BroncoII4x4.com

Nobody,

I did a Google search on “Walker valley 4x4” and your site came up like #3 or #4, so I thought I’d ask you a couple of questions about the area.

Anyway, Sunday I had a rare entire day to myself, my truck was in both on- and off-road serviceable (sporting new mudflaps per the local Police request), and I decided to go someplace different. I reside in Sultan, and my original plan was to head to the Naches wagon trail, which is pretty tame, but I wasn’t sure if it was open yet. I decided to go up to Walker Valley and explore as I had never been there before. I brought a friend as a passenger, and we made it to Walker Valley off-road area around noon or so. Saw mostly motorbikes, with a lot of the access roads gated off. Most of the marked trails were not for four-by's.

For the majority of the day, I was just looking for “Jeep” permissible trails off of the maze of access roads. Found a couple short ones that were kind of fun, but I was heading out kind of disappointed in the early evening until I drove past a group of Jeeps circumventing a locked gate off of one of the main roads. The Jeeps (an XJ, a CJ, and a couple of built TJ’s) were going around the gate via a boulder-strewn bypass. I stopped to watch and talk a little bit with the group (Sedro Woolley residents, apparently). After watching a pristine hardtop S&N Fab-built TJ destroy his back glass on the gate post, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to follow, but would have felt like a pansy if I didn’t. Didn’t have any problem getting by the gate, thanks to some good spotting by one of the Jeep guys, and followed them up what I think was the very first trail up after the gate. I think the trail was fairly new, as I saw a lot of unused cinder blocks and such. It was pretty hairy in my opinion, sloppy and off-camber, and somewhat steep, and very tight. Throttle required + close quarters = hairy IMHO. My driver side is sporting a substantial new beauty-mark thanks to a Douglas Fir. Also, some pretty good wee-wee shrinking pucker-factor due to camber in spots. This trail wasn’t all that long, but was quite fun, and took a took a while due to their being 5 rigs. About the time the trail bisected the main road it was getting late and I decided I better not press my luck and began the journey back home.

My questions, if you would care to answer:

1) Is there a map of the “Jeep’ trails of the Walker Valley area? I wasn’t been able to find one.

2) Much of the access roads are gated. Are a lot of the 4x4 trails behind the gates? Where is the “Express Way” that I have heard about.

3) Are you familiar with the gated road with the boulder-bypass that I mentioned? Is it O.K. to take this bypass (i.e. could one get “busted”)? Are you familiar with the first trail up off that road, does it have a name? One of the Sedro Woolley folk mentioned there being more trails on up and I think they were going on to try a few. Do they get harder, or are they pretty comparable?

All the trails are behind the gates. Those are legit go arounds built by the DNR. They serve to keep the dumpers out, and to filter less capable rigs, which I don't agree with.

Over the last 3 years or so Walker Valley has gone through some significant changes due to logging. Only recently has most of the trails been re-opened. Unfortunately, we lost a couple good sections completely, but we picked up some new stuff.

If you were to go around the gate at the parking lot, the trail picks up a little ways up the road. The Expressway is a left hand turn a little ways up. It's known for the big rock face. This trail system is the "old" stuff..... what's left of it.

It will eventually dump you back on to a logging road where you can then get to the Jeep Cross and finally the "New" stuff.

Generally, we start with the new stuff and work into the old stuff. The gate you went in, off the Peter burns road is the access to the new stuff. You actually skipped a section of trail. The first bit of trial picks up about 100yds past the gate on the right, then crosses the road to where the hill climb is. Then it comes into a clear cut and crosses the road again. Then you get on the road and go 1/4 mile or so and it picks up again on the left. That's the last leg of the new stuff. Then you need to get on the road and get to lower Jeep Cross, which lets out to the road where you can get back into the remainer of the old stuff.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll pencil out a rough map and post it. You'd definately be welcome to join me sometime. I'm due for another trip.

That new stuff got pretty knarley last winter. The wetter it gets, the harder it gets.

EBSTEVE and I just ran everything a few weeks ago.

Thanks! As I didn’t see many other 4x4 people there, I was not willing to risk going around the gates (and getting in trouble) until I came across the Jeep folk. Even then, I wasn’t sure it was O.K.

I’ll have to take you up on the offer some time – but the trail I was on would have been extra-sketchy in the winter!

I am up for a run at the end of the month when I get back from the Rubicon.
You still going with me Nobody?

Are you sure your rig will be ready for Walker after the Rubi After all you are still in the garage aren't you? I'm ready to go, a friend of mine drove her K-5 Blazer up that trail with the boulder climb around the gate with minimal damage. Since I don't care about that kind of small stuff it should be a cinch.

You can probably get a full size through now...someone cut out the main squeeze.