A year ago, we asked you to tell us about your favorite 4x4 trails, destinations, and getaways. As an incentive, we offered an expenses-paid trip for two to Easter Jeep Safari 2006 at Moab-which, it turns out, concludes about the time you pick up this magazine-to the entry we thought best exemplified the Four Wheeler spirit of adventure, exploration, and the love of the great outdoors. Dozens of you responded with trails and getaways ranging from the familiar to the obscure, the accessible to the remote, and what follows is a sampling of the many fine essays we received. We've included any contact information we could find for each locale.
Even if you didn't win our trip to Moab, everyone else whose entries we've printed here will be receiving a check for $100 and a box of Four Wheeler swag in the mail, and in the future we'll try to print some more of them as space permits. Thanks to all for taking the time to share your favorite spots with us-and with your fellow 'wheelers. So, without further ado, here's our Grand Prize winner, whose Moab adventures we'll cover in the August 2006 issue.
Holman Mountain
Dixon, Maine
By David R. Smith
Unity, Maine
As many readers have learned, finding places to go four-wheeling legally is becoming more and more difficult. In the West, there are vast acreages of public lands that have traditionally been open for many uses, including four-wheeling, rockcrawling, exploring, and the like. In the eastern U.S. there is very little publicly owned land, though some of the large tracts owned by the paper and timber companies have been accessible. In recent years, though, much traditional access has been disappearing, sometimes due to changes in ownership, development, or in some cases, abuse by certain users.
The Western Maine Mountain Jeepers club works to develop and maintain relationships with land owners to ensure access for club trail rides on trails that are both scenic and challenging. Recognizing the difficulties in maintaining trail access (and realizing that the problem is only going to get worse in the future), one couple in the WMMJ club (the author and his wife.-Ed.) decided to buy a good-sized chunk of land in the rugged mountains in western Maine. The land, which includes the summit of Holman Mountain, affords the owners a place to enjoy nature, manage the forest for long-term goals, and to provide a place for club members to go four-wheeling.
Several miles of trails have been developed-many utilizing existing skidder trails-and more are being created. Large sections of the property include rocks, boulders, ledges, and steep inclines that combine to create some very difficult (read: fun) trails. While the lower section of the property is less extreme, very few trails are negotiable by a stock 4x4. Winching is mandatory on some of the obstacles, and common on several others. Creating some "easy" trails has actually been one of the biggest challenges, due to the terrain.
The Ridge Trail, accessible only by some very challenging and steep trails, provides a beautiful view in several directions as it winds its way to the summit. The trail offers several challenging (in either direction) obstacles, including granite rock faces, boulder fields, off-camber rock steps, and tight areas that have claimed their share of sheetmetal, mirrors, and window glass. Other obstacles have claimed axleshafts, U-joints, diff gears, and sidewalls. Rain will make any of the trails more difficult, and in most cases, there are no bypasses for the hardest sections.
As the Holman Mountain trail network is privately owned, permission of the landowner or participation in a WMMJ club trail ride is required for vehicular access. The WMMJ is a family-oriented club which welcomes new members. The club organizes monthly rides on various trail systems in several different counties, and also hosts the Maine Jeep Jamboree each October.
Holman Mountain is located just north of Route 2 in Dixfield. Podunk Pond in nearby Carthage is a great place to cool off after a long summer trail ride. Elsewhere in the area are hundreds of miles of dirt roads, and numerous ponds, lakes, and streams for fishing or canoeing. Mount Blue and Grafton Notch State Parks are close by, and Acadia National Park and White Mountain National Forest are within a few hours' drive. Whitewater rafting, fishing, boating, hiking, skiing, and numerous other adventures are readily available (depending on season) in this beautiful state. Stay safe, respect the land, and always remember to Tread Lightly!
Coal Creek OHV Area
Oliver Springs, Tennessee
By Ursula DuBois
Litchfield, Michigan
I am well acquainted with an adrenaline rush-I build and shoot fireworks in professional shows throughout Michigan. There was nothing better than hand-lighting a show. What a rush until seven months ago, when I reunited with my high-school sweetheart, Rich, after a 19-year separation. Getting to know each other again, we talked about our current hobbies. Rich talked constantly about his Jeep, "The Beast," the awesome trails he'd run, the technical modifications he'd made, and the techniques he used to climb those trails and drive over rocks. With all the passion he had for this sport, I knew I had to experience it.
