Great Work Day!

It was an outstanding work day this past Saturday. Over 35 people turned out and a significant amount of work was accomplished.

Primary tasks included removing and replacing four trailhead bulletin boards at OO, Mosquito Brook and Telemark Resort Trailheads. The old bulletin boards, now 20 years old, had degenerated and reached the end of their useful lifespan. Some materials from the old bulletin boards will live on, however, as some of the solid timbers will be reused as bridge material along the trails and some of the plywood will be recycled into map boxes.

In addition, two new structures, referred to as "gateways" have been built and installed at the entrance to the Makwa and Seeley Pass Trails. The gateways are simple structures: two vertical 6 X 6 posts about 14 feet tall with two horizontal crossbars near the top. There's an 18 inch space between the crossbars where eventually we will install a sign or artistic identifier for each trail.  Partly decorative, the gateways help draw attention to the entrance to the trails, which are somewhat obscure.

The other major undertaking was a series of reroutes along the Hatchery Creek Trail. One short reroute and about 1/4 of another were built by a crew of 22 volunteers. These reroutes are improvements to the existing trail to upgrade drainage and sustainability. Volunteers included experienced trail builders and total newbies like Mike Mandli dug trail on Saturday. He commented, "I gained a whole new appreciation for what so many  have done for mountain biking in this area."

More on this past Saturday's workday can be viewed along with several photos on CAMBA's Facebook page:  facebook.com/cambatrails.

CAMBA Spring Work Day - April 28

Join us for our annual spring workday on Saturday, April 28. With the early departure of winter, many of our trails will already have seen considerable clean-up, but there will still be plenty to do.

As usual, we will meet at Mooselips in Seeley to get organized before heading out to the trails. In addition to the traditional clean-up and preparations for the coming season, we have several trailhead spruce up projects in store as well.

The plan is to meet at 9:00 a.m., divide up into teams and head out to the trails. Dress for working in the woods and bring gloves, water and snacks.

CAMBA will provide all necessary tools. We should be done by 1:00 p.m.or so and hope you can join us.

REMAINING CAMBA TRAILS NOW OPEN

The Forest Service has approved the early opening of the CAMBA mountain bike trails on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This affects CAMBA trails in the Namakagon, Drummond and Delta Clutsters. Included among these trails is the CAMBA-IMBA Epic Route (Rock Lake, Namakagon & Patsy Lake Trails).

CAMBA trails in Sawyer County (Hayward and Seeley Clusters) and Bayfield County (Cable Cluster) were previously announced to open this weekend. With this announcement, all trails in the CAMBA system are officially open. As always, caution and good judgement about deciding when to ride should be exercised should we receive any significant rainfall.

Have a safe and fun mountain biking season. Your support and assistance throughout the season is welcome and invited to help develop, maintain and preserve the great riding in the Chequamegon area.

Limited Trail Openings

The early spring and rapid departure of winter snows have allowed area trails to dry out and be ready to ride several weeks ahead of schedule.

Effective Saturday, April 7, the following CAMBA trail systems will be open to mountain biking:

Hayward Cluster, Sawyer County Forest

Seeley Cluster, Sawyer County Forest

Cable Cluster, Bayfield County Forest

The remaining CAMBA off road bike trails are expected to open soon. Watch the CAMBA website, Facebook page, Twitter feed and this eNewsletter for information about subsequent trail openings.

As always, please exercise good judgement at this time of year after periods of heavy rain or the unexpected spring blizzard. If you are leaving more that a tire tread impression in the trail, conditions are too wet and soft for riding. We appreciate your cooperation and stewardship.

The season has begun - get out and ride.

Birkie Trails Closed to Bikes Too

Trail Steward for some of the Hayward area trails, Steve Morales, had this experience just the other day. It underscores the need to get the word out there that no matter how nice the weather, the trails are still closed. And that includes the Birkie Trail, Birkie Classic, OO loops,etc.

Steve Morales: "I was at the Hatchery Creek trailhead yesterday and my visit just happened to coincide with the arrival of three Hayward high school students who pulled into the parking lot to go mountain biking. They were really surprised that the single-track trails would be closed since it was such a nice day. Their comment when I informed them was "But we can ride on the Birkie trail, right?"

