George Washington National Forest (GWNF)

RacerLex · 11-07-04, 06:55 AM

Thinking about heading to the George Washington National Forest for some wheeling during the turkey day weekend. This will be my first trip down there, so I’m not familiar with the area. I’ve done some searches online but really haven’t found any significant information. Does anyone know where I can get some detailed information about the trails and access? Anyone planning to be there?

hj60 · 11-07-04, 11:57 AM

Get in touch with the Capital Land Cruisers.
http://www.clcc.org/
I bet they know the area real well.
I've been, but it's been so long, I can't remember much about it. There's a network of trails,
some of which start on private property before becoming FS roads.
Your LX prolly won't find too much of the trails very challenging, unless the mudpits are full
up. That and any snow will be fun.

RacerLex · 11-08-04, 07:31 AM

I checked out the web site, seems as if it hasn't been updated since forever. I'll send them an email anyway and see what I can find. Thanks.

I definitely don't want to be driving through private property without permission so hopefully someone can chime in...

76FJ40 · 11-08-04, 04:27 PM

There's not much left at GWNF since they closed Long Run Road and access to the Second Mountain trail is limited/closed. Kephardt Run is still open as far as I know, but the only real obstacle on the trail is off limits.

I'll be going someplace in NOVA this weekend or next, e-mail me if you're interested. I've got a house full of guests coming for Turkey Day so I may need to get out then as well.

LuvenMud15 · 11-08-04, 06:43 PM

hey I go down there all the time. If Im home that weekend Ill show you around. There are only a couple of trails but atleast its a place to wheel!
-mark

RacerLex · 11-08-04, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 76FJ40

There's not much left at GWNF since they closed Long Run Road and access to the Second Mountain trail is limited/closed. Kephardt Run is still open as far as I know, but the only real obstacle on the trail is off limits.

I'll be going someplace in NOVA this weekend or next, e-mail me if you're interested. I've got a house full of guests coming for Turkey Day so I may need to get out then as well.

Dang... the trails are closed? Any suggestions where I can go instead? I live in NoVA, so yeah, I'd be interested in wheeling, especially if the place is close to home. I'm just getting started in the hobby, so any exposure is a plus. This weekend might be tough, but I'll email you my contact info and we can work out the details.

RacerLex · 11-08-04, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvenMud15

hey I go down there all the time. If Im home that weekend Ill show you around. There are only a couple of trails but atleast its a place to wheel!
-mark

Hey Mark, thanks for the offer! Could you give me an idea of how many trails are closed? I'm about two hours away, just trying to gauge if it's worth the trip. I was thinking I could camp one night and get in a day or two of wheeling. With the trail closures, is there enough trail to do something like that?

LuvenMud15 · 11-08-04, 09:44 PM

ITS DEFINITLY WORTH THE TRIP
Im also about 2 hours away.
Kephart is closed at the interesting part, but you can still run most of the trail.
Dry river is the best trail out there nice and long, not to challenging but some gooood mud holes. Second Mountain is a really senic trail along the shenandoah mountains. Dictum Ridge is the king, its a 3 feet vertical rock ledge, pretty challenging. Flagpole knob isnt really a trail it can prolly be done in 2 wheel drive but the view is amazing! I think its one of the highest points in the state. All in all its a great trip with great people, good wheeling and gorgous views. Ohh yeah theres awesome campsites allllll over!!
See you on the trail!
-mark

RacerLex · 11-08-04, 10:05 PM

Mud:

Ok, you've convinced me to stick with the trip!

I'll be down there probably Friday or Saturday (26, 27). Do you know where I can find a trail map?

Curran · 11-09-04, 07:52 AM

Big G,
If you’re in the DC area, it’s worth it to go out there and see things for yourself. The GWNF not extreme wheeling, but for lightly modified vehicles there are some fun trails if you know where to look. And as said earlier, the camping spots can be awesome.

Pick up a Virginia Gazetteer (published by Delorme) from any book store or truck stop. All the trails Mud mentioned and a few more are on the maps. Then you might want to give a call to the local ranger station to get the most up to date knowledge of what is open and what isn’t. Also, there might be a group from the 3FE List heading out there this weekend. Hook up with them and they can show you around.

