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?Kern Valley Gathering - checking interest?

2K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  Kanga 
#1 ·
Anyone be interested in a Gathering up in the Kern Valley this Fall?

If you are not familiar with the area it is home to some of the most epic riding in SoCal, it is an area worth checking out.

Located less than an hour East of Bakersfield on Hwy 178 and about three hours from most of the LA area.

There is free camping and miles of single track trails for XC riding in the Keyesville area, Keyesville Classic Loop, Kern Canyon trail and more.

A quick shuttle ride up to Alta Sierra (7000') gets you access to some Epic all mountain trails; Just Outstanding, Unal Loop, Wall Street and Dutch Flat. You can connect a few of them and ride all the way back down to Keyesville at 2500', this is a sick ride.

And the Ultimate SoCal Epic ride, Cannel Trail/ Cannel Plunge, this is a longer Shuttle ride north of Kernville. Option 1 is to go all the way to Sherman Pass at (9200') ride sick single track for around 20 miles all between 7200' and 9400' before dropping into the Plunge back to Kernville, 5000 ft descent in about 8 miles. Option 2 is shuttle out to Big Meadow do one big climb and drop the Plunge. Option 3, for the maniacs out there, ride the road from Kernville all the way up for about a 60 mile loop.

The Bionicon Backcountry Team rides here a lot and will organize, be involved as guides and get a few sponsors on board if the interest is there.

Mountain and River Adventures is the local Shuttle and Guide company

We love to show off our home trails, we think the area gives Downieville a run for the Money.

Would be tons of fun for all.
 
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#11 ·
brendancahill said:
Camp or hotel?
Both Options are Available, Hotels are pretty cheap in Lake Isabella and a little more in Kernville. We will base the Gathering out of Keyesville where the Camping is FREE and we can take as much space up as we want so you can bring big RVs or whatever.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Solohopper said:
Well that SUCKS!!!! That is the same weekend as the Volkslauf here in Bako. The guys I ride with all want to do it this year and I have people coming in from out of town to do it also. :madman:
Nothing is set yet, so this is the stuff I want to hear. I don't have a problem with the next weekend. so maybe the 19-21st will be better.

By the way that Volkslauf Challenge looks burly.
 
#14 ·
fergyrock said:
Nothing is set yet, so this is the stuff I want to hear. I don't have a problem with the next weekend. so maybe the 19-21st will be better.

By the way that Volkslauf Challenge looks burly.
The Volkslauf is really fun to do. I did it last year and I am doing another run similar to it in a few weeks. You guys should come down and run it this year.:thumbsup:

Oct. 21 is my youngest sons b-day but I can probably swing Fri, Sat of that weekend. I'll be bringing my Motor home so I bet my buddies would come home when I come home since they wouldn't want to sleep on the ground. ;)
 
#15 ·
fergyrock said:
Anyone be interested in a Gathering up in the Kern Valley this Fall? l.
I'm in.. I'm moving to Bako from CO/NM the first week of June (so I'll be looking for rides..constantly), so I'm sure that I'll still be trying to search out trails and people in October..

Is anyone from the Bakersfield area going up to the Downieville gathering? If so, do you have room for a noob?
 
#16 ·
the fat tire fest this year is in the middle of october....an early november date could be better, or do it in january since it is always nice here in january....thats the nice thing about the kern valley riding all year!!!!! there will be a plethora of new trails ridden this season that aren't that known and one i hear is 13.5 miles"of the most continious downhill singletrack in the southern sierra"(so says the guide book).....stay tuned
 
#18 ·
bumping a thread is frowned upon by the MTBR administrators..

so... Is there still interest in a gathering? having hosted a gathering before, two months isn't very far away.....

:D
 
#21 ·
Solohopper said:
I think that you should make it happen Scott. I would need to see what weekend you guys are planning. Between the 3 kids and different events for each I have a lot to juggle on weekends.:madman:
I don't know enough trails up there yet. Essentially all my rides up that way so far have been.. park at keyesville or wifford heights. Climb up Old State Road, go up Portuguese pass to frog meadow or keep on going to tyler meadow/bullrun, descend just outstanding and old state back to the car. 50 miles 10K climbing. Something tells me that you would immediately remove the best friends forever tat :D

I'll come ride though, and I'd probably bring more than a few beers and some Co Whiskey (although no one seemed to want to drink any this past weekend, more for me). Labor day weekend and the first weekend in october don't work for me though, and there are a few CA races that this gathering would be competing against.

But, from the organizational requirements of this.. a date needs to be selected (or voted on if it's done soon), 2 or 3 days worth of rides need to be selected (usually prior to choosing a date, just to lure them in), we need a centralized camping area, and if shuttles will be needed (the horror, the horror) that needs to be planned as well.. It seems like we'd, I mean you'd have a good turn out :D

and then we just spam all the local boards. If you build it and tell everyone about it, they will come...
 
#22 ·
Dates? Anyone?

November is better for lower elevations but I know Cannel has been snowed in before Halloween. Hard to call, seeing the crazy differences in the last two winters (160% snow pack and a 17% snow pack).

I would say the temps are better in November, but there is a risk of snow. October is the safer bet but warmer. That said, last year I rode the cannel in December and the conditions were perfect.

Gene
 
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