Jawbone Canyon OHV Recreation Area

Dove Springs OHV Rec Area

Spring and the slightest window of good weather tends to bring out the outdoors/off-roading bug that builds up in me over the winter. This year I revisited a favorite area to satisfy the urges and kickoff the camping season. On March 18, with the gear packed and tent trailer in tow, I set out for Dove Springs OHV Recreation Area near Red Rock Canyon State Park.

The weather was really nice the first two days and perfect for desert exploration. But the wind started raging the second night and made the remainder of the trip less than pleasant. Still, overall I had a good time and saw some new places I hadn't in previous visits. Here are some scenes from the trip .

Rock Front OHV Recreation Area

A friend and I took a trip to Rock Front OHV recreation area in the Los Padres National Forest from March 16-19. We traveled from Fresno to Taft and then took Highway 166 past Cuyama and New Cuyama to get there. Travel time was about 3 hours. The entrance is about a half hour drive east on 166 from Santa Maria. The first day was all about traveling to the area, finding a campsite and getting set up. But once that was done, we did have time to do some exploring. Here are scenes from Day 1: Branch Creek Trail The second day, it was all about hitting the trails and trying to see as much as we could. We did accomplish a lot and covered a lot of territory. Here are scenes from Day 2: Canyon and Paradise Trails and Day 2: Big Rocks Trail The third day of the trip is March 18 and the plan is to check out the Sierra Madre Road. This route is just across Highway 166 from Rock Front OHV and climbs the ridges of the neighboring Sierra Madre Mountains. Here are scenes from Day 3: Sierra

Bird Spring Pass

After spending the first two days and nights at Jawbone Canyon OHV, we headed north to explore new territory. We packed up camp and went out Jawbone Canyon Road to the junction with Kelso Valley Road. We decided to take a route that would head out into the desert and loop back making our trip home manageable. Here are scenes from Bird Spring Pass and vicinity.

Off-road enthusiasts express frustration with plan

OAKHURST - Matt Cassle enjoys riding his motorcycle over something other than pavement.

But with the Sierra National Forest poised to close a majority of trails and routes that motorcycle riders, Jeep drivers and backcountry campers have utilized for decades, Cassle and others like him feel they're the ones being run over.

Sixty off-road enthusiasts turned out for a public forum Tuesday night at the Oakhurst Community Center mainly to express frustration and displeasure with Forest Service officials over the Motorized Travel Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The 998-page document (including appendixes) was released last week, triggering a 45-day public comment period that ends June 15.

Before hitting the mountain ... get the campground facts

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Overview : Yosemite has 13 campgrounds; up to seven operate on a reservation system. Reservations are required year round for all car campgrounds in Yosemite Valley and summer through fall in Hodgdon Meadow, Crane Flat, Wawona and Tuolumne Meadows. (Half the sites in Tuolumne Meadows are first come, first served.)

Accessibility : Lower Pines, Upper Pines, North Pines, Hodgdon Meadow and Wawona are open year round; others open seasonally.