Ever feel conflicted about going for a drive on the beach or in the woods? Then Wharton State Forest is the place for you, with 175 miles of sand road through a pine forest! Recently there has been a new map showing the legal roads and with that map there has come an increase in enforcing vehicles staying on those roads. If you are going to explore this area, make sure you have the legal map loaded into a GPS app so you can make sure you are on a legal road. While we were exploring, we saw several roads that looked legal, but were not on the official map. With maps loaded on our phones and a 53 mile route planned the following group met at Batsto Village on the edge of the forest:
Attendees:
- Ben – Toyota 4Runner
- Kristopher – Jeep Wrangler JLU
- Judy – Toyota Tundra
- Jendra – Jeep Wrangler JKU
- Jeff K. – Land Rover Defender
- Matt M. – Toyota 4Runner
After airing down and holding our drivers meeting, we hit the trail.
We wove our way through pavement and sand in the southeastern part of the forest. We were found some puddles, but overall things were surprisingly dry since it rained the night before. The other surprise we found were some tight trails with some mild pinstriping. These roads could be avoided if tight trails aren’t your thing!
About halfway through our distance for the day we took a break for lunch at a picnic area near Godfrey Bridge.
With full bellies we got back on the trail and worked our way across the northern part of the forest to the Atsion Forest Service Office. From here it was decided we had time for a rematch with Batsto Fireline Road which bogged Matt and Ben the last time the club wheeled in the forest. We found some fun soft sand that required four-wheel drive but the bog holes that claimed us last time were dry and provided no real challenge. Once we got back to the main road near Batsto Village we aired up and headed for home.
Wharton
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Trail Report written by Ben Dunkerton. Pictures contributed by Jendra Rambharos & Ben Dunkerton. GPS Tracks provided by Ben Dunkerton.