JUNE MEETING (6/27-6/29):ONSC Virginia highlands trail ride

[highlandcruzer]

After talking to Greg and some others about the subject, I've started looking into possible activities/events for an ONSC Virginia trip. Greg suggested that we make this the June meeting. There are plenty of options, and lots to do.Trails, sight seeing, scenic rides, hiking, historic/local interests, camping, fishing, hunting,....[micro brew/Irish pubs ] ....etc. There are many options within a close radius of me. I thought I would start posting options to gauge interest.

This is just the first option. Crozet: Edit: we're no longer planning to visit Crozet, we'll be wheeling another area. See rest of thread

They are primarily a rock crawling park, but I believe they have something to offer every level. They are in close proximity to Me , Shenendoah national park,[<Scenic drives>] The Blueridge Parkway, Wintergreen ski resort, Charlottesville [dining, hotels, Jefferson's Monticello etc.

Even if this doesn't satisfy everyone's desires, there are still more trail riding areas nearby. Many are open to the public/free. I'll post more info as I have time. Here's the first, with a couple teaser pics [ I think it's the prettiest in the summer when it's green, personally]........These pics are from Crozet. I'll add more info/pics about this and other locations as I find the time.

 

[highlandcruzer]

Rockcrawlers for the Preservation of Future Access (RCPFA)
We are a club for the support of responsible Four Wheeling and Rockcrawling (RCPFA)

Open Wheeling - June 21st and 22nd, 2008

Open Wheeling with RCPFA -- June 21st and 22nd, 2008

Please remember that the property we are wheeling on is private. It is NOT open to the public at any other time unless arranged via the RCPFA Board of Directors (BOD). When cross-posting this event to another forum, please include this notice. If you wish to wheel at this location at other times, you may want to join the club.

Please remember that this property is private. Please take with you all your trash/broken parts. Please leave the area in as good a condition as when you arrived. Thank you.

When is the event?

Friday, June 20th setup camp anytime after 4:00PM
Saturday, June 21st 8:30 AM wheeling (PLEASE BE ON TIME TO GET INTO GROUPS)
Sunday, June 22nd 8:30 AM wheeling (PLEASE BE ON TIME TO GET INTO GROUPS)
Depart by 5:00PM June 22nd or earlier

Where is the event?

The event will be held in Crozet, VA.

What is the event?

We will have guided wheeling of all level trails (listed below) and a large bonfire on Friday and Saturday night. Primitive on-site camping and porta-john is available. If desired/needed, we will separate tenting areas for noise control.

Who can participate?

Members of clubs or individuals with no club affiliation are welcome. This event is limited to the first 40 rigs that sign-up.

What are the minimum vehicle requirements?

Low blues:
- 31" tires - not street tread
- Hi-lift jack or a jack capable of lifting your tire off the ground
- Tow strap (hooks type straps are not permitted)
- Tow points front and rear of vehicle
- A CB
- First-aid kit
- Rocker protection and skid plates recommended

Middle\Upper blues with (optional) low black bypasses
- 33" tires
- Hi-lift jack or a jack capable of lifting your tire off the ground
- Tow strap (hooks type straps are not permitted)
- Tow points front and rear of vehicle
- A CB
- First-aid kit
- Rocker protection and skid plates recommended

Low Blacks
- 35" tires
- Front and rear lockers
- Hi-lift jack or a jack capable of lifting your tire off the ground
- Tow strap (hooks type straps are not permitted)
- Tow points front and rear of vehicle
- A CB
- First-aid kit
- Rocker protection and skid plates recommended
Note: Body and/or drive train damage is likely

Upper Black/Red
- Minimum 35" tires
- Front and rear lockers
- Full frame tied-in roll cage (6 or more points)
- A total disregard for body damage
- Helmets recommended
- A trailer to tow your rig home
- A few screws loose in your head

What types of trails will be wheeled?

We will have guides available for each trail level. Participants will choose trail levels on a daily basis (i.e. can run blues one day, blacks the next, and vice versa).

What is the cost for the event?

$30/day per vehicle (no passenger fee), $60/2-day weekend per vehicle (no passenger fee). Members fees are $25/day per vehicle (no passenger fee), $40/2-day weekend per vehicle (no passenger fee). If you are writing a check please make it payable to RCPFA.

Alcohol is NOT PERMITTED during the trail rides. You may drink after you are done wheeling. Alcohol is permitted in the camping and bonfire area .
Thanks!


The BOD

 

[highlandcruzer]

Some Google Earth pictures to help reference each locations proximity to the other.






Charlottesville remains in the top right hand corner, shaded dark, Crozet top middle, I live pretty much center, and my private land wheeling that I mentioned to some of you, is lower left. Crabtree Falls trail and Saint Mary's Wilderness[George Washington Nat. Forest], is just outside lower left.



The blue line on the ridge peak on the left is the Blue Ridge Parkway/Shenandoah Nat. Park. It roughly connects Crozet to Crabtree.....Very scenic.



A view of the Crabtree/St Mary's area, left hand side, brown peaks. Notice C-ville still upper right. I'm centrally located It probably doesn't cover as much distance as you might imagine. [Not a very long drive]

 

[highlandcruzer]

Another potential activity

James River kayaking, tubing, or rafting. Bring your own or rent one. They have shuttle buses to drop/pick you up, or we can arrange ourselves. Great catfish and small mouth fishing in June/July! I highly recommend it! It's about ten minutes from my house and about 30 from Crozet. Very clear relatively shallow water with some fun little class 1 rapids to shoot through, or avoid if you just want to chill. 4, 7, or 13 mile floats. Most people bring a separate tube for a beer cooler. [Cough...UVA girls in bikinis too...eh hem ] Good times.

