bojangles Report post Posted September 7, 2014 the sign at the gate says the area is closed. is it open to foot traffic? my dad got drawn for mule deer, and is not in that great of shape, i'm just looking for an area we can walk into w/out too much trouble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azshtr Report post Posted September 7, 2014 Yes it is open to foot traffic. The road in is not bad. There is a stream to cross a short way in which can be a trickle or a torrent depending on the weather. The usual flow is not bad. Don't be surprised to see tires tracks in there. The rancher has access. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ctafoya Report post Posted September 7, 2014 Used to be a nice place to drive in to. Last time we were there we took the kids out on a quad ride and some drunk guy was shooting in the direction of our truck. Turned into a nasty confrontation. He lost that battle after the police showed up. Sucks that a few reckless people have to ruin it for the rest of us. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
43F Report post Posted September 7, 2014 I've seen a lot of guys ride bikes in to make it easier -pedal bikes. You'll get back to a large clearing and understand why the area is only open to foot traffic, a ton of garbage all over the place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bojangles Report post Posted September 8, 2014 cool thanks for the replies. i'll have to check it out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLW Report post Posted September 8, 2014 I've seen a lot of guys ride bikes in to make it easier -pedal bikes. You'll get back to a large clearing and understand why the area is only open to foot traffic, a ton of garbage all over the place. not the reason it was closed for... maybe compounded though. James 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted September 8, 2014 back in he day, there was a jeep trail that went in from bushnell tanks and over the saddle. came out by punkin center. Heard a couple of different theories as to why the area is closed. Always see deer crossing through there when we go up outta town too late in the dark. Ive ridden my pedal bike in there once before also. Still an amazing area... (once you get past the human recklessness) good luck! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azshtr Report post Posted September 8, 2014 That Jeep trail still exists. It's called Reno Pass. I'm not sure what shape it is in anymore though. Last writeup I saw was a couple of motorcycles took it from the lake side and ended up at the locked gate. They chose to drag the bikes under rather than go all the way back. The area was locked due to flooding / fire. My guess is the trashed condition and over use is why it remains locked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted September 8, 2014 On a day like today, that crossing is a death trap. I remember reading a search and rescue team members account of an attempt to save 4 scouts and their leader who ended up drowning in there during a storm. It will send chills up your spine. The flossing is why it is now closed, to my understanding. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted September 8, 2014 On a day like today, that crossing is a death trap. I remember reading a search and rescue team members account of an attempt to save 4 scouts and their leader who ended up drowning in there during a storm. It will send chills up your spine. The flossing is why it is now closed, to my understanding. Weird my dentist recommends to be open to flossing! just kidding. I had heard the two stories intermixed. that because of the fires there was flooding which led to the tragedy with the scout troop. And with the tragedy, there was a pending lawsuit. So in order to curtail the lawsuit, they kept the gate closed. But don't forget the source of " brother's cousin's sister's best friend told me so its gotta be true" 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1uglydude Report post Posted September 9, 2014 mbiewer is correct, MRD closed it after a fire 10+ years ago In the words of the MRD engineer "we were sick of lawsuits from people getting killed in there and the fire was only going to make it worse, so we decided that it should stay closed. In my experience, most hunters actually like it that way." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted September 12, 2014 I agree, but give us hunters the gate access. ha ha. That would be a sweet spot if they could incorporate the same tonto limited access rules like Bull dog canyon has (behind mesa...). For those that don't know, the bull dog area is ,limited access. If you go to the tonto office in downtown mesa, they will take your vehicle description and information... then give you 6 months of gate combination lock codes. (it changes once a month). It doesn't keep everyone out, just the hooligans. (Bull dog is the area East of Ellsworth, to the river, to McDowell, to Meridian?) Matty 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
