Trail Overview
The ATV portion of Trail 9 starts at its east end at a marked entrance on Rock Creek Road, and starts winding through the manzanita bushes on a smooth and curvy path that would be quite narrow for ATVs in some spots between the trees. The trail descends down and cuts across the hillside, with sharp turns and a couple of tight switchbacks, and some deep troughs that will make quads have to straddle the ruts. There are lots of small root bands across the trail and embedded rock surfaces creating small drop-offs and off-camber sections. It looks mostly trafficked by dirt bikes, with deep ruts down the middle of the path, and logs only cut to dirt bike width, so it would be a bit tricky for quad riders to complete the trail. The trail drops down to a bridge over a creek that was slightly flooded even in the dry summertime, so it could be heavy flow in wetter months. Then it climbs back up the next hillside, cutting across the hill on a narrow, shelfy path, with several more moderate embedded rock ledges. Watch for tree hazards throughout this trail.
Difficulty
This trail would be quite difficult for a quad as it is narrow and deeply rutted, with shelfy sections, making it more appropriate for dirt bikes. There are several tight switchbacks and rock stair steps that are off-camber and technical throughout the 2-mile route.
