Some Additional Comments on the Lyon Creek Road Maintenance

 

Here is what I said about the new road maintenance plan for the road to Lyon Creek in a post a few weeks ago:

We were surprised to find today that the road was only cleared to the T-intersection of the Walker Siding Road and the Lyon Creek Road. A parking area has been cleared at the intersection. Beyond that point, the road has been groomed for snowmobiles including Moody Creek, where we rode today, and Lyon Creek. The new road maintenance plan makes the approach to the canyons significantly longer, but it is not an unpleasant ride across the dry farms.

 

Since then, I have ridden across the dry farms in soft snow conditions to the Lyon Creek area a couple of times and it has not been that special. On balance, I believe that the County’s new winter maintenance significantly reduces the viability of the Lyon Creek area as a fat bike destination. The distance from the new parking area to the end of the pavement (the old parking area) is 4.5 miles, or 9 miles round trip. That may not be a big deal on a snowmobile, but nine miles on a fat bike in soft snow is not trivial. The one thing the new plowing/grooming plan does is to facilitate a Moody Creek to Lyon Creek loop if you are fortunate enough to catch good grooming and conditions.