Updated 16 June 2009 @ 12:46pm
Seems I was provided with a YouTube link. The Jacob City Loop trail was officially opened on the 9th of June by Tooele County.
Approx. location to the trail head is: N 40 25 18.12 W 112 19 14.89
----
The weather was forecast to be rainy with occasional thunderstorms all weekend long. I didn't allow this to deter me from getting out and doing a bit of exploring.
On Saturday, I loaded up and drove out to Stockton (just south of Tooele) to try riding up and over Jacob City from that canyon. The weather upon arrival at the staging area was perfect. The sun was out and a few clouds were gathering overhead.
Half-way up the canyon, it started to rain. I parked the ATV and put on my wet-weather gear (yes, I do carry them with me everywhere). I continued to the top and discovered that Tooele County has now marked a new trail called the "Jacob City Loop". It goes up above Jacob City, to the other side of the canyon and back down. At top, the option exists to cross over and drop into Ophir.
The South side of the Jacob City loop is far more technical than the North side. The North side is mostly suited for vehicles (trucks, jeeps, etc). The South side is very narrow (barely wide enough for my ATV) and rutty/rocky.
I'll be setting up an ATV event in the next few weeks. Ideally, I'll want to ride from Mercur through Ophir, do the Jacob City Loop and try to find a route back (possibly parallel the Chemical Depot fence along Highway 73).
On Sunday, the weather appeared to be cloud-free (at 0900), so I again loaded up and head out to the Five Mile Pass area. My intent was to ride in the 10-12mile pass location. I decided to explore the canyons just to the North and East of 10 mile pass. I found two great box canyons and hiked to the top of both.
After hiking to the top of the second, it was still sunny, but I could hear thunder in the distance, but I couldn't see anything (due to the mountain obstructing my view to the West).
I decided to climb down and ride out of the canyon. Upon exiting the canyon, I could see the ominous clouds and thunder a mere 3 or so miles to the South/West. I knew I was going to be caught up in it.
Five minutes later, the thunder and lightning was striking all around me, heavy rain followed by hail began and there was nowhere to hide. I decided that it was better to ride out (FAST) than to stay put in that area.
Needless to say, I arrived back at the truck soaked, muddy and tired from riding so recklessly through the desert.
What a great weekend!
Leave a comment