jubilee lake run

[Rockcruiser]

Anyone here ever do the jubilee lake (tollgate oregon) snow run in april..I go every year. It's alway's the weekend the forest roads close to snowmobiles and open to wheeled vehicles. This year the run is april 5th. It is not an organized or sanctioned run..rather people just show up and go and have for years...There is alway's over 100 rigs on the mountain that weekend and is HEAVILY POLICED on snowmobiles..stay legal no worries! Anyway anyone that may be interested I take a large group in from Elgin OR. every year and have room for a few more...This is a very serious run as you will travel some 40 miles or more aired down in very poor snow conditions and along way from town. You must have large tires and a very dependable rig. If you are interested let me know and I can fill you in on the details.....Rod

[Jerry]

Rod,
That sounds like a lot of fun. I doubt I can go because we have a Backroad Drivers Northwest run from Pendleton to Baker City the weekend before and getting away two weekends in a row is tough. But, I am interested to know your route and am looking forward to hearing about your experience this year.

Wow, 40 miles? Does that start at Tollgate or Elgin? Do you run the Skyline Trail to Walla Walla? I have read about the off-road guys from Walla Walla heading up that way and they get into some really deep snow. What type of vehicles will most folks be running on April 5th, i.e. Jeeps, Toyotas, full size pickups, etc?

You mentioned you take a large group in from Elgin every year. Do you often guide people on 4x4 trips? Are you a member of a club? Do you know of any organized or semi-organized off road clubs, groups, forums, etc in the Elgin, Enterprise, La Grande, Pendleton areas? The reason I ask is that we have family down that way and I am interested in locating local 4x4 trails and perhaps joining in with other like minded 4x4 junkies on occasion.
Jerry from Yakima

[Rockcruiser]

Jerry
Ya, it's to bad you can't make the run...it's a good one. Are you going to, or have you already , checked out Virtue Flats ? It's an ohv park across from the interpative center...I'm assuming you are going to check out the interpative center.....a must see for sure.
As far as the jubalee run goes, we start in Elgin and take 10th street out to palmer junction. from there we take the jarbo creek/ Troy Oregon road. We then travell north to jubalee lake/jarbo cuttoff. This is where we air down. we then travel to lugar springs,mottet creek turn off , left at the junction and off to the lake. I go in this way because no on else does.....flat groomed trail and no ruts.......you can cruise right along, it's a blast. Once we get on top we do skyline, but cut back down to tollgate. We usually go back the way we came in, although last year we took 204 back to Elgin. We basicly run all over when we get on top though and visit with all the groups ( always over a hundred rigs there) but you have to travel around to see them because it is a huge mountain.
As far as Rigs go it's about 75% toyota pickups with 38's or bigger. But it amazes me every year at the different Ideas people have to make their rig work for them. You will see everything imagenable there if you look long enough.

I am president of the Timber Tramps 4x4 club in Lewiston. And I never really thought about it before but I guess I do guide a few trips..I lived in Elgin for 20 years so I know my way around there pretty good. As a club though we spend most of our winter wheeling in the Blues out of clarkston. during the summer we do less I do more long distace stuff.

As far as clubs go I know some guys that wheel but I don't know of any clubs....although there is a guy in Elgin I've not met that works for BLM and wheels alot at virtue flats in baker. I think his name it Kevin...just heard about him from a buddy.

I'm planning a run this summer to Enterprise and Wallowa Lake to some private property that has some outstanding rockcrawling....from easy to bleeding....great place.....and great veiw. I'll let you know when it is...I'll have to have a vehicle limit though to keep things in order with the owner. I'll let you know how and when.......

Rod

ps. sorry for the long winded post.

[Jerry]

Rod,
I know where Virtue Flats is located and as a matter of fact the last time we drove by I drove my wife's Ford Escape onto one of the trails, but started scraping sagebrush so bad I had to turn around before I tore something off her car. We drove part way down a gravel road that I believe is the main entrance, but it was getting late and we turned around. I have a map of the trail system and one of these days we will check it out. I like the wide open spaces.

I followed your route from Elgin to Lookingglass to Jubilee Lake on my map and that run would be a lot of fun. I have driven some of those roads in the summer, but other than driving Hwy 204 I have never driven north of there in the winter. We did drive the 31 Road south of Hwy 204 past Ruckel Junction and on to Interstate 84 at Kamela in the snow. I think they call it the Scenic Road and/or Mt. Emily Road.

Do the guys in the Clarkston/Lewiston area do any wheeling in Idaho? Have you driven the roads down to the Snake River in Hells Canyon from Hwy 95? I don't think they are 4x4 trails, but I'll bet they are rougher than a cob. How far do you normally drive to wheel in the summer?

Maybe we can tie up on some of the eastern Oregon runs this summer. Also, I think one of our list-members from Clarkston might have some trips planned, too, but most of ours will just be gravel and dirt roads.

Thanks for the info.
Jerry