Please help spread the word and suggest alternate places to ride: gravel town roads and pavement are about all there is at this point.

Thanks.

Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Trails Opening Dates Clarification

With temperatures in the 70s folks are getting itchy to ride their fat tire bikes. Patience is advised, however, as the trails are not yet ready nor legally open.

Policies vary from area to area within the region and regardless of how warm and dry it might seem, we must comply with the opening dates set forth by the land managers with which we work.

If conditions continue as they have, we may be able to appeal for earlier openings, as we have in the past. But until notified otherwise, please observe the following trail closure/opening dates as set forth by the respective agencies. If you have any questions, please contact CAMBA.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. These closures have been established to protect the trails - and that is something we should all support.

Trail Opening Dates in the Chequamegon Area

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Namakagon, Drummond and Delta Clusters
Opening Date: May 1

Bayfield County Forest
Cable Cluster
Opening date of May 1 is observed.

Sawyer County Forest
Hayward and Seeley Clusters
Opening date: May 15

Please note that signed town roads, gravel or paved, in the CAMBA system are good alternatives if they are sufficiently dry.

CAMBA Ramps up Facebook Presence and Social Media Strategies

CAMBA is ramping up its Facebook presence. Check out our fan page at facebook.com/cambatrails.

Part of the reason, of course, for having a Facebook page is to generate greater awareness of the outstanding mountain bike trails in the Chequamegon area. You can help us by visiting the page and "Liking" CAMBA. Please take a moment to check it out and click Like.

As the season progresses, please feel free to post comments and relevant information on our wall.

CAMBA also has a Twitter feed. If you'd like to follow CAMBA's Twitter posts, check us out at twitter.com/cambatrails.

And, we have a YouTube channel. We're always looking for good videos, so if you have a POV camera, send something our way.

Finally, over the next few weeks keep an eye out for our totally redesigned and revamped website with streamlined navigation, greater content, and integrated social media. Stay tuned...

CAMBA to Offer Chainsaw Training Class

CAMBA, in conjunction with the US Forest Service, will be offer a chainsaw training and safety class on Saturday, March 24. The class will serve to certify new and re-certify A and B Level sawyers.

Time: 8:30am to 3:00pm. A Level re-certification will only go to noon/1:00pm.

Location: Namakagon Town Hall – intersection of Cty Hwy M and D in Namakagon (10 miles east of Cable).

Chainsaw certification is required for all volunteers using a chainsaw while working on the CAMBA trails on the National Forest (Namakagon, Delta & Drummond Clusters).
The class is highly recommended for all volunteers working on other CAMBA trails.

Participants should bring a lunch, and wear work pants, boots, long sleeve shirt and gloves. Safety equipment will be provided, but if you own them, you may bring your own chaps, helmet, safety glasses and hearing protection as well as personal chainsaw.

This class will be held with another trail group and space will be limited to CAMBA volunteers only

CAMBA Festival of the Trails to Move to Memorial Day Weekend

The fourth annual CAMBA Festival of the Trails will take place this year on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, 2012. This is a departure from the event’s traditional date, which had been one week later. The change in the date is, in part, an attempt to attract more participants to the Festival. The Festival has seen steady growth since its inception in 2009 and last year attracted 135 riders to the three days of trail-based events. While the Festival’s level of growth has been satisfactory, CAMBA would like to see it expand to up to 200 riders.

Prior to deciding on the change of date, CAMBA discussed the Memorial Day weekend option with both the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce and Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau. Their feedback was supportive. The chamber and VCB thought it was a good idea and would give people an actual event in which to come participate that weekend. Despite being a three-day holiday weekend, it is still generally a quiet time in the area.

The 2012 Festival of the Trails will get underway at noon on Friday and continue through 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, with one additional event that evening. There will be no Festival activities or events on Memorial Day Monday.

CAMBA’s Festival Committee has been meeting for the past several months to develop new events and fine-tune the Festival offerings for this year. CAMBA has worked to add something new or tweak things a little every year to help keep the event fresh and interesting for new and returning participants.

