The lake is looking good

 If it's not full, it's dam close.

I camped at Acorn East last weekend, and while site 102 has barely enough room for 1 tent, it offers an excellent view of the lake and surrounding hills, facing east. Lots of of geese families floating by on their way to Oak Knoll campground for breakfast.

I rode the trails both Saturday and Sunday mornings, and while some trails need pruning, I had a great time and really enjoyed getting out and rediscovering the joy of mountain biking. 💔

Here are a few pics. The first shot is the trail heading in to Oak Knoll campground. The biking/hiking trails begin at site 17, or look for the sign to the left the road leading to the Coyote Point group campsite.

Haven't seen the lake this full in years. Holly-lew-yah!

No better way to cap off a ride than heading to Brew'gers in Valley Springs for a burger and a chilled glass of Moose Drool. If you're into music, Fabulous Finds in VS has records & CDs for your browsing pleasure, at really reasonable prices. Lots more to look at there, too, it's a well-kept used everything antique-y store. It's on the main drag, Joe Bob says "check it out."

 Wow, an update, after all this time...

After all the rains we've had here in NorCal (2022/23), I'm anxious to see how the lake and trails are doing. I'll be camping up there in a few weeks in April, but until then, here's a report from Ktom300:

I used Strava Maps/segments to navigate and it worked surprisingly well.

I hit "oh Shit", 12 DH, Werewolf. Climbed Nut Up XC a few times as Mario Cart UH looked pretty unridden.
There's a lot in there and it's easy to get lost in the maze, I should've worn sleeves. Awesome views and the lake is full. Super green and flowers everywhere.

It's tight, def wear sleeves or bring the loppers.

 Buddy Jim and I tried to escape the valley fog yesterday, and drove up to Hogan (where else?) to hike around. There was sunshine to be had, but as we were leaving, the fog began to show its hazy head. 

Great fun, not a soul to be seen on the trails, and the trails are in great shape. We saw one boat on the lake. The lake's low, but we thought it was going to be worse, actually.

Oak Knoll day use was closed, so we parked at the Acorn East day use lot and walked across the mud to get to the trailhead. We saw some tents in Acorn East, so camping is happening.

Most excellent meal was had at Brew'gers in Valley Springs, and we caught the last remnants of a car show. For you gun folks, there's a gun shop a few doors down from Brew'gers. 

Here're a couple of useful links for ye: Calaveras Visitors Bureau

7 Reasons To Visit Valley Springs (I'd add the awesome ACE Hardware store)

Brew'gers

California Watchable Wildlife  

And don't miss the awesome River Of Skulls hiking trail below the dam!

Rain, dammit!

     Looks like camping will open at the beginning of May, woohoo! Use the Recreation.gov link to get a site.

    See you there.😋

Campgrounds still not open (3/14/21)

    I called today and the rangers said the campsites weren't open and no date was given for opening.

    Welp, you can still park in the day use and ride the trails, so all is not completely lost. Git up there & ride/hike in this beautiful (almost) spring weather!

    I got a call yesterday from a mole up at Hogan. There's been some encroachment/strip mining on one of our trails by a landowner, It's not a big deal, the trail is mostly intact, but someone(s) has been tearing down the NO TRESSPASSING signs. Loser. Ya wanna ruin this for everyone? Guys, the man is being cool about letting us ride near his property, let's not piss him off by destroying his signs, k? Don't make me stop this car, because I will come back there! 👿

    More Hogan info: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/476

    Another MTBR thread: https://www.mtbr.com/threads/mtb-trails-near-stockton.1178280/

 Just wanted to check in, see if anyone has ridden the trails lately. If you have, please leave a comment!

Here is a shot that shows all the trails: Google aerial shot

While mostly mountain bikers have been seen on the trails, it's also a great hiking/running trail. I want to reiterate that these trails are great in the winter. Not much mud, the area is very rocky, so wear your tough shoes!

Thanks-

Finch

Hogan Lake facilities are closed

From the Sacramento District website: In the interest of the health and safety of the public, park volunteers, and our staff, we have closed our recreation facilities to protect against the spread of #COVID19. This includes campgrounds, visitor centers, boat launches, and day-use areas. Individuals with paid camping reservations will be contacted by email and full refunds will automatically be processed by recreation.gov with no cancellation fees.

Bummer. I was hoping to try out my new tent sometime soon, but looks like that's not gonna happen. Welp, enjoy this pic of Endo from the archives, all none of you. 🍺 Please, if you're reading this, please leave a comment. 

Ah, I thought I'd add this tidbit from the same site: The Corps of Engineers participates in the America the Beautiful-Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series. The series includes the Annual Pass, Annual 4th Grade Pass, Annual Senior Pass, Lifetime Senior Pass, Lifetime Access Pass, Volunteer Pass, and Military Pass. Be sure to pick up your America the Beautiful pass at any of our Corps parks as the money is directly invested back into the facilities to improve your recreational experience. Get more details about the pass series here http://1.usa.gov/1T6TRMt.

