Michaux Day Trip 2! | Capital Off Road Enthusiasts, Inc.

Attendees:

Ben, Josiah, Joy, & Naomi – Toyota 4Runner
Jeff K. – Land Rover Defender
Ken K. – Jeep Wrangler TJ
Brian M. – Jeep Wrangler JKU
Kelly M. – Jeep Wrangler JLU
Thomas & Felix – Ford F150 Tremor
Matt M. – GMC Yukon
Michael – Quigley 4×4 Ford E350

The first trip to Michaux (pronounced mi-show) State Forest in southern Pennsylvania near Gettysburg was such fun I decided to lead another trip to drive some of the more interesting roads again and explore other areas of the forest. It is an easy day trip from Baltimore or DC and is about as far from the Baltimore-DC Metro Area as Green Ridge State Forest in Fintstone, MD. We met at the northern end of the forest in Carlisle, PA for our drivers meeting. From there it was about 6 miles to our air down spot at the start of the forest roads.

This time we started with one of the most challenging sections of road in the state forest. The first 5 miles of Ridge Road off of PA-34 (Baltimore Ave) are a bit rocky with some washouts and puddles that make you think a little about line choice while still being easy enough that almost any 4WD vehicle can make it through.

From here it was a leisurely drive on easy forest roads with short stretches of pavement mixed in. We did the loop around Hogshead/Big Pond Hollow Road that we did the last trip to Michaux. This loop went by the Buzzard Rock Overlook which provided beautiful views of the valley below.

We considered lunch at the overlook but scrapped that idea due to its elevation and exposure…the cold wind blowing in from the valley would have made lunch miserable! We pressed on, dropping in elevation to Long Pine Reservoir after a quick bathroom break at the Big Flat ATV parking lot. It was much more enjoyable here and we were able to enjoy lunch outside of our rigs.

After lunch, we continued through the forest with a brief stop at the Rutters in Fayetteville, PA for another bathroom stop. After this stop we got back on the forest roads and went through the Mt. Cydonia sand quarry and finished our forest road adventures on a short section of very rocky trail that was much tighter than the trails earlier in the day. This road abruptly ended at pavement and from there it was a short drive to Waynesboro, PA where we ended the day. Airing up our rigs gave us a chance to appreciate the fresh coat of mud we had all picked up courtesy of the recent rains.