Concerning access to the current USFS parking lot, it has lost three ways to access it in recent years. By way of the Moss Mill road, the route through the Bowen Ranch and old route 2 because of private property that it crossed. Of the two remaining access routes to the USFS parking lot Route 1 is lengthy, rough, and hardly used. The remaining Route of access of 4 to 3 goes primarily through BLM lands. Regarding the BLM improving any roads leading around the Bowen Ranch to the USFS parking lot, I think the BLM will not consider doing this. The USFS could only improve the small portions of that route of access, on thier lands which would not fix the real problem areas for vehicles on that Route. Thier are two areas that Route 3 dips into USFS lands. One place is in the area of thier current USFS parking lot and the other is a small area where the Route 3 trail starts. The USFS area by the Route 3 has stayed consistently accessible by two wheel vehicles without " any " improvements to the current open routes of 4 and 3. This is why I suggested that why not have an alternative official USFS access point to the springs there since, as it stands, the current status of the routes to the present USFS parking lot will not be solved without efforts from the BLM which I really don't see happening. The Route 3 trail is not a legal trail. Neither is the Bradford Ridge trail which was built by volunteers and was not a USFS approved effort. Last I heard the USFS was considering that trail to be added to thier trail system, it might possibly be added already. No brush being piled on that trail. Also the Mo Fo Hill bypass trail that skirts the western side of Mo Fo Hill near the springs was done by volunteers and was not a USFS approved effort. After It was roughed in the USFS did thier work on the USFS parking lot, making it bigger, grading access roads close to it and they also around that time did improvements on the length of trail 3W02 ( Bowen Ranch trail ), which included work on the newly built Mo Fo Hill bypass. Both the Bradford Ridge trail and the Mo Fo Hill bypass were viewed as having advantages by the USFS and were therefore accepted even though they were not projects initiated originally by the USFS. I know of other trails in the area that have been in place for a long time that the USFS is aware of that are being left alone. The point is clear that the USFS can decide to keep a trail active, whether it was originally legally built as shown by the above examples. Since the current access difficulties on Route 3 to the USFS parking lot don't appear to have any easy solution it seems to me that if they were to accept the current Route 3 trail as an alternative access trail and provide official information about USFS rules like at the lower USFS parking lot that this would accomplish, in an easier manner, what they seem to suggest is the goal they wish for at the Lower USFS parking area. Given the situation out there I think this idea would present an effective solution. The people that would hypothetically be parking at the new USFS Route 3 parking area would be the same people they would be seeing at a reasonably accessable lower USFS parking area. The two areas are little more than a half mile apart. Just wanted to present this as an idea. Even though I am dissappointed in seeing the cut vegetation along the Route 3 trail I realize the USFS will decide what " they " feel is the best course of action regarding this access situation. As the pressures of increased visitation increase on DCHS I'm sure, as time goes by, we will see more alterations in the access situation for these springs we all enjoy.
