Hawks Hill/ Mountain Charlie Road - CLOSED Walking escape road only! Walk (no room to park) to end of Hawks Hill and start heading down the dirt road past the teepees and large water tanks. Cross a gully (approximately 0.5 mile ?) and look for large working ranch with many out buildings. Walk past the main house and turn right onto Mt. Charley and walk 0.25 mile (?) to Glenwood Drive. You are 0.2 miles (?) to Weston Road entrance. We need permission to develop and use this escape but in the event of a fire, slide or earthquake that forces us north, this is our only choice.
Swan Driveway/Nelson Road- 1/2/23 - WILL ONLY BE OPENED WITH OWNER PERMISSION & FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER This escape road is only for exiting to Nelson because it is too steep and slippery to drive up. This exit begins 1.5 miles up from Weston Road and Glenwood Drive - look for orange escape road sign on left (just before hexagonal pole house) and proceed up dirt road 0.5 miles past the Swan home and look for a second orange sign on left. Proceed up narrow dirt road 0.25 miles(?) and then down 0.25 miles(?) to Nelson Road driveway. Turn right and go 100 yards to Nelson Road and turn left on Nelson Road to get out to Lockhart Gulch and then Scotts Valley.
Suhr-Marinera/Zayante Road - 1/2/23 - WILL ONLY BE OPENED WITH OWNER PERMISSION & FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER Look for orange sign on left 3.0 miles (?) up from Weston entrance at Glenwood. Turn right at Marinera Ranch (Suhr estate) and drive 0.25 miles(?) up driveway. Look for the orange escape sign at the first tee intersection and proceed through the gate (normally locked but will be open in an emergency). Drive or walk down dirt road for 0.2 miles and pass through next gate (normally locked). This section is very steep to the left so be careful! Remain on the main dirt road heading downhill all the way to Zayante Road as there are many smaller paths that branch off this main road which we have attempted to inform you of. Your first orange sign will be seen at 0.5 miles just to let you know you are on the right path. If it is dark and smoky from a fire, we strongly urge you to know how to navigate this route before you are forced to do so in such adverse conditions. Follow the second sign at 0.7 miles. At 1.0 miles, there is a wet gulley that is 8" deep so drive slowly. Look for a sign at 1.3 miles and go left. At 1.5 miles, the most critical left turn must be made that narrows and has several wet gullies that must be forded. Go slowly! Your final left turn is made at 1.9 miles (look for orange sign) and proceeds to the Zayante Road main gate (normally locked) found 2.3 miles from the Suhr property entrance gate. This gate is 5.08 miles (?) from the Graham Hill Road/Zayante road intersection so if you need to be picked up here, you need to inform your drivers of this distance. We plan on placing two solar lights up at this point.
Lockhart Gulch /Ohlone/Vrolyck - 1/4/23 - WILL ONLY BE OPENED WITH OWNER PERMISSION & SVPD SUPERVISION This escape road is only to be used when returning from Scotts Valley/Lockhart Gulch during a slide, fire or earthquake that blocks the Weston/Glenwood entrance. The Scotts Valley Fire Department informed us that in the event emergency equipment is required up here, it could very well block the road forcing us to use this exit on the return trip up Lockhart Gulch through the Vrolick property or down through the Wolverine exit - see below. Turn right at Lockhart Gulch off Mt. Hermon Road, just south of the Heavenly Café. Go 3.3 miles (?) up Lockhart, turning right at 33333(?) at the Vrolick Ranch. Drive 0.3 miles (?) up their driveway towards the large ranch home and go through the gate across from their garage. (This gate is normally locked but will be opened during an emergency. This is a very generous offering from the Vrolicks as it goes right through their driveway in front of their home so drive very slowly and be considerate of their privacy if we are to count on future access and egress). This will put you onto Ohlone Trail following the orange signs out 0.3 miles (?) to Weston Road. Turn left to go towards the mailboxes or right for the few homes that exist between Ohlone and Wolverine.
Wolverine/ Lockhart Gulch - 1/4/23 - CLOSED DUE TO ROAD DAMAGE This escape road begins with a large green gate that is always open at the end of Weston Road. We are recommending that this road be used only during an emergency for driving out towards Lockhart Gulch as it is so narrow that most of the road can only accommodate one car. (Again, only go out this way and back through the Vrolick property on the way back in). This road can be very rutty, filled with potholes and quite wet during the rainy season. It is easy to slide off the right side into Ruins Creek so favor the uphill side. Wolverine lasts 1.3 miles (?) until intersecting Lockhart Gulch where you turn left to get to Mt Hermon Road, 2.3 miles (?) to the southwest.
Your Weston Road Board, emergency team volunteers and CERT members will hopefully get to these gates and road exits first and have them ready for your escape but know how to find and navigate them.
Help keep them cleared and ready for use when we need them, not if we need them.
Emergency instructions will be disseminated through our "Robocall" program and signage at the Weston Road entrance. Make sure your phone numbers for this service are all up to date. To confirm, email WRA Secretary.
Be prepared and aware of the above options and know your neighbors that have this knowledge. In an emergency, we are on our own up here and will depend upon each other. The lives and property we cherish can be saved but only through a community effort.
