Escaping The Heat
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos By: Brandon Bunch
Living in Lake Havasu City, AZ has a lot of perks. A fantastic trail system minutes from the office gives us a variety of terrain to test the limits of both vehicles and products. Yet it has one massive downfall that needs to be escaped. The summer month brings an unbearable heat here, but that also gives us a valid excuse to get away for the weekend to ride new and different trails. In need of a short adventure, we called Ryan from Raceline Wheels and told him we needed to head for cooler weather. Ryan took that thought and ran with it.
When the itinerary came into the inbox, we were excited, as we would be hitting the trails of the San Bernardino National Forest. For us, the sound of higher altitudes, trees, and sub-hundred-degree temps was music to our ears. Add to that, the list of characters would make for some fun and fast riding with plenty of entertaining antics at each stop. We hit the road west and as the miles to our destination fell off, so did the temps.
With a 26ft flatbed toting 2 UTVs and a long bed, crew cab truck, we were not driving a small rig. As we climbed the mountain toward the 8AM arrival into the Miller Canyon OHV Trailering Area I started to get a little nervous. Not knowing the lay of the land, I worried about getting stuck in the tight, narrow access roads to get into the area or worse, clogging the staging area. As we forged ahead, The access roads were wide and easy to navigate opening to a large staging area with plenty of room to park large trucks and trailers. Add in a few picnic benches and restrooms, my mind switched back to the fun that lay ahead.
Getting parked, the crew was standing around telling some tall stories. The goal was to get to a place called Deep Creek for our lunch stop. Strapping on the helmets everyone hit the trail. Yes, this is California and you have to wear helmets, but let’s be honest, we should all be wearing them. Continuing to gain altitude, the train of 10 UTVs made some serious dust, but with a full-face helmet and an S&B fresh air system, it was a blast to rail smooth winding trails. We are used to rough and choppy Lake Havasu trails, so coupling a smooth trail with 85-degree weather, we were in heaven.
Winding our way through the vegetation, we hit the peak of this particular hill. With James Hill from IMG Motorsports off course and Jason Murray very lost, this would be a great place to take in the majestic view of Silverwood Lake while we waited for the stragglers. It must have been the dust, or maybe the lack of navigational talent, but with the trail system so well marked throughout the riding area, we aren’t sure how these guys got off course. Once gathered back up and camera equipment stowed away, we were off to the races—so to speak. Ryan set the pace perfect pace for Jason Murray and myself to battle back and forth, passing each other in any given safe opportunity without fear of losing the leader. Up and down hills, through rock sections, graded roads, and pristine 2 track trails we snaked our way across the mountain range. Hitting a paved road we split into 2 groups. 72 inch wide cars would have to run a mile of tarmac to get back into the dirt, while the narrow cars weaved and bobbed through a very tight technical trail, all meeting back up at Pinnacles Staging Area. The wider UTVs could have handled the trail on the way to Pinnacles, but the 2 steel pillars at the end would force you to turn around, backtrack and take the road. Luckily we stopped here as some very minor trail repair was needed. Erica Sacks must have been doing a little bushwacking as the right rear fender of the Polaris RS1 was dangling loose. A quick zip tie job and it would hold for the rest of the ride.
Loading back into the cars, we were starting to get hungry and thirsty, so the sprint was on to Deep Creek to fill our growling bellies. Giving each car some space in order to not to get full from dust, Ryan would call out trail numbers over the radio. Again, the well laid out trail system with maps at each staging area made it a breeze to navigate. This group has a lot of time in these mountains and knows them well, so when it came time to stop for lunch, we had a short hike off the beaten path. This opened up to a surreal oasis. Rocks formations surrounding a pond of crystal clear water and beautiful greenery would be a great place to enjoy our lunch and take a dip to cool off. Unfortunately, this would be our turn around point. But if you continue down the trail, two very technical rock trails and mixed into more fun two track that runs into Crab Flats Campground. I camping is your thing, Crab Flats is a great place to dry camp with easy access to the trail system and a short drive from the town of Big Bear, CA.
We could have spent days exploring these trails but it was time to boogie back to the trailer. What happens when you get a group of racers together and everyone knows the path back? You guessed right, the throttle pedals were matted and the trash-talking over the radio was pure entertainment. Knowing the area well, James hung in the back, playing around to make sure that all of us goofballs made it back safe. At least until Jason Murray popped a belt. I guess that what he gets for trying to battle with me all day, but the steering on my car was a little out of sorts so it’s a fair trade-off, and we had an absolute blast.
We thoroughly enjoy riding in new places, but the area or the trails doesn’t always make the trip; the people do. Thank you to Ryan and Richard at Raceline for planning all this out. Thank you to the entire crew that came out and rode with us. We can’t wait to get back out there and do it again.