Last January, for my "initiation," I was taken to Coal Creek OHV Area in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Coal Creek is an ORV park owned by the Coal Creek Mining Company. It offers a variety of trails, all of which are marked as to difficulty and the types of vehicles that are allowed on each trail, and there are trails for all levels of experience and difficulty. Primitive camping is available on site and it is first-come, first-served. The owners will work with riders if you see a trail that you'd like to cut-just mark it and they'll try to accommodate as much as possible. A land-use permit is required, and is considered by some to be pricey, but if you want variety, this is the place to find it.
We started late on a Friday afternoon on a trail that was marked "Moderate." Yeah, right! It looked like a 90-degree slope to me, with just a flat rock pointing towards the sky-no steps, no slants, nothing. I was going to ask Rich how on earth he was going to get up that, but I decided to let the expert do his thing. First he tried to finesse up this rock, then finessed it again, until finally we bumped it up once, twice, and then bam! A serious bump! I thought the Jeep was breaking up and would end up in pieces by the time we got to the top-my stomach dropped and I held my breath, but then we were on top. Amazing! Immediately after this, we made a left turn, started up a steep incline with one serious rut and we immediately tipped severely to my side. In my mind we were stuck on our side, but Rich just kept going and the Jeep kept moving, then straightened up and came out of it perfectly. Wow! What a rush! That first rock made me want to do this as much as I could!
That weekend we drove quite a few more trails with excellent obstacles, and I just got more excited. If you like this sport, you'll love it! At the end of the day when we returned to camp, I was shaking from the adrenaline.
Rich and I have been to many places since, including Tellico, Jellico, Gray Rock, Summertown, and Coal Creek again, but that first experience-the one that catches your imagination and holds on to your soul so tightly that you need to become a part of it-is the most memorable to me.
Superlift ORV Park
Hot Springs, Arkansas
By Ken Womack
New Caney, Texas
For me, it's really hard to pick a favorite 'wheeling spot because there are so many of them-Moab being one. But for me, a "favorite" has to be one that's practical to get to at least a few times per year, so my place has to be Superlift ORV Park near Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The park and the town have much to offer in the way of four-wheeling fun. First, there is the park itself, with many excellent trails rated from easy to extreme, with beautiful views of the Ouachita Mountains.
Hot Springs is a resort town with many attractions. There is the Mineral Springs Bath House District, with spa packages that will delight you with soothing warm mineral water that comes naturally from the area. Then there is Magic Springs, Music Mountain Jamboree, the Belle Cruise on Lake Hamilton, and much more. There are also places nearby to swim, boat, fish, hunt, and camp. Superlift ORV Park also has a camping area for RVs and tents, and a huge staging area to unload your rig and park your trailers.
The park, comprising 1,254 acres, has numerous trails that are mapped-some with names, others with letters and numbers. The trails have names like Concrete Hill, Free Fall, Buckhorn, The Ravine, The Gorge, The Slammer, The Ultimate Adventure, the Vertical Challenge, and many more.
The park is located in an area that has been 'wheeled for many years. The land was once owned by local paper mill companies, and was later closed and put up for sale. A group of local investors, along with Superlift, purchased the land to set up a world-class ORV park, and they've done a great job, with more plans and improvements constantly in the works.
The trails at the park have been laid out very well. There are long trails from one end of the park to the other, up and down ravines, through gorges, and up mountains. Some trails take you to the tops of mountains with awesome views for many miles. You'll wheel through pine and hardwood forests where you can see deer and other wildlife. The trails were made with erosion in mind, with waterbars to direct water off the trails. Local 4x4 clubs have adopted many of the trails to clean up and maintain as needed. There are trails for all levels of four-wheeling, from the beginner in a stock rig to extreme rockcrawling. There are also trails for dirt bikes and ATVs, some of which are only for bikes and quads. You can guide yourself through the trails with excellent maps, and the park also has a store with many of the necessities that a wheeler might need, as well as coffee, snacks, and T-shirts. There is so much to do in the Hot Springs area and the Superlift park, you could even vacation here.