Last thing, if you head out there, be careful on Kephart. The ledge seems to be growing as locals keep removing all the stackable rocks to keep traffic down. Last time I was there one particularly challenged group suffered two broken CVs, a broken axle and rolled vehicle.

Curran

LuvenMud15 · 11-09-04, 11:08 AM

Yeah a virginia Gazateer would be fine. Theres a ranger office somewhere that has free maps. Or McDormans right before you hit the trials, its a gas station and country store, they sell them for 7 bucks. Good luck I'll PM you when the time gets closer!
-mark

RacerLex · 11-09-04, 07:22 PM

I was able to Google the Virginia Gazetteer and came up with this site:
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/gis/vagaz/

Is this the same as the print edition? I'll probably purchase the print anyways.

Hopefully some of you guys can go the turkey day weekend. I'm not really interested in falling of a ledge and damaging the truck

... a guide would be nice.

LabRat11 · 11-10-04, 07:45 AM

Not exctly the same. This is wht you're looking for

http://www.delorme.com/atlasgaz/default.asp

Well worth the $20. From time to time you find them in Costco for $9.95. Try there - you might get lucky

wesintl · 11-10-04, 09:11 AM

Just know it's the last weekend of general firearms season.. I hope a few gun toting rednecks don't bother you

I'll be one of them

RacerLex · 11-18-04, 02:37 PM

I'll be going down to the GWNF on Wednesday the 24th and staying until Thursday evening (turkey day). Let me know if any of you want to meet up somewhere.

I've received the Virginia Gazetteer from Amazon yesterday but haven't looked at it yet. I'll have more q's I'm sure....

bkfj40 · 11-18-04, 05:47 PM

well...I live just a tad east of Harrisonburg and my office is in the 'burg....since hunting season is open, most of the trails are open...second mountain isn't bad, the bottom swamp lands are running okay, we ran them a few weeks ago when Klunky Kris was in town in my 55...what time are you getting down here Wednesday? I'll be around for a little while, but we're heading to NYC to catch the parade....any other time, I'd be more than game.

bk

RacerLex · 12-07-04, 11:04 AM

Finally getting around to posting my first experiences wheeling at GWNF. My buddy and I started out at the Second Mountain trail. Lots of water holes along the way up the trail. Took a few hours before we looped around to Dictum Ridge. We camped out on Dictum Ridge, close to where the two trails intersect.

The following morning we headed down Dictum Ridge – very rocky terrain (compared to Second Mountain). Trail was a bit more challenging too. We were about 1.5 miles from the end of the trail when we came across a tree that had fallen during storm that night which was blocking the trail. The tree hadn’t actually fallen to the ground – it was resting against another tree at a 45* angle. We took some rope and tied the base of the tree to the Cruiser and pulled it back so it fell to the ground. Pretty cool!

Another ¼ mile down Dictum Ridge we got to the rock “cliff”. I dunno if I was too much of a

, but I didn’t think the Cruiser could make it down those rocks without some serious damage to the cats or the running boards. Just didn’t look like there was enough ground clearance (I’m running stock suspension with 285 tires, my buddy’s 100 series is the same setup). We ended up turning around and going back up Dictum Ridge to an alternate route out of the forest.

For those of you that have been to Dictum Ridge, do you think I could have cleared this area without any damage

. I would have been much more confident if I had seen someone cross it, but I’m still a rookie, so be nice!

We ended up going to Shenandoah and checking out some water falls – didn’t get to do Kephart or any other trails. Looking forward to going back in late January or February! Let me know if anyone is organizing a ride – I’d love to join.

76FJ40 · 12-14-04, 11:30 AM

Sounds like you stopped at the steps near the bottom of Dictum. I don't believe that you could have made it over the steps without damaging the running boards.

bkfj40 · 12-27-04, 07:02 AM

you can now....they took some equipment up there and pretty much graded the trail....no more dictum's ridge obstacles....

bk

RacerLex · 12-27-04, 09:25 AM

bk: you broke down those huge rocks? that must have been some equipment you brought with ya!

