Tooled at Castle Rock

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HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Feb 18, 2012 - 07:20pm PT

Bruce
Everything on the west side of Skyline outside of the extent of the loop trail plus the south side of the Falls, all the boulders around Castle Rock and Cal Cliffs is "wilderness zone" and off limits. Period. Plus Lion Caves, of course. It's clearly marked on the map posted at the parking lot. Also there are signs posted where you'd be likely to "wander" into the wilderness area.

bluering, I presume you mean Ranger Jason Rule.
A very decent guy but definitely don't get on his wrong side.
Remember these Rangers are the LEO up here and more than one of them has had armed run-ins with the tough guys at the illegal marijuana plantations.

To all CRSP climbing denizens: Jason will definitely bust you for flagrant violations. If you've committed a nuisance, and are polite to him, you might get off. He's definitely NOT out to get climbers or hikers. Mountain bikers, however, had best stay clear of CSRP as they are prohibited anywhere except the official parking lots. And they've become a real provocation to the Rangers by flagrant destruction of trails.

Notice to all: parking citations will ALWAYS be given where and when appropriate. The State Park system needs the revenue. You'd better be in your car with the engine running, lights on and in reverse by sunset.
When the Castle Rock area parking is full, you can park at Summit Rock, it's only a 15 minute walk along the trail back to CRSP but again, be out of there by sunset. Please take the trail, not the road, between CRSP and Summit Rock. There's been one pedestrian fatality I know of along Skyline in that stretch.

They appear to be slightly more lenient on closing the parking lot gate exactly at sunset but don't count on it.

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2012 - 08:14pm PT

Bruce, regretfully, I'll admit to getting popped at Summit during the stupid bird closure.

I took my buddy's nephew up there to take in the view an try out my cross-country skis last winter.

We got popped for jumping a clearly marked gate. I'm a bit ashamed...I'm not a good example sometimes.

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Feb 19, 2012 - 12:37am PT

Well, Summit isn't in CRSP anyway. It's in Sanborn-Skyline County Park (although the name may have been shortened to simply Sanborn County Park - not sure). So you got busted, Blue, by SC County Park Rangers, not State Park Rangers.

Actually, the status of trespassing violations in CRSP remains ambivalent. Sure, if you go out to the west of the Saratoga Gap trail with climbing gear and an intent to climb or develop new routes, you will be busted. However, the CRSP Master Plan clearly states that "free roaming" will not be curtailed within the confines of the San Lorenzo Nature Preserve. The Master Plan and its language was ratified in 2001.

What it gets down to is they'll bust a climber who is trespassing obviously to go climbing on rocks in the Nature Preserve. But they also have the option of ignoring some kid who's roaming through the bushes who knows nothing about the Nature Preserve or the penalties for trespassing there.

Don't know what the intent was of leaving the "free roaming" statement in the ratified Master Plan (or even if there was an intent). Just my take on it. The wording might have just been preserved in the Master Plan as an oversight or some heritage boilerplate.

And I believe mountain bikes are allowed on the dirt road leading in the back way to Saratoga Gap Campground. That is, they are "not prohibited". Think ROMP mentions that somewhere.

However, the so-called Lion Caves (aka 'Valley of Stone') climbing area was closed, according the language of the order, only "temporarily" in March 1997. This language is also preserved in the ratified CRSP Master Plan of 2001. That is, the closure of this area is specifically designated as a "temporary" closure that is going to be rescinded at some future point in time. When that's going to take place, of course, is anyone's guess. I do know that there were plans for building a trail through the area, as well as through the Underworld down to the San Lorenzo River watershed. However, again, as far as I know, none of these plans were ever implemented by the Trails Committee. In any case, it is possible to visit the Valley of Stone with a 'guide' if you receive written permission from the CRSP Parks Superintendent. Has anyone ever asked? It was rumored a few years ago that someone had sent him a written request, but never heard any feedback about it.

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Feb 24, 2012 - 01:24pm PT

bump

Sure is going to be a nice weekend to enjoy CRSP (but not Summit Rock - at least not yet).

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 24, 2012 - 07:06pm PT

I'll be up there. Prolly Saturday.

Anybody else?? Sullly?

Bruce where do you plan on climbing? Maybe I'll cruise by and say "hey".

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Feb 25, 2012 - 12:18am PT

All I know is that the two forensic formulae that apply to access at CRSP are "temporarily closed" and "unrestricted free roaming".

Maybe up at Castle with Dave Caunt, probably Sunday. Tomorrow I have a webinar to attend and moderate at noon, plus a miserable transcription contract of a talk on Cloud networking. Too many computer acronyms lead to complete mental meltdown! Time for a 24 oz. Lagunitas IPA!

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Feb 25, 2012 - 02:27pm PT

20 degrees colder up here today than yesterday
Forecast even cooler tomorrow.

So you got busted, Blue, by SC County Park Rangers, not State Park Rangers.

Many (most? all?) State Park Rangers are deputized with full LEO roles/responsibilities on any public land. So you can be busted on any public property by State Park Rangers. They are a major component of The Law to those of us who live up here.
So, briefly, bluering could have been tooled by State Park or Santa Clara County Parks rangers at Summit Rock parking lot.

Actually, the status of trespassing violations in CRSP remains ambivalent..... However, the CRSP Master Plan clearly states that "free roaming" will not be curtailed within the confines of the San Lorenzo Nature Preserve.

This is news to me. I'll look into the Park's current interpretation/policy on this. There is only one piece of private property between my place and CRSP so this is relevant to my particular situation.

