GOLD CREEK/LOWER BLACKFOOT CONDITION 17/18

[CATSLEDMAN1]

this week end 16,17,18

overcast but snowing in places. more snow coming down and the next week is projected more snow. warm up high fri and sat, snowing at times, but real warm.

looking like spring though, south facing slopes down low late in day, bottomless mush in places.

7000 ft elevation, snow has settled about 3 ft overall, not melted, but ribbons marking snow dept in places are now 3 ft off the snow.
Upside of course is go anywhere snow conditions. Lots of water up in that snow pack as per snotel sights. So............get out and ride the best conditions of the year every afternoon.

road conditions are mud and bare driving first 1/2 mile off 200, lots of road bank to ride if you have a big trailer and need to park at the hiway, drive to the gravel pit is braking up slush and running water and brakeing through to mud, room to park trucks and trailer at gravel pit,by Sun a couple of sledbed trucks were driving to the Mineral mtn road turn.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Sunday 25

Main gold creek road is bare dirt to the gravel pit and only partly old crust to the last house. Pickup with sleds can now drive to the Mineral Mtn turnoff, rough going with the breaking up snow pack, but very doable. No room to turn a big trailer, maybe turn a light two place by hand.

Snow conditions Sunday were 4" of dense new snow on rock hard base, sunny most of the day and only warming wet snow on some south facing slopes by 4 pm.

Lots of snow, its settled in places 2-4 feet, when you get to maybe 6000 ft elevation, really no sign of significant setting at all. Creek crossing still good and snow covered, but some sun getting to the big trees in open South facing slope areas.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

sat 3 31

Another redundent report.

New snow, no one out riding, clear blue sky, not real warm, but bright and vacant out there. Just stunning to be out in that much bright white and all by your self, almost spooky.

Bare dirt road to gravel pit and you can ride the berm to snow if you go on up Gold Creek road to Seely or West fork or ? Pickup with two bikes we drove to Mineral Mtn road turn off no problem.

We heard some sleds in the canyons off Sheep mountian/Wisherd ridge, they must have parked up the road to Sheep Mtn trail head, look like you might drive up there a mile before un loading.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

rain and more rain

wow...........lots of rain and only rain in the forecast, snowing up high, I can see the ridgetops from the house bright white,

so old spring story, going away down low and building up more snow up high

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

4 14 2018

BARE dirt road and muddy to Mineral Mtn road, no trailer turn around.

Sun......thats good
fresh snow right from the truck......way good
soft mush trail, no speed limit...........except my bikes hp
first long climb..............ok some mush but as we gained 1000ft......................nice, north facing slopes a little soft, south facing sunny slopes mush corn snow but all fun

no body, nada, 500,000 acres all our own, not enough gas

went down anything, tougher going up on bikes so we toured

hard to figure all the hard core gung ho big payment 850 3inchers
.........too early to mow and plant, ball diamonds still muddy, brown grass, no football...........couch potato season is on.

pictures:

truck and road at mineral mtn road/trial
wisherd ridge and the 5 canyons...........we don't go there
out in the west fork somewhere the other pictures

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

wow

snow is not going anywhere, looked the same as last week with some new dense snow in the higher areas.

all good, maybe we sled till the 4th of july.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Friday May 4

dusty road to the Mineral Mtn road, up the Mineral Mtn
road a mile all dry road, then at first gated road on the left, solid snowmobile trail, go around gate solid snow to top of big clear cut and great sledding if you love sun and springtime snow.

WHOA. but no one here ? Oh well maybe best sledding of the year and NO BODY AROUND.