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Kisatchie NF Ride

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thumper

thumper

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tim
This was our third attempt in the last two years to visit this area of Louisiana. The first two were rained out and I thought this would be the same. Luckily, the Sandstone Trail was still open. It's not where I wanted to be, but it turned out great and it was far better than sittin' at home.

Getting moved in at the Lotus Camp, primitive with potable water.

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I had enough daylight left on Thursday to run some great fireroads. There were quite a few hunters so I had to skip many two tracks. A rider could spend days up here running countless routes.

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Friday, I rode miles of the Sandstone Trail. Yes, it's an atv trail but without rutted out sections. Probably one of the best I've ever rode. It was a mix of sand in the flat sections and red clay in the hills.

One major difference between this and SHNF are the long straights!:thumb: Here's some random pics.

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Lots of red clay!:eek2:

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Saturday, I rode with some army guys from Ft. Polk... Brandon, Jay, Jim, and Joe. Two of them are shipping out to Iraq this week. Good luck guys!:patriot:

The ride was a blast until it started raining at about 10 miles out. No pics, but here's my first real attempt at a video.:giveup:

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Here's another un-edited vid while riding solo on Friday.:trust:

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I'm not real thrilled at the loss of quality due to uploading.:argh: The orignals are so clear you can see individual pine needles on the ground. Gotta work on the camera angle too!:rolleyes:

I definetly go back, especially when I can ride the singletrack.:rider:
 
That looks mighty fine Tim.Think I missed all the fun home sick after
family auto repair.Think thats what made me sick.
 
Maybe next time Scott. Lots to do over there:trust:
 
I'm going to head over there one of these days. Wanted to do it earlier this year but it just didn't work out. Now with this report I really want to go.
 
Looks like a nice place to ride...

I'd like to head that way after deer season...

Then again it is Louisiana...

deer season is pretty much a year round sport...

:mrgreen:
 
jsb223 said:
Looks like a nice place to ride...

I'd like to head that way after deer season...

Then again it is Louisiana...

deer season is pretty much a year round sport...

:mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Yeah, but they use the little bullets after regular season. Probably wouldn't hurt too bad!:lol2:

Some other things I should mention;

Call before you haul. They have a hotline or check the web. 1" of rainfall closes the trails for a few days.

All trailhead camps are primitive and $3 per nite. Some only allow tents.

Plated or not, stickers or trail use fees aren't required.

2up riding on any atv is legal and surprisingly safety equipment is not required.

100db max and spark arrestor is mandatory.

Rangers are real strict on road riding w/o plates.

The locals said this area [Sandstone] is their least favorite. The best for bikes or atvs are Vernon and Claiborne. Whichever, each area has miles of riding for any type of off-pavement bike.:rider:
 
Hemibee said:
I'm going to head over there one of these days. Wanted to do it earlier this year but it just didn't work out. Now with this report I really want to go.
Click to expand...

Y'all would have a blast here Tony. The trails are addictive!:flip:
 
Good report Tim...:clap:

Maybe I can join ya' next time. I've been trying to get Tony(Teeds) here for a while now...he's a pretty busy guy.

Anyway....glad to see the trip from Tx. was worth it. There are some pretty good riding areas in the central part of the state. The opportunities are somewhat limited since the FS started doing the "rain closures" but the trail conditions have definately improved since.

Matt
 
Matt, Thanks for the help. Yeah, It'd be great to do a group ride up there. Y'all got it made!:rider:

Tony and ktrs,
Total miles from Lake Houston via 90/96 through Jasper was 220.

Just say when!:trust:
 
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Thanks for the report Tim. Looks like you have a new toy - is it duct taped to your helmet? I would like to stir up the mud the next time, looks like fun!
Later, Chuck
 
Cool pics and videos, looks like a nice place to ride. Even looks KLR friendly as long as it stays out of those deep water holes.
 
CeeBee said:
Thanks for the report Tim. Looks like you have a new toy - is it duct taped to your helmet? I would like to stir up the mud the next time, looks like fun!
Later, Chuck
Click to expand...

Nope, no new toy. It's my HP R727 on a ram mount. Yeah, you need to quit screwing around with work and all that other insignificant stuff and come ride some more!:lol2:
 
dbdolan said:
Cool pics and videos, looks like a nice place to ride. Even looks KLR friendly as long as it stays out of those deep water holes.
Click to expand...

Just gear down and put a snorkel on it!:trust:

Seriously, your KLR would do just fine up there...just hafta make sure the clay isn't snotted. Just about every hill is clay, but out of all the miles I only saw one that was rutted out.
 
Nice pics Thumper. I rode those trails a couple days after you and could still see your tracks.

Hey, if you guys are interested in seeing a bunch of cool stuff over in my area, let me know.
 
thumper, this looks like a place I would like to visit. Have you ridden in any of the other regions or sections of this forest or is Kisatchie the only one? Just wondering how they all compare to one another as far as road conditions and camping facilities.

I read rules on the site where no mudding is permitted. I guess that is the four wheeled vichs with huge balloon tires playing in the mud holes on the roads, huh?

I also noticed the offices were closed on weekends. Do you just roll on in and set up camp or is there a gate house with an attendant to collect fees?
 
TerraXpeditions said:
Nice pics Thumper. I rode those trails a couple days after you and could still see your tracks.

Hey, if you guys are interested in seeing a bunch of cool stuff over in my area, let me know.
Click to expand...

Just say when. I really enjoyed the small dent i managed to put in this area. I looking forward to returning for more trails and some really neat historical stuff!:rider:
 
Quick-Silver said:
thumper, this looks like a place I would like to visit. Have you ridden in any of the other regions or sections of this forest or is Kisatchie the only one? Just wondering how they all compare to one another as far as road conditions and camping facilities.

I read rules on the site where no mudding is permitted. I guess that is the four wheeled vichs with huge balloon tires playing in the mud holes on the roads, huh?

I also noticed the offices were closed on weekends. Do you just roll on in and set up camp or is there a gate house with an attendant to collect fees?
Click to expand...

Jerry, This was the only trail area that was open[too much rain]. I was also told that Claiborne and Vernon are even better.

From what I gathered, Claiborne can be a bit over-run with ATVs on a nice weekend [mainly at the trailheads]. I was told that Vernon is more of an enduro crowd. One good thing is both areas have a singletrack only trail. One of the guys I rode with told me " there a blast with the right bike". I think 300lbs. would be the heaviest I'd wanna ride on their singletracks.

As far as mudding goes, it's not allowed on the trails or forest roads. ATV tire size is limited to 25"max. with 1" lugs and 10psi min. Max 50" width offroad, so no rigs and I'm sure a guy would win a trip to the pokey if he was caught rutting out a forest road.:eek2:

Honor system[envelope] when you move into a site. Matainence and LEO make several pass throughs up till 10pm.

What I really liked about this area is it's versitility. A GSer could spend many miles on some great roads and an enduro could ride trails forever.:rider:
 
Get together a few riders and come on over. We could make a weekend out of just the Kisatchie area. I know almost all of the roads.... but still havent been down them all. Next weekend (Jan 5-6) I am putting together a little ride for a couple of my friends if you wanna come on over.
 
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