-21-19 says until end of March 2022. Signs at all of the roads say ‘until further notice’

17EF13C2-0B12-4C0C-B7B1-4D5C9A3265BC.jpeg
 
Thanks for the info on that.
I've got a few newish areas I wanna check out this year. Now its just a matter of figuring out where to park the truck and trailer.
Uncle Tom's is gonna be a shit show with MET closed I think
 
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MET is my go-to since it’s so close. I’m betting Wentworth will be poopy with more peeps.

Im not sure of areas up by Foresthill, but may have to check it out.
 
I know they close the gate at China Wall up there. Haven't explored too many areas past that
 
Anyone wanna hit up MET on Saturday?
Betting little if any snow but curious to see what the burn scar looks like in person.
 
I went up last Saturday, mostly around Bonetti Road. Definitely no snow at that level…well there was small patches from the night before on the shady side of one hill. Burn is…well…it’s bad, but there is grass growing. F9F5FDCF-5D9D-4CDD-937C-1664CDFF6B7F.jpeg 0454DB66-6239-488E-9EA8-58E0A9841DFF.jpeg
 
I saw some pics in another thread that looked horrible.
There's a couple of other spots up by Kirkwood that I also am curious about once the snow melts. But just looking at where they held it at Caples I'm pretty sure are burned out.
 
We went up MET to Light canyon monday, SAD to see the lack of trees other than all new log decks. Off the main road some spots still had small timber stands. The old pilken burn sign was toast, the trees still were holding all there yellow neddles, other spots the forest was standing black sticks. We did see two deer on 10N40E. My friends place on Alder creek some how survived. North South rd 10N83 area looks like a moon scape other than all the black logs in wind rows.
 
We went up MET to Light canyon monday, SAD to see the lack of trees other than all new log decks. Off the main road some spots still had small timber stands. The old pilken burn sign was toast, the trees still were holding all there yellow neddles, other spots the forest was standing black sticks. We did see two deer on 10N40E. My friends place on Alder creek some how survived. North South rd 10N83 area looks like a moon scape other than all the black logs in wind rows.

the worst area I have seen so far is in the MET, North South Road area. there is almost no green at all between MET and the Capps Crossing campground that is 7 miles.

as for MET snow
a large group of us drove up to the Leek Spring turnoff on Friday.
no real snow on MET until 1 miles past Silverfork.
many vehicles have driven all the way to highway 88 but it is over the snow the last 2 miles currently.
2 of us did make it up to Leek Spring lookout. snow covered all the way in with 4-6 feet deep still in places
 
the worst area I have seen so far is in the MET, North South Road area. there is almost no green at all between MET and the Capps Crossing campground that is 7 miles.
Seems the loggers tackled that intersection good D658299A-29A8-4739-86B1-C3F928B1AC72.jpeg C5931B64-1A87-4C54-91A7-BC81A8EB8631.jpeg
 
3 weeks ago all the tree were still on the hill. the feller would go up and just lay them all facing downhill, then the skidder would drag them down and have them piled.
they were doing the other side of it last week as well
 
Was up there Sunday, only a few snow patches on the road up by Leek Spring turn off. From MET the road to Leek Spring looked pretty full still, being in the shade and all. Tomorrow is Friday and a workday, ain’t nobody got time for wheeling. I could probably go Saturday if you aren’t working.
565C4AC2-B0A9-4882-8231-8180C2E0A4E3.jpeg
 
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