Thanks to a generous grant from the Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club (TDS) of San Diego the 4×4 trails are now safer and more user friendly in the Inyo National Forest and surrounding BLM area. The TDS supplied the money and the Eastern Sierra Four Wheel Drive Club (ES4WD) supplied the leg work and muscle to get the job done.
It started in the summer of 2013 when the TDS announced that due to a very successful Jeep Sweepstakes they would fund ground-level projects to benefit 4×4 trails. At that same time the ES4WD Club was having preliminary discussions with the Inyo National Forest about how to distribute the new California Trail Users Coalition (CTUC) maps. They are terrific maps and they need to be in the hands of the four wheelers exploring the area. One of the primary goals of the map is to keep the OHVs on the legal roads and not create new ones. Furthermore, some of the information on the map, such as “Most Difficult” and “Difficult” sections of the trails needed to be on the ground in certain locations. The problem arises when a driver encounters a difficult trail and it is very hard to turn around or back out.
The mission had three parts to it. First, the Inyo National Forest had to agree to allow for “Difficult” and “Most Difficult” signs to be placed on the trails and for the installation of a kiosk with the map information. Second, the TDS Club needed to approve a grant to pay for the project. Third, the ES4WD Club would have to get all the materials and install everything. By the end of 2013 the Forest Service approved the project and the TDS issued a check for $4,247 to the ES4WD Club to pay for it. During 2014 the BLM also approved a kiosk and the ES4WD club installed everything on the trails.
A big thank you also goes to everybody that bought Jeep Sweepstakes tickets. You probably did not win a Jeep but you helped to make four wheeling a fun experience in the Eastern Sierra.
