CA4WDC Sierra Trek - 2000, Meadow Lake, CA

Sierra Trek 2000

Sierra Trek, CA - August 2000

Short Cuts

by: Kammy Burleson

Sierra Trek SUV Run

Photos and text by Kammy Caruss Burleson.

Sierra Trek. To most four-wheelers this conjures up the image of gnarly granite terrain and tricky winch hills. But for less-experienced SUV drivers, it's also the perfect opportunity to get their feet wet and see what their trucks will do on the backcountry roads of the Sierra Nevada. California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs, which sponsors Sierra Trek, offers the ever-popular Historical SUV run for all levels of four-wheelers as a fun and informative alternative to the standard Fordyce and Bear Valley trails. This year, nearly thirty vehicles participated in the SUV Run led by Jim Bramham, a native of the Grass Valley area.


Staging area for SUV Run.

Main Camp of Sierra Trek is located at Meadow Lake within the Tahoe National Forest in Nevada County, California. The SUV group started gathering here around 8 a.m. the morning of August 19th for staging and breakfast. At the driver's meeting which followed, Jim explained the type of terrain we would be facing and suggested we air the tires down to about 18 pounds to smooth out the ride. There were many different vehicle models prepped for the run, including a Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco II, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Expedition, Isuzu Rodeo, Ford Explorer, Toyota 4Runner, Isuzu Trooper, and a Suburban.


Tollhouse Lake

Summit City Cemetery

Meadow near Cemetery

The diverse caravan of trucks started up Meadow Lake Road to their first stop--Tollhouse Lake. After taking in the beauty of the lake, Jim explained that this was once the location of a gold rush era toll house for this route which, if we continued, would take us all the way to Highway 20. We heard about the mining techniques of the 1800s and how this area built up. Small mines spawned small towns, which in turn created the need for a transportation network.

Next, during a short pit-stop at the official OHV campground and bathroom, the group heard about the history of California's OHV or "Green Sticker" program. Jim went on to explain how the program is currently funded and what OHV resources this program supports -- parks like Hollister Hills, Prairie City and Hungry Valley. Then the drivers were led to their next stop at Summit City Cemetery. The 30-40 gravesites here are some of the only remaining signs of what was once a thriving mining community, back around 1858. Jim told stories of the harsh environment these miners had to withstand, such as 20-40 feet of snow and not seeing sunlight for days, as they mostly traveled through snow tunnels in the winter. This led to an overview of how land management has changed from the days when mining dominated the area to today.

We traveled back past Main Camp (pit-stop anyone?) and soon, found ourselves engaging four wheel drive for the somewhat steep trail up to the top of Lacey Peak. Here the participants had the opportunity to take in beautiful landscape views for miles around. Jim pointed out landmarks for us on the horizon -- Fordyce and Meadow lakes, Old Man Mountain, Hartley and Sierra Buttes, and Meadow Mountain. On a clear day, Jim said, you could see Lassen Peak to the north. Today there was a wildfire burning in Plumas County obscuring any chance of this. Lacey Peak is also along the Pacific Crest Trail, which we could see meander away from the point at which we were standing. It beckoned you to walk along it, and as enticing as that seemed, the lunch call dispelled the thought and we all made our way from the peak to the lunch spot.


Drive up to Lacey Peak	View of Fordyce and Meadow lakes from atop Lacey Peak	View of Sierra Buttes

Although the wonderful lunch might have inspired us to nap, Jim and the crew enticed us back into our trucks with stories of further sites and more challenging terrain to come. So, the contingent traveled back down the mountain and passed by camp one last time. This time we went around camp to the left, towards Meadow Lake dam. This route was a little rockier than our previous trails, and we crawled a little slower than before.

Lake by miner's cabin

SUV "Winch" hill

Past the dam, we stopped at what had once been a miner's cabin and near there we saw a small mine 'pick hole'. The next part of the trail was the trickiest spot of the day. Jim and the crew went up to the top of the rocky hill in order to spot and help all our vehicles through it. One by one, each rig went up the slope. Only a couple had to stop and try a new line up the biggest bump and once again we were on our way.

The last stop of the day was the closed-off Excelsior mine. This was once one of the larger mines in the area. Jim described different mining techniques used in the region and noted that mining in the past was not always very environmentally friendly- eroding away massive amounts of soil and even leaving traces of cyanide in streams and rivers. The mine is also near the top of the infamous Fordyce trail and its fifth Winch Hill. Jim invited anyone who was interested in seeing some more hardcore four-wheeling to walk down and watch the other Trek participants come up the hill. The rest of the troop returned to their vehicles one last time to complete the trip back to where we started at Meadow Lake where they said their good-byes and thanked Mr. Bramham and the crew for a great trip.

If you own a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and are interested in future Cal4Wheel-sponsored runs, please check their calendar of events at www.cal4wheel.com.