Reiff Rd. Still Closed

[Ladder106]

I aim to keep it open.

A man on a mission.....I love it. Please post what you discover.

[K. L. Rocket]

This afternnoon the Yolo County Road Department confirmed their intention to discontinue road maintenance on Rayhouse Rd/CR 40, but said they would continue to open the gates seasonally to allow motorized vehicles as large as ATVs/quads.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9am tomorrow, Tuesday 11/18/08, and discuss Motion 4.07 which will propose abandonment/end of maintenance of Rayhouse Rd/CR 40. Procedings may be viewed after adjournment here: http://www.yolocounty.org/Index.aspx...x%3fpage%3d323, click on "watch". Minutes are slated for approval at a subsequent meeting planned for 12/09/08.

A Board of Supervisors Public Hearing is scheduled for 1:30pm Tuesday, January 27, 2009. If unable to attend, you may make your opinion known beforehand by contacting Yolo County District 5 Supervisor (http://www.yolocounty.org/Index.aspx?page=328):

Duane Chamberlain
625 Court Street, Room 204
Woodland, CA 95695
(530) 666-8627
Fax: (530) 666-8193
eMail

If you'd like, please cc all correspondence to:

Don Amador
Western Representative, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Inc.
555 Honey Lane
Oakley, CA 94561

as he has expressed interest in following this situation.

I will write Mr. Chamberlain explaining the limited impact of dual sport usage, benefits to the local community and expressing my opinion for continued maintenance/access. I plan to attend the hearing on 1/27/09 as well. Anyone else?

[Hotmamaandme]

I have ridden it several times. I havent made it up there this year yet. I have always been able to get around the west gate but not around the east gate. the big jugs on the GS wont fit. Its such a short road it dosnt call to me musch but yet fun and one of the few dirt roads around these parts.

[Ladder106]

OK....so if I read this right, FIRST they are gonna vote on it.....THEN (2 months later) they are gonna ask us for our opinion?

I love the way democracy works!


Yep, it's a short road but it's nice to have it at least open since it makes a nice way to tie in a loop between Capay valley and Berryessa/Knoxville Rd.

Also, I've gotta think that the Rafting guys will have something to say about ending maintenance on the entire road. They go up there in old school buses and those vehicles will probably only work for another year or two if maintenance ends.

For us, we can mostly alway find a work-around for the bad spots.

What I don't understand is: If maintenance ceases, why not just remove the gates? What are they protecting.....(oh....us)? It certainly makes me much less "respectful" of the gates.

[Cpt. Ron]

Well now, isn't that interesting. Reading the agenda for today's meeting (which I can't attend since I just found out about it), it sure sounds like they've been thinking about this for a while.

And I must say this is pretty sneaky. Last spring, they install signs saying the road is no longer maintained. The gate on the Lake County side is locked during the summer (maybe periodically opened). In the fall, they announce that they're considering terminating maintenance. Part of the public process is to notify the public, including posting signs on the road itself. Yet, who actually goes up there in the winter since it is normally closed. I never would have known about it if it wasn't for this discussion. Even the guy I emailed last week, Assistant Planning and Public Works Director Panos Kokkas, failed to mention the meetings or intentions.

[Cpt. Ron]

Originally Posted by Ladder106

OK....so if I read this right, FIRST they are gonna vote on it.....THEN (2 months later) they are gonna ask us for our opinion?

I love the way democracy works!

The action today is to accept the list of roads proposed to be closed and to direct Public Works to notify interested parties (property owners) as well as public notices. The meeting in January will actually hear public comments and decide the course of action.

I have a feeling many of the landowners won't mind. They'll now have their own private drives and no riff-raff driving through.

[bluepoof]

Don't know if this is old news, as it was my first time at the gate, but there's a sign now on Reiff just after the turnoff from Berryessa-Knoxville saying "gate closed permanently at county line". It looked like a new sign since it hasn't been shot up yet.

Sad pic:

[Cpt. Ron]

The county had their discussion on this issue this afternoon. I, along with a lot of concerned citizens, public agencies and businesses, voiced their disapproval of this proposed action (ceasing maintenance on certain dirt roads in the county). There were enough speakers that they took a break at 3:00pm. I left to enjoy the ride home before the traffic. I haven't heard the outcome of their vote, if they actually had one. Public Works is saying they want to cease maintenance and remove the gates. Fine for a year or two, but after that, CR 40 and 41 will be washed out beyond any access save for a real dirt bike.

