Monday, April 16, 2012

Log Cabin Resort to Joyce (the long way)

From the Log Cabin Resort driveway, continue west on East Beach Road and you'll immediately pass Lady of the Lake Lane and then go left at the next road after that, where you will see a sign pointing the way to the Spruce Trail (a terrific place to ride your cross or mountain bike)
(Go left where it points to Spruce Railroad Trail)
 Technically,  even though you've turned off the main road, you'll still be on East Beach Rd. You'll descend down to lake level and come to a one-lane bridge over the Lyre River. Just before you get to the bridge, hang a right onto this unmarked dirt road.
Follow this for about .75 miles of general bumpiness to the yellow gate (no motorized vehicles beyond this point - except logging equipment!) When you go around the gate, you're not trespassing; it a legal bike/hike/horse trail, courtesy of Green Crow Logging Co. 


 Stay on what looks like the main road, as there are a few spur roads that take you off uphill into what are mostly dead ends. (Come back another day and enjoy those on your mountain bike.)

(Spring 2014 Update:  this is one of the places they've resurfaced the road recently, with a heavier grade of gravel.  For the next couple of miles be ready to check your speed, in short, sporadic patches, some of it can be slow going.)

This dirt road continues about 3 miles or so after the yellow gate.  It winds around through the woods a bit with a little fast descending at the end (if you dare) before it dumps out onto HWY 112. Turn right and follow HWY 112 about 4 or 5 miles to the Joyce General Store. This stretch is completely flat and very straight but has extremely skimpy shoulders.  If it's raining, you will hate this part of the ride, with every passing logging truck blasting you with a 60mph wall of filthy road spray.  Some will blast their horns at you for good measure.   Because of the high speed traffic and lack of shoulders, this section of HWY 112 is kind of marginal riding under the best conditions, but downright horrible when it's wet.

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