The Annual Pass is a onetime purchase of $80. You will have access to all of your favorite Corps parks, and participating federal agencies public lands. The Annual Pass is good for one year from the date of purchase.

Individuals 62 years and older have the choice of purchasing an Annual Senior Pass for $20 which is good for one year from the date of purchase, or a Lifetime Senior Pass for $80, which does not expire. Senior and Access Pass holders also receive a 50 percent discount on campsites at Corps-managed campgrounds.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also sells their Corps Annual Pass for $40. The Corps Annual Pass gives unlimited access to day-use areas at any Corps park for one calendar year at the date of purchase.

The Lifetime Senior Pass is a helluva deal. 

The pic below shows the camp site I'll be shooting for when they're open. 😉

Update, 2-2020

I went up to Hogan a few days ago, took some pics and had a very nice ride in the spring (in February?!?) sun. It was a very pleasant day on the trails, and there were two other riders out there. Not bad for a Monday. 

Some overgrown spots on some of the offshoot trails, but most of the trails are in very good shape, thanks to M & T. I'll be going up in the next few days with my battery clippers to do some work on the Runky Girl trail to make it passable.

Remember, a lot of trails are not obvious. If you see a trail veering off the main trail, take a chance and see where it goes! It helps add mileage to your ride and spices things up.

There's been some practicing by the fire crews in the first meadow section, creating some ugly strips of clearcutting, but this doesn't impact the trails much. In fact, it adds some interesting jumps and drops to the mix, for those of you who like to get a little air. 😱

Endo at the top of a clearcut- it's hard to see, but there are several drops in this pic. Many lines from which to choose. The cave (you can't see it in the pic) is to the right.

See you out there!

Got a post up at mtbr.com with pics from our latest visit to Hogan. Check it out HERE.

Map with most of the trails. New sections are being added constantly by a small group of dedicated wackos. 😈

Parking and trail update

We have many miles of trail at Hogan, starting at the Oak Knoll campground. Trailhead starts at site #19, although you can follow the road out to Coyote Point group campground if you'd like to ride the intermediate trail.

A mountain biker on mtbr.com (NorCal board) had questions about parking at Acorn East during the week, here are some of the answers, along with info on how to access the trails:

OneOnOne: I’ve been fortunate enough to have the time to ride mid-week and want to explore ride options other than the Granite Bay trails. New Hogan is within my work territory. My concern is with the parking and potential burglary and vandalism of my vehicle. Is the New Hogan location busy or dead late afternoons during mid-week? 

fred-da-trog: I've been riding Hogan averaging once a month for 25 years. The usual parking is at the Acorn East Campground entrance. I've never heard of break ins or seen broken glass . If you're really nervous, there is also a parking lot at the Acorn West entrance where a camp host usually resides. It's a short pedal on campground road to the trail head. 

Finch Platte: Like Fred, I've been riding and working on the trails at Hogan for decades. I have yet to have a problem with parking. Sure, there have been skeevy-looking characters hanging about (mostly mountain bikers, lol), but nary a problem so far.

Couple of notes:

Oak Knoll parking lot is better to access the trails (it's a wee bit more convienient- especially when you have a dog, like I usually do). But Acorn day-use lots are fine, too. Oak Knoll opens later in the season when Acorn camping lots start to fill up. Hogan has great camping, btw. They also have a huge camping area you can reserve if you have a ton of friends (Coyote Point).

The best trail starts from campsites 17 or 19. As you ride out on the trail, keep an eye on offshoots to the left- these trails are more advanced, and if you stay on the lower trail that is just above the lake, I garntee you'll be underwhelmed and will report back here with a shrug and an "itsallright". Upper trails are much more fun and hard. There are scads of them out there, and if you ride the trails often, you'll keep finding more and more to ride. Tour guides are nice, if you can find one.

Excellent winter riding- you can ride these trails during a downpour (yes, I've done it, unwillingly) and you won't hurt a thing. Summer? It's freaking hot, and you will be hard-pressed to find shade (or water, except for the lake itself).

There's a restaurant in town called Brew-gers. Yup. Brew-gers. 👲It used to be called Eddie's, and they had some really, really good food. I haven't checked out the food, yet, but they have some killer beers on tap!

Have fun! PM me and maybe I'll join ya sometime.

Edit: I just realized that map doesn't even have all the trails on it. Jeez.

Also, you can gain almost instant access to the upper trails by riding up to Oak Knoll's site 13, and riding back in to where the firefighters-in-training cut a firebreak that goes almost straight up. When you get to the top, you'll be at one of the highest parts of the trails. It's a grunter of a hike-a-bike, but it mixes things up a little, at least for me.

Welcome to the Hogan Lake Blog

I'm your host, Finch Platte, blogging all things Hogan, particularly mountain biking and hiking trails.

New Hogan Lake is located in the oak and brush-covered foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The 4,400 acre lake was created in 1964 with the completion of New Hogan Dam.

When full, the lake has 50 miles of shoreline and extends nearly eight miles upstream to the confluence of the north and south forks of the Calaveras River. The dam provides flood protection to the city of Stockton and water for irrigation, drinking and hydroelectric power.