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Feb 25, 2012 - 07:28pm PT

Yes, "free roaming" and "temporarily closed" are replicated in the final 2001 ratified version of the 200+ page CRSP Master Plan. How State Parks wants to interpret those forensic formulae is anyone's guess. Does State Parks even know those phrases are in there? I think someone complained at one of the public meetings soliciting input about the Master Plan that "free roaming" should not be restricted in the San Lorenzo Natural Preserve and that language got assimilated into the final version. The language of the March 1997 order closing the Lion Caves to public access "temporarily" got assimilated into the Master Plan almost word for word. It sounds as though State Parks wanted to leave the door open to modify the document in the future. But, as I speculated, the phrases might have been nothing but preserved boiler plate copied into the final document and then translated into an Adobe .pdf file.

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 21, 2012 - 12:15am PT

Hey Fred or Bruce, let's climb on Sunday. Sullly? Fatty? Anybody? Kev and I are all-in!

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 21, 2012 - 04:46pm PT

badda-bump!

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2012 - 11:16pm PT

Anybody going Sunday?

yosemite 5.9

climber

santa cruz

Jun 3, 2012 - 09:32pm PT

I voted against an annual car registration fee to pay for CA state parks just because I have had so many encounters with bullying state park rangers. If they don't want me there, I will go somewhere else where people are friendly. I guess the rangers don't need the job. They got what they deserved when California voters shot down the registration fee proposal.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Jun 3, 2012 - 10:52pm PT

Ranger warning:
The past 2 weekends, the Castle Rock AND Summit Rock parking areas have filled by about noon with all the roadside parking gone an hour or so later.
Rangers ARE ticketing any car parked illegally. Being right next to but beyond the allotted parking areas will get you ticketed!

So get there early if going on a weekend.

Optionally you can park at the 2 Sanborn Park turnouts on Skyline about 1 1/2 miles south of Castle Rock. It's about a 40 minute walk from the turnouts to the CRSP entrance along the Skyline Trail. Somewhat less to Lyme Disease rock.

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Jun 6, 2012 - 01:49am PT

Walk In Campground at Patridge Farm

You can see at the following link that an addendum to the Castle Rock General Plan of March 2000 authorized a new parking lot and walk-in campground to be built at Partridge Farm to the north of the main CRSP Parking Lot.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21313

What ever became of the project? A walk in campground where climbers and boulderers visiting from out of State or overseas could camp overnight seems like an excellent idea. I know the Sierra Club and a mysterious group called the 'Friends of Castle Rock State Park' filed suite with the State to authorize a environmental advisory committee to formulate an acceptable "carrying capacity" for the Park. Is that where the idea for a walk in campground died? I know a bobcat earth mover appeared in the Partridge Farm parking lot maybe 5 or 6 years ago and moved gravel around for while as if it was working on the preliminary construction for the walk in campground. Then, all activity stopped, the bobcat disappeared, and a couple of mounds of gravel are still sitting piled up in the old Partridge Farm parking lot in front of the Interpretive Shelter.

Always some mysterious background formatting going on up at CRSP. Is there a shadowy group of "disinterested" environmental scientists sitting on a Resource Advisory Committee coming up with a definition of what the acceptable "carrying capacity" of the Park should be? Check out the link to the Castle Rock General Plan Settlement of the Sierra Club et alia's law suite. Wonder if such an independent Resource Advisory Committee ever came into being? If so, what's their agenda; might it include limiting climber access to CRSP? Dunno!

Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber

I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!

Jun 6, 2012 - 02:09am PT

best rangers in the world up there,

so kind and happy, always glad to see park users,

if i had a tazer, id tazer in the morning, id tazer in the evening, all over this land,

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Jun 6, 2012 - 02:28am PT

That's why the Rangers at CRSP are so "happy" as you put it, Sprock! They're being "tooled" themselves by a group of radical environmentalists who would like the Park to be part of a bio-corridor - a "people-free zone". Only the problem, as the shadow government perceives it, are those nasty climbers, who by wandering around the Park challenge that ideal state of affairs. I've always had a gut feeling that someone is giving orders up at Castle, but that someone isn't a State Park ranger. The Wizard of Oz behind the screen? Who exactly is Mr. Big?

Tony Bird

climber

Northridge, CA

Jun 6, 2012 - 09:28am PT

i can't share your enthusiasm for the new breed of tool, bluey. they're a combination of good cop/bad cop rolled into one, and the element that's missing is public accountability. they're out there enforcing an increasing stricture of petty regulations--they think "very professionally"--regulations which have been developed in a vacuum to be force-fed to an increasingly cynical, bewildered and disaffected public.

"what have you given us?"

"a republic, ma'am--if you can keep it."

--exchange between ben franklin and a woman outside the hall in philadelphia

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Jun 6, 2012 - 04:30pm PT

And yet . . . and yet . . . all those petty regulations developed in secret by shadowy third parties are not "laws" per se (although, in pinch, they are backed up by statutes in the California penal code). Still, it appears to me as if the rangers are not so much enforcing laws that are already in place, but making up and enforcing their own set of "laws" according to which way the political wind in blowing in and around the boundaries of Castle Rock State Park and, in fact, all along Skyline Boulevard. One begins to wonder who exactly are the members of the "Friends of Castle Rock State Park" and in what way are they connected with the Santa Clara Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and of course the South Skyline Property Owners Association? Exactly who is sitting on the so-called Resource Advisory Committee (RAC)? Does such a committee of "disinterested" environmental scientists even exist? Is there some kind of overall policy being implemented to exclude climbers from the Park in order to reduce visitation within some kind of vaguely defined "carrying capacity"? Sure seems as though ranger hostility to climbers is a function of some kind of broader policy decisions made behind closed doors. As Castle Rock squirms!