New aspects of the 2012 Festival of the Trails include:

• Guided rides – Several guided rides will be offered in addition to the usual self-guided rides as part of the Festival’s “Tour de Trails,” where riders tour the various CAMBA singletrack trails in the Cable, Hayward, Namakagon and Seeley area. They punch a tally card along the way to gain points toward a huge prize drawing, the Swag Fest, at the conclusion of the event.

• New Friday evening social and Night Ride venues: The Festival’s first social event, a Meet & Greet, will take place this year on the shores of Lake Namakagon at Garmisch Resort. The Friday evening Night Ride will follow the Meet & Greet and depart from the nearby Namakagon Town Hall Trailhead.

• Taste de Trails New Format: In the past the Taste de Trails toured a five to eight mile route where along the way riders could sample specialty foods from several area restaurants. This year all food samples will be available at a single, central location along the designated route. It is planned to have music and a generally festive atmosphere for the riders as they emerge from the woods to a “Food Fest in the Forest.”

• Sunday afternoon Barbecue and Swag-Fest – All Sunday afternoon events will take place this year at the OO Trailhead in Seeley. In the past this event had been held at Hatchery Creek Park in Hayward.

• Camping: A limited number of campsites will be available near the OO Trailhead on Sawyer County Forest land. The County recently adopted a policy permitting camping on the county forest, which has made this possible.

• Pedal Driven – a mountain bike advocacy film will be shown on Sunday evening at 7:00pm at the Park Theater in Hayward.

The 2012 CAMBA Festival of the Trails promises to be another great event and CAMBA is excited to be able to kick off the summer vacation and mountain biking season with a large number of trail riding activities and events. The Festival is both a promotional event to help attract visitors to the Cable-Hayward area and a fund raising event to help support CAMBA’s ongoing singletrack development initiative, which has seen the creation of over 75 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails over the past eight years.

Of course an event of this magnitude would not be possible without the assistance of numerous area businesses and bicycle industry sponsors that have provided support for the event. CAMBA is extremely grateful to this year’s cast of Festival of the Trails sponsors that includes: Platinum Sponsors SRAM and Trek; Gold Sponsors Becker Law Office, Mt. Borah, Bontrager, Famous Dave’s Light & Motion and The Rivers Eatery; Silver Sponsors: Angry Minnow Brewing, Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, Freewheel Bike, Keen Footwear, Maplewood Cycling, New Moon Ski & Bike, OutThere, Riverbrook Bike & Ski, and Trek Bicycle Store; and Bronze Sponsors Cresthill Resort, Fits Socks, Garmisch USA, King Realty, KOA, Outdoor Ventures, Park Tool, Saris, Smith Optics, and TS Events. Taste de Trails sponsors include: Brickhouse Café, Delta Diner, Lakewoods Resort, Mooselips Java Joint, the Rivers Eatery and the Rookery Pub.

Additional information about festival registration will be announced soon and posted on the CAMBA website, www.cambatrails.org .

Approximately 40 to 50 volunteers are needed to organize and present the fourth annual Festival of the Trails. Anyone interested in assisting should contact Ron Bergin at (715)798-3599 or camba@cheqnet.net.

Makwa Trail Now Completely Open

The entire length of the Makwa Trail is open. Work has been completed on all but a couple of the skidder crossings where recent logging took place along the Makwa Trail. Leaves have been blown off the trail, some windfalls cut, and a road crossing shoveled out. The remaining skidder crossings are not difficult to ride. These will be worked on this Saturday. This section is probably the cleanest in the CAMBA system as volunteers blew a six in layer of leaves off the trail to survey the tread work needed. Overall the logging job had a very minimal impact on the tread and the forest will recover in the next couple of years. Some of it looks OK now. The forester administering the harvest says they are done logging along Makwa between Mosquito Brook and OO for many years.

Thanks to Steve Morales, John Saunders, and Darren Winchester for heading up the work to reclaim the Makwa and all volunteers who assisted them.

Note that the Sugarbush Trail is still closed.

Outside Online Mag Cites CAMBA Trails Among Best Under-the-Radar Mountain Bike Destinations in U.S.

