Gifford: Riding up to the Vista

Road Gifford for the first time. It was awesome and terrifying. This video shows the first half of the ride. From Blue Lake trail head staging area up to Hamilton Butte Vista.
Select the links below to skip ahead.
00:55 Trail 271 (out of Blue Lake Trail head)
01:37 Trail 270
02:16 Is this a trail? Or a river bed
04:06 Stream crossing
05:03 Root obstacle
06:40 A leaf distracts me
07:33 Story: the perils of using videos for trail conditions
08:14 Story: 4K v.s. High Def video
09:12 Story: Let’s talk drum breaks
09:53 Dry stream bed crossing
10:20 Stream bed crossing
11:01 Tricky Stream bed crossing
14:43 Story: let’s talk about Ron’s WR450
15:30 More trail sign confusion
16:24 Wow, ROCKS from nowhere & stream bed crossing !
17:57 Getting into lots of downed timber
18:30 A special thanks to LCER trail maintenance group
19:57 Story: let’s talk Reiter ORV (beginner riders)
22:00 A really fun climb
22:40 Stopped to look for the firefighting helicopter
24:28 Story: Tahuya I was stupid crash
25:55 LCER to the rescue again
27:08 Rough trail and waterfalls crossing ahead
28:15 Yup, almost dumped it in the rock channel
29:35 Oops, forget I had a clutch
29:49 Stream crossing
29:55 Story: Alternative hobby to riding?
32:30 Special thanks to RON !
33:03 Downed tree blocks our way
33:57 Found a surprise road
34:30 Trail 270 continued
34:52 Awesome looking shattered tree
35:00 Trail 270 changes it’s characteristics, it’s meaner now
35:52 Yay! Loose gravel
36:00 Exposure starts
36:27 ** Scariest part of this trip **
39:43 Wow, a tunnel of cool air, very nice
39:58 Don’t look down
40:35 Trail intersection, continuing on trail 270
41:56 Look at that bare forest floor
42:46 Trail starts descending
45:21 I eat a bug
46:00 Trail intersection, continuing on trail 270
46:25 Story: My backyard into riding trail (part 1)
46:36 ** OMG ** Look at this river !
47:53 Story: My backyard into riding trail (part 2)
50:42 Stream crossing and campground
51:06 Trail 118
51:40 Start climbing
51:51 Story: My backyard into riding trail (part 3)
53:02 ** CRASH ** I bend my shifter big time
56:44 Root alley
57:58 Switchback
59:52 Exposure
1:02:03 Yup, I panicked on this exposure
1:03:21 Rocky climb
1:04:57 Always something hidden around the corner
1:05:33 Story: Let’s talk hiking areas
1:06:12 Roots
1:06:50 Admire the trees here
1:08:54 Tough spot
1:10:53 Story: map distance v.s. trail distance
1:12:40 Unsanctioned trail? Or of date maps?
1:14:23 Ok, I’m calling this exposure, kind of
1:15:43 View point
1:16:28 Trail starts hurting me
1:16:45 Exposure ** TERROR **
1:17:20 Story: Why I love bypasses
1:19:08 Exposure
1:19:57 Critter runs across the trail
1:20:30 Very confusing intersection
1:20:41 Trail 109
1:22:10 More be injuries to me
1:22:57 Yey, exposure on a corner
1:24:30 Roots
1:25:01 Trail 109A
1:26:0 Tough climb
1:29:29 Hamilton Butte Vista viewpoint
Gifford ORV, Trails 270, 118, 119, 109 & 109A, August 22, 2024

[@garyharris4588]

Nothing better than Hamilton Butte .

[@Plinkster]

Great ride. I did the Blue Lake trail about a month ago. It was pretty challenging, but the only thing negative was there wasn’t a very good lookout it was all forest riding... But, Mouse Lake & Blue Lake were beautiful. I don’t remember that big tree being over the lower trail when I went so that must have been fairly new.

[@adventureswithbounder97]

Did you make it up to Hamilton Butte off of trail #109A ? That was a pretty awesome view.
I even posted a separate video of just that view.
Coming down along trail #276 (the 2.6 mile stretch) had some pretty nice views. My video of the trip down from Hamilton, I put links to each of the viewpoints in the video description. Take a look at the video and head back on up there so you can enjoy them yourself !
I agree, that downed tree must have been pretty new. The bypass around it had not been worn in yet.

[@garyharris4588]

Next you need to do Yazoo Trail . Would stay off Bishop ridge its a plate basher for sure.

[@adventureswithbounder97]

Yup, did part of Yazoo (Trail 172) on our trip down. Next time I get onto Yazoo will only be when I am fresh and not tired. Crashed 45 seconds onto the trail. Thanks for the heads up on Bishop ridge. I will try to figure out what trails those are and recommend to Ron we say away and alive.

[@garyharris4588]

I spent 30 years riding that same trail and I still know it like the back of my hand, really has not changed much. Once you climb up in up the trail lt will get more challening.

[@adventureswithbounder97]

It was an awesome trail!! You are right, it did get much more challenging. I also love just puttering around in the forest admiring the view. So that trail had it all!!