NEW MAP: Great Basin SUV Trails - Southwest Nevada

Thank the maker this file is finally done!

Some months ago I put out an appeal for the donation of a couple of extra map books and I was able to obtain the "Great Basin SUV Trails: Vol II, Southwestern Nevada by Roger Mitchell" just as I had requested (bless you people).   [For a free Google Earth map of these offroad trails, it is available for download on the page: OffroadingHome.com/nevada under the name - Great Basin SUV Trails: Southwest Nevada]

This is the author, as I have said on a couple of previous occasions, who prolifically generates some of the most historically colorful and geologically interesting books of any that I have ever seen.

At the same time, however, his publicly professed aversion to that thar new fangled technology makes his books some of the worst for accuracy and actual field usability of any on the market – except, as I've said, to use for historical and geological background 'color.'

Which is why working on one of his books is a bit like cutting a tooth – It's painful to do, but for some unexplained reason biting down on your gum to 'pop it through' feels good.

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NEW: McCullough-Telephone-Rhyolite

Three submitted trails have been added to the Southern Nevada area (folder) of the "Nevada Trails" Master Map: McCullough Pass, Telephone Canyon and Rhyolite Back Door.   [Obtain a free Google Earth file of this route at: http://offroadinghome.djmed.net/nevada/nevada.htm]

They were anonymously submitted trips which DO check out on the satellite image, DO look like they visit or pass significant features verified in the USGS Features file BUT WEREN'T submitted with specific directions or ratings SO NEED the verification of other riders.

I think that I've mentioned it before, but we always try and verify all the trails which are submitted for inclusion in our master maps. You just need to actually look at one of our maps to see that they are NOT like those computer generated, forum posted, difficult to follow "Every Trail" on other sites. Most of our submitters welcome the help with making their listing look polished and be helpful for others who come behind them.

Once in awhile, for whatever reason, a track comes through without the ability to get back to the submitter, which puts me at a disadvantage. If the trail looks like it could be in a popular area, does actually follow visible markings on the satellite image or is in an area where there are few other submissions then I may decide to try and include it – hoping for further verification and descriptions.

Such is the case with these three trails. They are all in most interesting areas which should be able to be verified easily.

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GEO-tography: "Out Of Bounds"

Now that you've got the "Bokeh" photography technique under your belt, and to continue in our series of posting the "geographically related" images that we find around the "net," I've found another techique that might pique your interest.

It's called: "Out Of Bounds" and it starts where Bokeh leaves off. Just like Bokeh there is an apparent shallow depth of field; but, the next step is to intersperse yet another image right at the "break point" of the image, usually a photo frame of some sort. Well, you'll just have to see it to believe it (or not.)

It does require a fair bit of image manipulation in some image processing program or other, like Photoshop or GIMP; so, they are not the "raw" photographs which sit well with some photographic "purist" types; but, wow! What an attention getter they are. They cannot be achieved by the skill of the photographer, but require a different skill – just as accomplished.

The technique is reminiscent of some of the old cartoon illustrations we used to see on magazines like the "Saturday Evening Post" and others; so, has some "nostalgic" value.

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NEW: Trails Near Boulder and Searchlight Nevada

In the never ending quest to make the master maps complete, another addition of submitted trails to the Great Basin SUV Trails: Southern Nevada master map adds four more routes to both the Boulder and Searchlight Nevada areas.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: www.OffroadingHome.com] and choose the "Great Basin SUV Trails: Southern Nevada file.

The Eldorado Wilderness Road, West Powerline Wash Road and Sand Wash Road trails are all in the "Near Boulder" folder and really are starting to fill in the trails for the area running down to Black Canyon and the Colorado River.

The Powerline Wash Road trail is almost in the same area as these three except that its trailhead is south of the Keyhole Canyon trailhead, and closer to Searchlight than Boulder.

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Trail Difficulty Scales - Off Road ATV SUV

Nearly every offroading book I pick up has some kind of scale they use to rate how difficult a listed trail is to ride. The problem is that there is NO one standard rating system so every one is different and unless I want to make my brain explode by trying to "interpolate" between them I'm stuck using all of them in the master maps.

Some of the books simply use a 1 through "n" value and leave it up to the reader to visualize whatever they want (where "n" is anything between 3 and 10.) Or, use "ski-run" type descriptions for trails – you know "green circle," "blue square" and "black diamond" (which may or may not relate to: "Beginner," "Intermediate" and "Advanced".

The big difference between them is that they all attempt to rate different aspects of the experience (and there are many) depending upon the mind-set, compulsiveness and preference of the writer. One rates the trail, another rates the riders skill level and still another rates the vehicle. Some describe it in great detail, others show pictures and still others just leave everything up to the imagination.

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NEW: Havasu BLM Trail Closures

We interrupt our normally scheduled posts for a BLM "Travel Management Plan (TMP)" alert for the Havasu riding area in Arizona.

Offroaders will recognize this term as used by the BLM for the periodic review of all trails in an area to see how many we can "get off the books," so-to-speak – i.e. "close them off for everything except hikers." Which pretty much means: "Close them off to seniors!"

Offroaders who have at all been paying attention also recognize that this process spans several months fraught with hair-tearing frustration over trying to obtain usable information and straight answers from the BLM in order to make your "comments," all the while fending off mis-information and attacks from various "save the dirt" groups.

