October 24th 2009 SMB Forum Bear Diversion Dam OHV Trip report.

(See part one for the trip overview)

(Click on smaller images to enlarge)

The Bear Diversion Dam is part of the Southern Cal Edison Big Creek Hydro-Electric Project. The Power Company maintains the trail to some extent but it’s fair to say the 2.5 mile one way OHV Jeep path is rough and changeling enough to make it a good run for a 4×4 vehicle. Saturday morning Charlie asked if we had still planned to do the trail. I have been on this route several times over the years and was more than willing to run it with him. After breakfast and beaucoup espresso to help wart off the evil spirits of the night before, I was ready for a drive. Everybody else had plans, so it was just Charlie and his dog Ozzy in his rig; Don and me in mine.  There is some good fishing above and below the Dam, but Don and I were more interested in the drive on this trip. It had been a couple of years since I had been back into this area so it felt nice to revisit the site. Taking Kaiser Pass Road from  Sample Meadow CG toward Edison Lake takes you to the trailhead.

Kaiser Pass Road itself is quite scenic and there are several photo opportunities along this paved road including a portion that follows along a ridgeline that overlooks the Vermillion Valley. If a vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction, someone will have to yield and backup.

 

 

Mono Hot springs Resort  is located where the road into Edison crosses the San Joaquin River (just on the Edison Lake side of the bridge) and is marked showing directions to the resort. In addition to its famous hot springs, the resort offers a campground, cabins, and a nice restaurant that’s open during the tourist season.

The Bear Diversion route starts off about a mile beyond the bridge. This OHV trail is not a technical 4×4 route but there are a few spots where four wheel drive is suggested. Bear Diversion Dam Map

The start of the Jeep trail is a bit confusing where one fork splits off the main route and leads to a dead end.  I noticed the trail did not match up to my GPS. Of course we drove right into the trap. No big deal, we just flipped around and got back on track. As long as you keep right while looking for the most used trail you should be on the correct path but sometimes the smooth granite doesn’t reveal the heavier used sections. Looking for the gate is the key, unfortunately it’s difficult to see at the start of the trail.

Charlie told us he would follow knowing I had mapped the area some years back and my maptech program was up and running.

 

 

 

 

After the first part of the trail, most of the way to the dam is obvious. We passed through some forested sections but most of the route is kind of sparse.

 

 

 

There is a lot of loose gravel type surfaces to drive over which seems to change year to year. The trail winds its way over granite rocks, much of it as a shelf type road.

 

 

 

 

The mountain ranges in the background are quite spectacular on this route which gives it a high scenic rating in the Northern California Backcountry Adventures book.

The trail follows along a ridge that climbs less than 1000 feet from the starting elevation of about 7000 feet. Although there are a few spots that are fairly steep, most of the climb is a mild grade.

Close to the dam we crossed over a large section of granite.

This is where you’ll find a trailhead to reach the Pacific Crest backpacking trail. It’s also a great place to camp at provided no one is around.

 

 

 

 

Actually there were a couple of vehicles up at the trailhead and after looking over the area we headed back down to meet Charlie.

Coming off the hill my vehicle stalled and I had to ask Charlie for a jump. OK, I’m just kiddin; Sportsmobile’s never have  electrical problems do they? Charlie was just having some fun and I did finally get him to turn around to let me by.

 

 

Back on the trail,  Charlie headed down towards the dam. It is a fairly steep drop to the parking area which also serves as a nice camp.

 

 

 

As we approached the dam I was pleasantly pleased to see water cresting over it. In all the years I had been back here, water was never coming over the top.

 

Southern Cal Edison was working on the pinstocks just above Huntington Lake and all the water was being diverted into the river rather than down to Huntington, so water was flowing over the dam and out of the spillway which made for some great photo opportunities. For once, I finally saw the forebay completely full.

 

If you look at the lower left image above you can see Charlie taking some pictures. If it wasn’t so darn cold, the dam would have been a great shower.

We soon left out toward camp. The vista’s on this trail are outstanding and the run is well worth the drive. It’s fairly short, so in a normal day you can get in a few other sites to see as well.

On the way in we did see some trees with fall colors showing but I didn’t take time to snap and pictures.

Once back on Kaiser Pass Road I made a few stops as the sun was setting. The pictures didn’t come out quite the way I wanted due to the low light levels so I guess I need to take a class in Photography or at least learn how to use Photoshop.

 

We rolled into camp at dusk and the images below were the only shots of the Campground I took during the entire trip.

Looks like I also need a tripod!

Back at camp we stopped by the fire where we found one of the members had experienced engine trouble and left out, but Rob and Ning had finally showed up. Don and I chatted with the group about our day and what everybody else had done, then headed back to our little propane fire and a bite to eat. The next day we planned to take a run up to Mount Tom Fire Lookout then check out Lost Meadow and the lower area around Wishon Reservoir.

Thanks for following my post.

Dave Boyer.

For an overview of the trip, please see Part one:

2009 Sportsmobile Forum Group Meet Part I

Also see the remaining daily posts:

2009 Sportsmobile Forum Group Meet Part II

2009 Sportsmobile Forum Group Meet Part III

 

 

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