Fire and rescue generally were against it for access to injured people and fires. Locals wanted continued access to their properties and public land. BLM and UC Davis want either the roads (actually just CR 40 aka Rayhouse Road) maintained OR closed altogether.

[slackmeyer]

Reiff is still closed, still says "Gate permanently closed at county line". It would have been an easy ride around on the DRZ, but I wasn't really headed that way anyway- I just thought I'd go up to the top and check it out.

[Cpt. Ron]

Which end did you see this sign?

[slackmeyer]

West end, from Knoxville-Berryessa. Is there another gate on the east end? Passable?

[Cpt. Ron]

The county decided to cease maintenance on the road. Another issue with a Caltrans bridge inspection on the low-water crossing on the Highway 16 side basically sealed the fate of the road. The report says the bridge is in danger of the footings being washed out. And of course, it's too much money to fix.

However, Yolo County Public Works also stated in the first meeting that the road would remain open at all times. Looks like they aren't doing that.

To answer your question directly, yes there is a gate on the east side. The last I heard/saw, it was passable by skinny bikes. BMW twins need not apply.

[cynicwanderer]

yes, both gates are closed as of last friday 4/24. you can go past the gates with a skinny bike. the bridge is open to foot traffic, and has a warning that it's a 0 ton weight limit. rayhouse rd. from hwy16 to the county border is not maintained, but also not abandoned, thus still belongs to the county and is a public road, a such. as far as I know, it's OK to walk and ride bicycles on it, but I don't know the legality of riding motorcycles on it.

in the past, the gates open mid-may, I don't know if they will open now.

[jetpoweredmonkey]

We rode Rayhouse from the west end (Berryessa-Knoxville) to east (Highway 16) on Saturday. Both ends are closed. The west end is easy to skirt by either climbing the embankment by the gate or going through the bushes, which could be done, with a bit of care, even on a ginormous beast.

The east end is also closed but no problem at all to get through. Watch out for that zero ton weight limit bridge, though! Yeah, right...but if you're worried, you can cross in the creek easily enough!

The views were spectacular and we encountered no other vehicles nor enforcement officials. The road is in pretty bad shape on the west end with several washouts but would not be a problem even for most 2WD cars and very easy on the bikes. The rest of the road is smooth and easy with a few minor rockfalls, no challenge at all. Seems like a must-do ride if you're in the area just for the scenery. Slightly off topic, has anyone visited the Knoxville OHV area?

The first pic is the west end of Rayhouse, the last pic is the Highway 16 end.

[Hotmamaandme]

Originally Posted by jetpoweredmonkey

We rode Rayhouse from the west end (Berryessa-Knoxville) to east (Highway 16) on Saturday. Both ends are closed. The west end is easy to skirt by either climbing the embankment by the gate or going through the bushes, which could be done, with a bit of care, even on a ginormous beast.

The east end is also closed but no problem at all to get through. Watch out for that zero ton weight limit bridge, though! Yeah, right...but if you're worried, you can cross in the creek easily enough!

The views were spectacular and we encountered no other vehicles nor enforcement officials. The road is in pretty bad shape on the west end with several washouts but would not be a problem even for most 2WD cars and very easy on the bikes. The rest of the road is smooth and easy with a few minor rockfalls, no challenge at all. Seems like a must-do ride if you're in the area just for the scenery. Slightly off topic, has anyone visited the Knoxville OHV area?

The first pic is the west end of Rayhouse, the last pic is the Highway 16 end.

Well its a shame this road is closed. I have been around the west gate and turned around at the other gate twice. I cant find a way to fit a big BMW with jugs around that HWY 16 gate.

On the Knoxville topic yes i know the area well and ride it quite a bit. Im one of the few OHV Napa County Deputies that patrols it and writes tickets. CA State parks is looking into putting some money into the trail system there. This one of the few OHV parks in north part of the state. If there ever was a time to let your voice be heard about keeping OHV and pulic lands open for motorcycles now is the time. As you can see the state is in the whole and its affecting the counties budgets so roads like Rayhouse are closed due to funding. Pay your red and green sticker fees and if you get a ticket thank the nice man and pay it telling your self this is helping the State budget.