In its October 6 online edition, www.outsideonline.com, Outside magazine's online counterpart, asked this question:

What are the best under-the-radar mountain biking destinations in the U.S.? The piece was subtitled: What are the best American mountain biking destinations that don’t begin with “M” and end in “oab?”

Written by Greg Melville, the Adventure Adviser feature included the CAMBA trails in its short list of destinations that may not be as well known as Moab, but deserving of greater recognition. The list also included Fruita, Colorado; Sedona, Arizona; and the Pisgah National Forest in Asheville, NC - pretty good company.

Check it out!

http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/adventure-adviser/What-are-the-best-US-mountain-biking-destinations.html

Volunteers Needed During Fat Tire Fest

CAMBA is seeking several volunteers to assist in with our annual CAMBA Fat Tire Tour and help staff the CAMBA/IMBA booth during the Festival Expo.

The Fat Tire Tour takes place Friday afternoon, Sept. 16 at 1:00 at the Cty Hwy OO Trailhead. The tour will ride CAMBA's newest trail, Seeley Pass, approximately 8.3 miles. Guides are needed to assist groups of riders tour the trail and get to know this new CAMBA trail. This is a fun, casual event. All guides get to participate in random drawings for great swag.

CAMBA will also have a presence during the Festival Expo on Friday and Saturday. Volunteers will distribute CAMBA information, sell memberships and sell an assortment of CAMBA merchandise. We are suggesting two-hour shifts, but any amount of time would be appreciated.

Schedule openings: Friday - 7:00-9:00 pm; Saturday - 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm.

If you are interested in helping out as a guide or booth volunteer, please contact Ron Bergin at 715/798-3599 or camba@cheqnet.net.

Trail Updates 7/25/11

Lot's of Activity on the Trails of late:

Hatchery Creek Trail has been cleared of blowdowns from recent storm. Thanks to Steve M. & volunteers.

Esker Trail cleared of blowdowns - thanks to Dick and Laurie Woodbury.

Ojibwe Trail cleared of blowdowns and major brushback thanks to Tom and Lori Dunaway and Ron Bergin

Drummond Ski Trails: blowdowns cleared on Boulevard about 2.5 miles south of trail head, Antler and last leg of Jackrabbit. Thanks to Jim Crandall & Drummond Crew & Ron Bergin.
More work remains to be done.

Namakagon Trails are being cleared of incidental blowdowns.

Please report any blowdowns or other maintenance required on the trails to camba@cheqnet.net.

Trail Updates 7/9/11

Sugarbush Trail will be closed until further notice.

Ojibwe Trail: the logging operation south of Timber Trail Rd. near C 29 has gone active. The trail is OPEN, but be aware of activity on/near the trail.

Drummond Trails were hit hard by the July 2 storm. Riding is not advised at this time.

All other trails are open and fine to ride. Please report and downed trees. TYVM.

Trail Closing and Detour

The Makwa Trail between Mosquito Brook Trailhead and H1 (about 1.5 miles north) is currently closed to due active logging. To insure rider safety and avoid any potential conflicts riders are asked to ride from Gravel Pit Trailhead or OO Trailhead. The Sugarbush Trail is also closed in that vicinity at this time.

CAMBA IMBA Epic Trail Dedication to Highlight Festival of the Trails

Earlier this year the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) announced that the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) trails had received an IMBA Epic Trail designation. This prestigious recognition is only one of six Epics announced last year.

The IMBA Epic route will be formally dedicated in a brief ceremony on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 4 at 2:00 p.m. The dedication will take place at the Rock Lake Trailhead, seven miles east of Cable on County Highway M and is part of the third annual CAMBA Festival of the Trails. CAMBA officials will address the attendees and acknowledge the hard work that went into creating these trails.

CAMBA’s IMBA Epic trail is actually a compilation of trails in the Namakagon Cluster of the CAMBA trails. It combines the Rock Lake, Namakagon and Patsy Lake trails. With the exception of a couple short segments of linking double-track, it is otherwise entirely singletrack trails. The total route is approximately 31 miles.

Following the dedication ceremony, guided rides on the Epic route will be offered from three different trailheads, Rock Lake, Namakagon and Wilson Lake for Festival participants wishing to ride all or part of the Epic route. Riders not wishing to do the more technically challenging portions of the route may opt for the Patsy Lake segment, which starts from the Wilson Lake Trailhead.