11-07-04, 06:55 AM	#1
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	George Washington National Forest (GWNF) Thinking about heading to the George Washington National Forest for some wheeling during the turkey day weekend. This will be my first trip down there, so I’m not familiar with the area. I’ve done some searches online but really haven’t found any significant information. Does anyone know where I can get some detailed information about the trails and access? Anyone planning to be there? __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. Last edited by RacerLex; 11-07-04 at 07:13 AM.

11-08-04, 07:31 AM	#3
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	I checked out the web site, seems as if it hasn't been updated since forever. I'll send them an email anyway and see what I can find. Thanks. I definitely don't want to be driving through private property without permission so hopefully someone can chime in... __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

11-08-04, 04:27 PM	#4
76FJ40 Old Fart Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NOVA TLCA# 8019 Posts: 1,256	There's not much left at GWNF since they closed Long Run Road and access to the Second Mountain trail is limited/closed. Kephardt Run is still open as far as I know, but the only real obstacle on the trail is off limits. I'll be going someplace in NOVA this weekend or next, e-mail me if you're interested. I've got a house full of guests coming for Turkey Day so I may need to get out then as well. __________________ '76 FJ-40 with a Hula Girl on the dash for me and a '65 FJ-45 LPB for the wife. Life is good.

11-08-04, 10:05 PM	#9
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	Mud: Ok, you've convinced me to stick with the trip! I'll be down there probably Friday or Saturday (26, 27). Do you know where I can find a trail map? __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

11-09-04, 07:52 AM	#10
Curran IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 706	Big G, If you’re in the DC area, it’s worth it to go out there and see things for yourself. The GWNF not extreme wheeling, but for lightly modified vehicles there are some fun trails if you know where to look. And as said earlier, the camping spots can be awesome. Pick up a Virginia Gazetteer (published by Delorme) from any book store or truck stop. All the trails Mud mentioned and a few more are on the maps. Then you might want to give a call to the local ranger station to get the most up to date knowledge of what is open and what isn’t. Also, there might be a group from the 3FE List heading out there this weekend. Hook up with them and they can show you around. Last thing, if you head out there, be careful on Kephart. The ledge seems to be growing as locals keep removing all the stackable rocks to keep traffic down. Last time I was there one particularly challenged group suffered two broken CVs, a broken axle and rolled vehicle. Curran __________________ TLCA # 14832 97 FZJ80, 6" Lift, Slee Armor, 35" TrXus, 12k Warn, Milford... 90 Xtracab 4x4

11-08-04, 06:43 PM	#5
LuvenMud15 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pa Posts: 163	hey I go down there all the time. If Im home that weekend Ill show you around. There are only a couple of trails but atleast its a place to wheel! -mark

11-08-04, 09:44 PM	#8
LuvenMud15 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pa Posts: 163	ITS DEFINITLY WORTH THE TRIP Im also about 2 hours away. Kephart is closed at the interesting part, but you can still run most of the trail. Dry river is the best trail out there nice and long, not to challenging but some gooood mud holes. Second Mountain is a really senic trail along the shenandoah mountains. Dictum Ridge is the king, its a 3 feet vertical rock ledge, pretty challenging. Flagpole knob isnt really a trail it can prolly be done in 2 wheel drive but the view is amazing! I think its one of the highest points in the state. All in all its a great trip with great people, good wheeling and gorgous views. Ohh yeah theres awesome campsites allllll over!! See you on the trail! -mark

11-09-04, 11:08 AM	#11
LuvenMud15 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pa Posts: 163	Yeah a virginia Gazateer would be fine. Theres a ranger office somewhere that has free maps. Or McDormans right before you hit the trials, its a gas station and country store, they sell them for 7 bucks. Good luck I'll PM you when the time gets closer! -mark

11-09-04, 07:22 PM	#12
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	I was able to Google the Virginia Gazetteer and came up with this site: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/gis/vagaz/ Is this the same as the print edition? I'll probably purchase the print anyways. Hopefully some of you guys can go the turkey day weekend. I'm not really interested in falling of a ledge and damaging the truck ... a guide would be nice. __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