What makes this TMP a bit unique is that for the first time, in my knowledge, the BLM has…

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NEW: All Roads Lead To - 3 Corners

With the addition of the "3-Corners Western Route" trail, it now seems like this is the second sought after destination (right after Devil's Fire) as far as downloads and submissions are concerned.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Nevada Trails Master Map]

From the statistics, almost as many readers search and browse to the various three-corners tracks as do to the Devil's Fire map files.

For some reason it has also become a frequent destination of our own personal rides when we are snowbirding down that way. Perhaps it is due to the several directions one can get to it.

Trailheads can begin along old Route 95 just north of Beaver Dam, or along Lytle Ranch Road. We've also found ourselves at Three-Corners when we've ridden from the top of Mesquite Heights Road.

Additionally, just about any trail which takes you to Powerline Road over Flat Top Mesa or Lone Mesa or Toquop Wash can also get you to Three-Corners. As do trails coming from the north around Beaver Dam Wash.

Just about the only direction we haven't already taken has been from the far southwest –and now this trail begins from the Carp-Elgin exit off of I-15!

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NEW: Hatch-Panguitch-Paunsaugunt-Strawberry Pt-Aquarius-Hells Hole

Now that title is a mouthful; but, these additions to the southwestern region of the Utah Trails Master Map are a lot to talk about.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: http://offroadinghome.djmed.net/]

Offroading Home had an anonymous trail submission (at least that's what it turned out to be) of several trails which followed legitimate satellite image landmarks when verified; but, which attempts to verify the submitter failed.

We are most willing to accept any off road trail that we can receive, but always perform some verification (which obviously takes more time without the help of the submitter) so feel much more comfortable with the data when we can communicate back and forth a little. Unfortunately, this has to lower the priority level for posting and sometimes prevents them from being added at all.

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Elsewhere Offroad: Take Back Utah, Gold Butte and Havasu

The time has past when it was sufficient for you to simply work your job, attend to your family, and participate in church and local civic functions and just "expect" others (especially your government) to leave your recreation rights alone.

There are battles being fought against the double-talking "fiends" all across the country, who are frenetically pushing the government to "own" everything that isn't paved and basically close it off to everyone except the "elite" who can hike into it.

These three, that I've listed below, are all at different levels of involvement – they are battlefield reports from the "front lines."

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NEW: 9 Boulder City Nevada Trails

Ten new trails have been added to the Great Basin SUV Trails: Southern Nevada master map. Nine out of Boulder City and one out of Las Vegas. Most can be ridden by ATVs and Jeeps as well.    [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: http://offroadinghome.djmed.net/]

Despite the heat, Mike has been out in the field again verifying all the Lake Mead routes – tough work, but somebodies got to do it! One trail in the cool(er) mountains out of Vegas is a bit bumpy, but man what a view! Not a long ride but any chance to get off the pavement – it's all good.

The others all lead to water – and who can argue with that? I've given Mike's descriptions below so you can get a feel for what the routes are like. If you have ridden the area or are planning on going, please leave a comment about the trail.

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Utah Trails Master Map - Complete Re-Do

The Utah Trails ATV-SUV master map has undergone almost a complete revision and update.

The graphic interface for the whole file was enhanced, the entire Central Region was re-done almost from scratch and several new trails have been added which complete loops and from submitted trails.

A frequent trail submitter Michael Davidson added four trails near Beaver in Central Utah following a recent trip to the state: Forest Service roads 129, 137 and 147. They all go through beautiful country and to inspiring views. [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Utah ATV-SUV Trails]

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Summer ATV UTV Jamborees

The "Tri-State," "Outlaw," "Paiute Trail" and "Manti Mountain" ATV Jamborees are done for the year – the Paiute and Manti concluded this very weekend. That still leaves FOUR MORE to go however, for those of you die-hards who either can't ever get enough or those who just haven't been able to break free yet.

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Dry Fork Canyon Petroglyphs

If you ever find yourself in Vernal Utah, either as a passage home or going to see the dinosaurs, you've got more to see than fossils. And, no, I don't mean the city wide floral arrangement that is their main street.

There be PETROGLYPHS!

And they're not all that hidden or hard to find and they don't need ATVs or SUVs to get to them. Just about every motel will have a brochure rack of pamphlets and they all have many about different "day-trips" you can take while staying in Vernal – a great idea!

The one about the petroglyphs in Dry Fork Canyon, Utah, USA [N 40.545761, W 109.637028] immediately caught my eye, as it where, and I coerced my party to stop and see them the next morning on our way home.

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GPS Maps 106: Reading A Topo Map

[This post is part six in a multi-part series about understanding the GPS system and its coordinate grid.

The last (hopefully) in the series of posts about maps: how they're made and how to use them, I wanted to do something quite difficult (on this end) and that I hadn't tried before. Well… you saw what happened on the last post.

As it turned out, the "dummy down" policy of Google Earth [which supports their "paid version"] prevented anyone who didn't have a fairly new graphics card from viewing the presentation.

Therefore, lets attempt to do in writing that which I thought would be much easier in demostration; so, break out that copy of an actual topo map that you have in the glove box and follow along.

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GPS Maps 106: How To Read A Topo Map

[This post is part six in a multi-part series about understanding the GPS system and its coordinate grid.

Being (hopefully) pretty much the last post in this series about reading topo maps, what we are going to discuss today is really "rubber on the road" stuff and, in large part builds upon what we've already discussed as well as using a slightly different technique than we've ever used in the past.

This is where we actually hold that piece of crumpled, soiled, many-times-folded paper in our hands and try to find "where the blazes are we?" … No kidding — go get your topo map. It's better if you actually have something to look at. I'll wait.

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