Jawbone Canyon

[Pollo 0]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever riden there. It was a favorite on my 01 CR500 before I sold it last year. I still like to take my 450 there. There's nothing like being wide open climbing steepies. This is a good place to hone in your downhill skills also. It's up in the Mojavi desert near California city and Ridgecrest. Dove springs is next to it and the Piute mountains. There all good. The Piute is a beautiful forest area like Big Bear.

Pollo

[PastaPilot 17]

Never been there but I think I stole this pic from a Jawbone thread somewhere else for our Kawee's Korner.

Next season I'd like to go up there.

[Bbg.will 0]

i was up there 2 years ago riding a husky cr125. fun stuff, but I don't remember a climb that big. Maybe i was in dove creek. i forgot.

[Pollo 0]

Here's a pic me on my 05 CRF450. It may not be that clear or big though. My wife took it on a disposable camera and I blew it up. I snapped it again here on my cell phone. I'm real small about 3/4 up the hill. You need to hit it wide open in second to plow up the deep sand face then 2/3 up hammer down in first and jostle with some hard pack sand areas.

Pollo

[Bbg.will 0]

This was a video my brother shot of me. His bike, my first day riding ever, and his husky 125 two smoke was temper-mental and I had a tough time with it here; at the top of the hill getting ready to come down, I stalled it, and couldn't restart. I finally just walked it a little further and just road down the hill.

[Pollo 0]

Hey Will, nice ride for the first time ever. That was dove springs you were at. It's about 10 miles north of jawbone Great place for the family and those learning. They don't get much bigger there. Jawbones got the huge ones. There's definetly some I don't try. Those are for the 500's with paddles and extented swingarms.

Like this one. They have a name for it. After some General.

Pollo

[Pollo 0]

Here's a picture of me at jawbone taken on a disposable camera. You gotta hit this one wide open. I'm on mt 05 CRF450 here. It's hard to even walk up this hill because of the deep sandy loam at the bottom.

Pollo

[dirt dame 561]

Are you in the little dust cloud in the middle of the picture there?

[Erick 0]

We took the trailer out there last January with 4 other families and camped out for 5 days. The terrain at jawbone definitely keeps you on your toes, really steep and loose hill climbs and descents. Lots of really fun trails as well. A great place to explore. It was THE coldest camping I've ever done. Here are a couple of pics to illustrate how cold as well as a few of the area...

Frozen Solid

My Truck's Thermometer (17 F)

Campsite View

Other way

View from above (that's our site down there)

Campfire Video

^^^^^^^^^^^

^^^^^^^^^^^

[Pollo 0]

Are you in the little dust cloud in the middle of the picture there?

Enlarge the pic and you see me above the dust cloud about 3/4 up the hill.

Good pics Erick. You know what I mean. You have to go there to get the real feeling of the place. There are hills I won't climb there. The ones you just see extended bikes with paddles climbing. Jawbone is a thrill and will get you a little nervous and with butterflies. I love it. It's also the best place to learn your downhills. It's one thing to climb a steepie wide open and then another to creep back over the top and come down without getting to much downhill speed and bailing. You will learn your brakes and gears like never before and how hard to use them.

Pollo

[paulmbowers 236]

Must type that I have absolutely no desire to ride anything like that. Does that make me some sort of, well, feline?

fn

[Erick 0]

When you're camped out at Jawbone, you may start the trip out saying to yourself "I'm not riding up that F'n hill". Then, you watch people do it for a day or so and the little devil on your left shoulder starts to get to you. Pretty soon you're running up to the hill wide open 3rd gear and going for it. The worst thing that you typically see happen is someone trying to get their bike turned around and back down the hill after they run out of steam halfway up something you couldn't walk on . Coming down those hills is where the real fear sets in. When it looks steep from camp, it looks vertical when you're getting ready to come back down. Sit far back on the seat and tap the back brake to scrub speed or stand and accelerate, there is typically plenty of room to slow down at the bottom of the hills.

No worries though, there is plenty of riding out there that doesn't require an extended swing arm and a constant flow of RedBull in your system to tackle. There are a few fire roads that gently switchback up to the top. Stunning views...

[bikeslut 1]

Must type that I have absolutely no desire to ride anything like that. Does that make me some sort of, well, feline?

fn

yes... yes, it does

[Pollo 0]

You have explained it well Erick. Jawbones been a favorite since the 70s. For steep downhills I leave it in gear, bike running, on and off rear tire skids and use the front brakes where you can without washing it out. Locking up the rear is not the way to do it. You will have more control letting the rear spin a little and tapping the brake to slow it down. There are more trails though besides knarly hills. In fact Dove springs connects and is a scaled down version that a lot of family and kids go too.