11-10-04, 07:45 AM	#13
LabRat11 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Glen Allen, Va Posts: 116	Not exctly the same. This is wht you're looking for http://www.delorme.com/atlasgaz/default.asp Well worth the $20. From time to time you find them in Costco for $9.95. Try there - you might get lucky

11-10-04, 09:11 AM	#14
wesintl IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denver TLCA# 4180 Posts: 3,573	Just know it's the last weekend of general firearms season.. I hope a few gun toting rednecks don't bother you I'll be one of them __________________ 1964 FJ40 \| 1966 M416 \| 1976 FJ40 \| 1985 BJ70 Volvo Power\| 1997 FZJ80 \| TDI commuter car Rising Sun; Former CLCC You should be able to delete your own thread. Communists abound Real Change is here --> Cato Institute

11-18-04, 02:37 PM	#15
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	I'll be going down to the GWNF on Wednesday the 24th and staying until Thursday evening (turkey day). Let me know if any of you want to meet up somewhere. I've received the Virginia Gazetteer from Amazon yesterday but haven't looked at it yet. I'll have more q's I'm sure.... __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

11-18-04, 05:47 PM	#16
bkfj40 some 6, no 4, and more 6 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: shenandoah valley, va TLCA# 7909 Posts: 1,173	well...I live just a tad east of Harrisonburg and my office is in the 'burg....since hunting season is open, most of the trails are open...second mountain isn't bad, the bottom swamp lands are running okay, we ran them a few weeks ago when Klunky Kris was in town in my 55...what time are you getting down here Wednesday? I'll be around for a little while, but we're heading to NYC to catch the parade....any other time, I'd be more than game. bk

12-07-04, 11:04 AM	#17
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	Finally getting around to posting my first experiences wheeling at GWNF. My buddy and I started out at the Second Mountain trail. Lots of water holes along the way up the trail. Took a few hours before we looped around to Dictum Ridge. We camped out on Dictum Ridge, close to where the two trails intersect. The following morning we headed down Dictum Ridge – very rocky terrain (compared to Second Mountain). Trail was a bit more challenging too. We were about 1.5 miles from the end of the trail when we came across a tree that had fallen during storm that night which was blocking the trail. The tree hadn’t actually fallen to the ground – it was resting against another tree at a 45* angle. We took some rope and tied the base of the tree to the Cruiser and pulled it back so it fell to the ground. Pretty cool! Another ¼ mile down Dictum Ridge we got to the rock “cliff”. I dunno if I was too much of a , but I didn’t think the Cruiser could make it down those rocks without some serious damage to the cats or the running boards. Just didn’t look like there was enough ground clearance (I’m running stock suspension with 285 tires, my buddy’s 100 series is the same setup). We ended up turning around and going back up Dictum Ridge to an alternate route out of the forest. For those of you that have been to Dictum Ridge, do you think I could have cleared this area without any damage . I would have been much more confident if I had seen someone cross it, but I’m still a rookie, so be nice! We ended up going to Shenandoah and checking out some water falls – didn’t get to do Kephart or any other trails. Looking forward to going back in late January or February! Let me know if anyone is organizing a ride – I’d love to join. __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

12-14-04, 11:30 AM	#18
76FJ40 Old Fart Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NOVA TLCA# 8019 Posts: 1,256	Sounds like you stopped at the steps near the bottom of Dictum. I don't believe that you could have made it over the steps without damaging the running boards. __________________ '76 FJ-40 with a Hula Girl on the dash for me and a '65 FJ-45 LPB for the wife. Life is good.

12-27-04, 07:02 AM	#19
bkfj40 some 6, no 4, and more 6 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: shenandoah valley, va TLCA# 7909 Posts: 1,173	you can now....they took some equipment up there and pretty much graded the trail....no more dictum's ridge obstacles.... bk

12-27-04, 09:25 AM	#20
RacerLex IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DC Area Posts: 172	bk: you broke down those huge rocks? that must have been some equipment you brought with ya! __________________ 1996 Lexus LX 450 (locking diffs) The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

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