Bass River State Forest road questions

[Badfish740]

I'll be camping with some friends in/near Bass River (Pilgrim Lake Campground) this weekend and want to do some exploring while we're there. I've been through Wharton a few times but never to Bass River. Boyd was kind enough to walk me through loading up my Garmin Nuvi with his maps so I'll be better equipped to navigate, but I'm wondering what is passable and what is not. My beater Toyota 4x4 is quite narrow and I'm not at all worried about "pinestriping," but my buddy who will be accompanying me in his fairly new Jeep feels differently Likewise, he'd like to avoid any water or mud deeper than about the hubline. We're just looking to get out in the woods and possibly see something interesting-ruins, abandoned bogs, etc... Just fooling around in Google Maps I mapped out this track:

http://goo.gl/maps/lFy3V

I figure it might be nice to take a look at/take a dip in either Martha Pond or Harrisville Pond, however, you'll notice that the route appears to cross private property and it skirts private property to the north. Any issues with road closures/blockages? I searched "Martha Road" and came up with a post from 2007 about a gate that had been erected at some point. Then there are a few interesting things along the way:

At first glance this seems to be a development given the property lines and road ROWs:

http://goo.gl/maps/bHOXQ

Switching to satellite view reveals that there's nothing there:

http://goo.gl/maps/H6jm1

There are a couple of small clearings to the south of the roadway. These are the kinds of things that I'd be looking to investigate. Maybe they're nothing, but just the same it will be an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday. Feel free to suggest alternate routes we should explore. Our camp is just off of Stage Road near Lake Absegami.

 

[ecampbell]

The Batona Trail follows Martha Road for awhile. I just hiked it this April and there are many big puddles. Ives Pond would be a great place to explore. There was a gun club there. Martha Road crosses the out flow and has a sandy bottom and ankle deep water ( at least before the flood).
There was a guy there in a pickup, so it is possible.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.655795247556476&lng=-74.4667911529541&z=15&type=nj1995&gpx=
North of Ives the road gets tough.
The road you highlighted from Harrisville Pond up to Martha is fine, even for a car. Martha Bridge is out.

Post #8
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/another-what-is-this-area.9285/#post-111998

 

[ecampbell]

Above Martha there are 2 interesting sites to visit'
Nash's cabin
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=4516800a-3092-4f93-814e-b7e5f6665020
Cranberry pumping station
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.6923734398603&lng=-74.50395047664642&z=16&type=h&gpx=
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/cranberry-pumping-station-found.3337/
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/cranberry-bog-pumping-station.148/
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/where-is-calico-ridge.8987/#post-109088
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/where-is-calico-ridge.8987/

That ought to keep you busy.
Ed

 

[joc]

This is over -simplifying , but if your friend is concerned about "pin striping " , one option you always have is to park the car , then explore by foot . Many times you will make "discoveries " you might otherwise miss . You could notice a plant or bird you could miss if you were driving

 

[Badfish740]

This is over -simplifying , but if your friend is concerned about "pin striping " , one option you always have is to park the car , then explore by foot . Many times you will make "discoveries " you might otherwise miss . You could notice a plant or bird you could miss if you were driving

We're going to do a mix. We only have a limited amount of time so we want to cover a lot of ground by driving and hit a couple of "points of interest" where we'll get out on foot. Long story short is the three of us are attending a bachelor party in Atlantic City but are planning on bowing out before the really wild stuff begins so rather than staying in a suite on the boardwalk we opted for a campground. We're going to do some exploring Saturday morning/Sunday morning before and after the festivities. I've got my GPS loaded up with plenty of good waypoints thanks to the suggestions here. The two guys I'm camping with have never really been to the pines save for driving through them on the way to the shore. They are experienced campers though. As for me it's been years since I've been to either Bass River or Wharton, but I suspect it'll be like riding a bike...

 

[dragoncjo]

My only advice is avoid Allen road at all cost, its a total disaster. Seems like someone dragged a plow on it for miles.

 

[Gibby]

There is a very nice swimming spot a short distance down Martha Road, if the weather is warm enough. Unfortunately the tree swing has been taken down. It was a nice enough swing to to a flip off of it.

 

[Badfish740]

There is a very nice swimming spot a short distance down Martha Road, if the weather is warm enough. Unfortunately the tree swing has been taken down. It was a nice enough swing to to a flip off of it.

That's on the list-haven't taken a dip in cedar water in quite a while. What are the water levels like in that area in general? We haven't had a whole lot of rain up in NW Jersey but not sure what has been going on down south. Are we likely to encounter high water on some of the roads? Finally, this is my rig in case anyone happens to spot us-if you do, flag us down!

 

[Boyd]

Will your dog be driving the truck?

 

[Gibby]

Given the amount of rain some of the areas have received in the last few weeks most of the roads are on the dryer side and are easily passed by my compact Subaru. I didn't see standing water. In fact, the area around Martha seemed dry and the levels in the river were dropping last Sunday. I could see the moss along the river drying out close to the banks. At least the river always have water moving through it. High or low its always refreshing to recharge in the cool cedar water. If you aren't daring to go against the rules and swim renegade style, Harrisville always has groups frolicking along its banks just off of 563.

 

[Badfish740]

Will your dog be driving the truck?

Only sometimes I love that pic of him...

Given the amount of rain some of the areas have received in the last few weeks most of the roads are on the dryer side and are easily passed by my compact Subaru. I didn't see standing water. In fact, the area around Martha seemed dry and the levels in the river were dropping last Sunday. I could see the moss along the river drying out close to the banks. At least the river always have water moving through it. High or low its always refreshing to recharge in the cool cedar water. If you aren't daring to go against the rules and swim renegade style, Harrisville always has groups frolicking along its banks just off of 563.

Thanks-I was hoping that was the case. God willing this cool weather will stay with us too!