 

[southerncruiser62]

I vote for a raft/tube trip one day, done it and it is a blast.

Also plan to be in the area Friday, Saturday, Sunday of whatever weekend we choose.

 

[highlandcruzer]

Saint
Mary’s
Wilderness​

SAINT MARY’S
WILDERNESS
Saint Mary’s Wilderness is more than
10,000 acres of solitude and spectacular
scenery that offers the hiker, camper, angler
and photographer enjoyment of special features
including vast quartzite rock slides, a
picturesque double waterfall, and miniature
canyons of angular rocks along heavily
forested riverbanks. Here visitors find
opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation in the world of nature and, for a brief
time at least, leave behind the machinery of our
civilization, the usual amenities of daily life,
and the dependence on others.
In Saint Mary’s Wilderness, natural
ecologic processes operate freely.
Established in 1984, this wilderness is one
of the largest National Forest Wildernesses in
Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains form the
backdrop for the Saint Mary’s Wilderness with
elevations ranging from 1,700 feet to 3,400
feet. Comprising the wilderness are the upper
part of the St. Mary’s, Cellar Hollow, and Spy
Run drainages. No bridges are provided for
creek crossings.
The Saint Mary’s River and several smaller
tributaries, such as Sugar Tree Branch, are
native trout streams. Hunting and fishing are
permitted in accordance with Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
regulations.
History
Beginning in the early 1900s, the Saint Mary’s
River gorge was mined for manganese ore and
iron ore until the mines were abandoned in the
1950s. The ore was transported down the
gorge by railroad and loaded onto railway cars
to be taken to processing plants. Some of the
ore was transported to the main railway by a
2,200-foot flume down Sugar Tree Branch.
Scattered remains of the mining operations are
still evident.
Location
Saint Mary’s Wilderness is in Augusta County,
Virginia on the Pedlar Ranger District of the
George Washington and Jefferson National
Forests.​

•

Forest Road 162 (stony Run Jeep Trail)

can be accessed from either the Coal
Road (FS 42) or the Blue Ridge
Parkway. This road is a high clearance
4-wheel drive road.​

​

 

[shinton]

Just another thought / option is the Swiss Mtn area in WV, Mountaineer Offroad is the club that has access to to the stuff in that area. They are a straight shot up I-77 out to the Songer Whitewater campground area.

West Virginia's Premiere OHV Club - Mountaineer Offroad, Inc. - A Non-profit organization helping to promote responsible OHV development in West Virginia

Their big event is July 4th weekend but I am sure they will be clearing trails etc beforehand. One of the best 'events' I have been to.

West Virginia's Premiere OHV Club - Mountaineer Offroad, Inc. - A Non-profit organization helping to promote responsible OHV development in West Virginia

Crozet is nice though, have been wanting to go there a while myself / not sure this will work out for me but if you folks can ride that area it is really nice.

Sam

 

[highlandcruzer]

Private land wheeling

I took a couple of FJ60 guys out for a little wheeling today on some private land trails. Both rigs were fairly newly "put together".There was still a little question about reliability and how they would do, so we stuck to the mild trails.

This is really the first time that I've looked at this land from a purely wheeling standpoint. [Not just hunting]......It was a lot of fun! There are enough trails on this parcel of land that there's no way you can cover them in a day......or two.[ Roughly 8,000 acres] Nothing crazy, but a good relaxing ride with a little excitement to be found around every curve.[Steep grades, creeks, and a little mud/rocks]

As usual, the pictures just don't do it justice.....Not even close. I didn't take many. One of the other guys should have some nice action shots to send me later.

Anyway....I think it might be an enjoyable ride for us with little to no risk of paint and body damage. The stock 60 with all seasons did pretty decent. There were a couple of very questionable spots though......All terrains + are recommended. We allllmost had to put a strap on in a couple of spots today.

 

[highlandcruzer]

 

[highlandcruzer]

 

[highlandcruzer]

 

[highlandcruzer]

 

[highlandcruzer]

I plan on going to a couple of other places over the next couple of weeks to take some more pictures and to "map out" a potential trail ride for us. [Specifically with stockers in mind]

 

[fj40z]

That looks like an awesome place, I'd love to do some wheelin' up there.

 

[highlandcruzer]

A few more pics......cross link to Dan's thread> https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/217259-sunday-maiden-wheelin-voyage-va-hills.html

 

[alkaline747trio]

Dang, wish I would have made a trip up there already this year. Will definitely try to make it, don't know what kinda of Cruiser I'll be in....but count me in.

 

[mtweller]

Looks fun Scott. Is an exact date set yet? We need to, if not. June's a tough month to get a group together b/w Father's Day, school letting out, vacation, etc.

R

 

[highlandcruzer]

Looks fun Scott. Is an exact date set yet? We need to, if not. June's a tough month to get a group together b/w Father's Day, school letting out, vacation, etc.

R

I'm open to suggestions from interested parties at this point.

My first thought was to schedule around the Crozet event. If that doesn't work, I'll see if they might allow us to schedule a day just for us. [not sure if that's an option yet, I'll find out.] Or, we could just do our own thing on public lands.

My wife is going to have a scheduled C-section June 16th, so I have to work around that! [She already gave me permission to do this.]

 

[highlandcruzer]

I wanted to get your guys' thoughts on camping too. Would you prefer a campground with showers and all the bells and whistles, or primitive camping in a National park/Forest? Orr...maybe one night of each, or something in between.

I get a kick out of more primitive camping, personally. I like "roughing it", if it means nice scenery, possibly trout fishing , and generally the piece and quiet that comes with it. At the same time....what ever you guys think is fine with me. There are plenty of options.

 

[fj40z]

Did you say trout fishing!!! Just say the word and im there!