For more information about the Festival of the Trails, visit www.cambatrails.org.

Taste de Trails - Fine Dining on Two Wheels

Imagine pedaling your fat tire bike around the forest periodically pausing to snack on delicious treats provided by some of the top restaurants from around the region and you’ll get an idea of what Taste de Trails is all about.

Part of the third annual Festival of the Trails presented by the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, the Taste de Trails will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. “The ‘Taste’ is essentially a rolling food fest,” says CAMBA executive director Ron Bergin. Six area restaurants, from Hayward to Cable to Namakagon to Delta have been invited to participate in this year’s Taste de Trails. Each will be providing a sample of their wares to the 150-plus participants in Festival of the Trails. By the time they visit each of the six stops on the eight-mile route, riders will have consumed a progressive trail lunch.

Riders will depart from the Festival base at the County Hwy OO Trailhead in Seeley at 10:00 a.m. after first enjoying a cup of coffee and scone from Mooselips Java Joint. A short ride down the Makwa bike trail Lakewoods Resort from Lake Namakagon will provide the next course in the day’s feature event. Another short ride will bring participants to the Delta Diner soon followed by the Rookery Pub from Cable. The Rivers Eatery, also from Cable, will conclude the main courses. Upon returning to the OO Trailhead riders will finish up their ride-meal with a dessert treat from Cable’s Brickhouse Café.

If you’re looking for a bike ride with a decidedly different “flavor,” then the Taste de Trails should be on your menu. The Taste de Trails is just one of many fun, non-competitive events offered at this year’s Festival of the Trails. Registration is available online until Thursday, June 2. On-site registration begins at the County OO Trailhead at 12:00 noon on Friday, June 3 and again on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. For more information visit www.cambatrails.org.

Remaining Trails to Open Friday, May 13

All CAMBA trails will officially be open on Friday, May 13, including all trails in Sawyer County (Hayward & Seeley Clusters).

With several major storms rolling through the area this week and up to a half inch of rain predicted for Saturday, riders should exercise good judgment when deciding to ride immediately follow substantial rainfall. The good news is that most of the trails drain well and quickly. However, if you are leaving more than a knobby tire tread impression, the trails are too soft and you should limit your riding to fire roads.

Trails with grass and other vegetation tend to retain water longer and for this reason CAMBA requests that riders refrain from riding any of the area ski trails at this time, including the Birkie and Birkie Classic trails. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Remaining Trails to Open Friday, May 13

All CAMBA trails will officially be open on Friday, May 13, including all trails in Sawyer County (Hayward & Seeley Clusters).

With several major storms rolling through the area this week and up to a half inch of rain predicted for Saturday, riders should exercise good judgment when deciding to ride immediately follow substantial rainfall. The good news is that most of the trails drain well and quickly. However, if you are leaving more than a knobby tire tread impression, the trails are too soft and you should limit your riding to fire roads.

Trails with grass and other vegetation tend to retain water longer and for this reason CAMBA requests that riders refrain from riding any of the area ski trails at this time, including the Birkie and Birkie Classic trails. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Limited Trail Openings This Weekend

Despite yet another rainy spring day (at least it's not snowing), we anticipate several trail openings this weekend. Conditions have dried up considerably since last week, and with a 60-degree, dry day expected for Friday, riding conditions should be very good this weekend.

As always please exercise good judgement and discretion when deciding to ride after wet weather. If you're leaving a tire impression deeper that a knobby tire tread, conditions are too soft and you should ride on firelanes and gravel roads.

Open Trails - May 7, 2011

Cable Cluster
Ojibwe Trail
Telemark Springs Trail

Namakagon Cluster
Rock Lake Trail
Namakagon Trail
Glacier Trail
Patsy Lake Trail

Drummond Cluster
All trails

Delta Cluster
All trails

PLEASE DO NOT RIDE ON THE BIRKIE OR BIRKIE CLASSIC TRAILS.

At this time we do not know if trails, other than fire roads, in the Seeley or Hayward Clusters will be open this weekend. Watch for updates.