Upper Sycamore AZ 7-11-2009
love the license plate also goes great with your jk
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
From: Tempe, AZ
Great Shots. Enjoy that area while you can. Much of Sycamore is slated for closure and rehad late this year or early next. As well as The Rolls/Butcher Jones area just across the street. There are official routes running through those areas, & it's my understanding that they will remain open. But all the side trails (most of the trails out there) are illegal will & be closed. Rangers are already rehabbing & handing out tickets in The Rolls, so be carefull. The current entrance to Lower Sycamore will be permanently closed & a new entrance w/ paved road & parking area will be built further south, off the west side of the Bush Hiway bridge. All trail Access into The Rolls from the Butcher Jones picnic area will be permanently closed as well. Will only be able to access that from the north end. SR 143 off the 87.
JK Freak
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 500
Likes: 1
From: Scottsdale, AZ
Great Shots. Enjoy that area while you can. Much of Sycamore is slated for closure and rehad late this year or early next. As well as The Rolls/Butcher Jones area just across the street. There are official routes running through those areas, & it's my understanding that they will remain open. But all the side trails (most of the trails out there) are illegal will & be closed. Rangers are already rehabbing & handing out tickets in The Rolls, so be carefull. The current entrance to Lower Sycamore will be permanently closed & a new entrance w/ paved road & parking area will be built further south, off the west side of the Bush Hiway bridge. All trail Access into The Rolls from the Butcher Jones picnic area will be permanently closed as well. Will only be able to access that from the north end. SR 143 off the 87.
JK Super Freak
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 2
From: Gilbert, Arizona
Where did you hear this?? I stay up pretty well on the battles with BLM and the greenies, and havent heard this one yet. I know they are/were changing the entrance to BJ to not have the traffic go through the green gate, and I heard about some possible small branch trails being closed in the Rolls... But I hadnt heard anything about the Syc side of the B-Line???
Last time Chris and I were at Butcher Jones I saw the sign warning of the pending closure of that gate but didn't hear anything about Sycamore. Wouldn't surprise me though.....that's exactly what they did by the bridge on Bush Highway on both sides. Use to be all sand then they paved it, put up bathrooms and guardrails and required a day permit to park there.
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, AZ
Where did you hear this?? I stay up pretty well on the battles with BLM and the greenies, and havent heard this one yet. I know they are/were changing the entrance to BJ to not have the traffic go through the green gate, and I heard about some possible small branch trails being closed in the Rolls... But I hadnt heard anything about the Syc side of the B-Line???
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, AZ
Here is the new USFS gates. They're supposedly based off a military gate system. This one is on the road to Butcher Jones if anyone wants to look at it. Only accessible by FS, law enforcement, emergency services. This will also be at what's now the green gate at BJ. These gates will be put in place at most, if not all trailheads in the Mea Ranger District of the Tonto, and will be "Permit Access" gates. From what we're told, the gates will initially be manual locks, but hopes are, as funding comes in, to make them electronic. They'll use a credit card type key. When your permit expires, you can renew online as long as you don't have any FS citations on your account. If you do, you can't renew and your card won't access the gates. All of this is supposed to start towards the end of this year once the Travel Management Plan is complete.
Also a trained volunteer trail monitoring system is to be implemented. If anyone is interested, I can get more info. It's modeled after a system in California, that we're told, is working very well. Roughly: Volunteers will be on trails to help people and warn them if they're straying off trail, as well as call in the FS or law enforcement for repeated or very blatant offenses. Most of the volunteers will be off-road recreationalists, so I don't think we'll have to worry too much about an army of tree huggers reporting us every time our tires touch dirt. And there is a training program, so hopefully we won't get people on a power trip, just reporting folks they don't like. Again, this program seems to be working well in CA.
Something that's being talked about, BUT NOT DECIDED, so don't go nuts yet... There is an area of Sycamore that's so trashed and destroyed, that the FS doesn't believe it can be saved.(not a good moment for our community btw
) That 1 to 2 sq.mi. area MAY be turned into a have-at-it, free-for-all area. You can do pretty much what ever you want, but don't dare damage any new areas, because the fines will be huge. Also talks of vehicle confiscation for multiple offenses, so...So that's all the info I have to date. Meetings have been postponed through the summer and will resume in Sept. Good luck, happy wheeling, & tread lightly.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
From: Tempe, AZ
There are a couple areas in lower sycamore that are trashed beyond repair. It's not from wheeling but from people bringing sh*T out to shoot and leaving it there. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge gun enthusiast, I just don’t bring my old TV out to the desert to destroy it.
JK Super Freak
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 2
From: Gilbert, Arizona
Here is the new USFS gates. They're supposedly based off a military gate system. This one is on the road to Butcher Jones if anyone wants to look at it. Only accessible by FS, law enforcement, emergency services. This will also be at what's now the green gate at BJ. These gates will be put in place at most, if not all trailheads in the Mea Ranger District of the Tonto, and will be "Permit Access" gates. From what we're told, the gates will initially be manual locks, but hopes are, as funding comes in, to make them electronic. They'll use a credit card type key. When your permit expires, you can renew online as long as you don't have any FS citations on your account. If you do, you can't renew and your card won't access the gates. All of this is supposed to start towards the end of this year once the Travel Management Plan is complete.
Also a trained volunteer trail monitoring system is to be implemented. If anyone is interested, I can get more info. It's modeled after a system in California, that we're told, is working very well. Roughly: Volunteers will be on trails to help people and warn them if they're straying off trail, as well as call in the FS or law enforcement for repeated or very blatant offenses. Most of the volunteers will be off-road recreationalists, so I don't think we'll have to worry too much about an army of tree huggers reporting us every time our tires touch dirt. And there is a training program, so hopefully we won't get people on a power trip, just reporting folks they don't like. Again, this program seems to be working well in CA.
Something that's being talked about, BUT NOT DECIDED, so don't go nuts yet... There is an area of Sycamore that's so trashed and destroyed, that the FS doesn't believe it can be saved.(not a good moment for our community btw
) That 1 to 2 sq.mi. area MAY be turned into a have-at-it, free-for-all area. You can do pretty much what ever you want, but don't dare damage any new areas, because the fines will be huge. Also talks of vehicle confiscation for multiple offenses, so...So that's all the info I have to date. Meetings have been postponed through the summer and will resume in Sept. Good luck, happy wheeling, & tread lightly.
Some of us also have to remember to stay off the 'quad' trails
cough cough 