Driving In Wharton - Newbie Questions

[Gibbs]

I'm new when it comes to driving in Wharton. Every time I've hiked in Wharton I've always left my car at Atsion or Batso and just hiked in.

A have a few questions.

1. Can you get to the Carranza Memorial without driving on sandy dirt roads? I look at the map and it looks like you have to take Tuckerton into the forest and then it merges with Carranza. I attempted to do this last year and it looked like Tuckerton was turning into a very sketchy looking desolate sandy road next to someone's residence so I turned around. I have a feeling I was in the wrong spot.

2. Are the Rangers ok with you just leaving your car along the side of the road inside Wharton and going to for hike? For instance, somewhere along Quakerbridge Road?

3. Can any of the campsites be reached by paved road?

4. I drive a Subaru Forester AWD, how much risk is their of getting stuck in the sugar sand?

 

[Tom Jenkins]

You can take Carranza from Medford Lakes Rd. (532) - it's paved to the memorial. It becomes unpaved a bit after the memorial, but it's wide and graded - you'd have no trouble driving it to Friendship. You could turn left onto Friendship Rd at that point, also wide and graded, which would take you to 563, or continue straight - the road becomes Hawkins Bridge Rd, one lane, a little rutted, but shouldn't be a problem with your Forester. This would take you to a point where you could turn left onto Godfrey Bridge Rd to get to 563, or right onto Washington Turnpike (becomes wide and graded) to Batsto. Google Maps shows all this pretty well.

You should be able to find places where you can pull your car off the road to leave it.

There's a campsite near the Carranza Memorial (Batona?) - the road to it isn't paved, but it's not far.

Your Forester should be fine on the roads I've mentioned above and others that are fairly well traveled. Be careful, mainly after rain, of flooded areas - don't try driving through anything you aren't sure the depth of.

Hope this helps. I'm not all that experienced driving there myself, I'm sure others on the forum may have better advice.

 

[Boyd]

I look at the map and it looks like you have to take Tuckerton into the forest and then it merges with Carranza.

Have you tried the NJPB maps? You can access them through the link at the top of the page. Use the basic google map to find the general location of interest, then you can look at a "classic" USGS topo map such as this one showing the Carranza Memorial: http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.7771050686254&lng=-74.63236827056886&z=15&type=topo&gpx=

Of course, these topo maps are very old and most have seen very few updates since the 1970's. But to get a better idea of what roads are paved, use the state's aerial imagery which is quite good and was shot in the winter when the forest canopy doesn't obsure the roads as much. For example, you can see where the pavement ends on Carranza Road here: http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.775924916802275&lng=-74.62702396910669&z=20&type=nj2012&gpx=

The 2007 and 2012 imagery is probably the best. 2015 is newer but includes more forest canopy. Note that Ben pulls this data from NJGIN servers and they can sometime be very slow or completely down (this seems to happen often on the weekends). So you may need some patience, and if it doesn't work just try again later.

Since you are specifically interested in Wharton, there's a download link to a preview version of my "HD Map of the Pines" here: https://forums.njpinebarrens.com/th...n-resolution-map-2-0.11997/page-3#post-146510. It covers all of Wharton with an extremely high level of detail. I have spent considerable time over the past year updating it and am confident that it accurately shows which roads are paved. When it comes to unpaved roads however, don't make any assumptions regarding their quality or accessibility based on my map. It's still a work in progress, but I have tried to include all the unpaved roads I could see on aerial imagery or old topo maps. Some of these may not be passable, others may be private and vehicles may not be allowed on some, so caveat emptor.

 

[Jon Holcombe]

Gibbs, I had been driving an AWD Highlander for two years (although I just upgraded to a 4Runner). I was able to drive all over Wharton, including many dense sugar sand and dirt roads. I am sure that a Forester is comparable AWD. i parked off the road wherever there was an opening, obviously not on top of bushes. Quakerbridge has lot's of areas off the main road to park. As mentioned, the campsite near Carranza Memorial should be okay to get to. Same with the Hawkins Bridge Rd/Wading River and Goshen Pond campsites. All are accessible via sand roads. Drove to them many times in my Highlander.

I learned a couple of things. If you go down narrow roads, your finish, mirrors, roof, bumper will get branch scratches. I was told by Keith at Flynns Towing the scratches can be buffed. Never found out if that was true because my son ended up with my Highlander when I bought the 4Runner, and we used his Mazda for a trade.

I spoke to Keith when he pulled me out of Whitesbog. I was there at 5 AM to take photos, and inadvertently almost drove over the edge of a dam. Took him 45 minutes and cost me $250, which he said was a very good price under the circumstances. I got stuck on two other occasions, both times I tried to drive through puddles, in very low areas, and the mud/sand was VERY soft. Good Samaritans with Jeeps pulled me out. Mannumuskin advised that he walks any puddle that looks big or deep or soft, and I think that is good advice. However, I wear 18" rubber boots or hip waders all the time. If you are wearing sneakers or hiking boots, than I would say avoid big puddles or anything that looks problematic.

If you stick with Carranza, Hawkins Bridge and Quakerbridge and comparable roads, you should be fine in Wharton. Study the maps as Boyd suggested. If you plan to do a lot of exploring and start getting adventurous, you may want to research what to carry in your trunk, like a tow strap, a 18" x 18" piece of 3/4" plywood, collapsible shovel, etc.

Have fun!

 

[46er]

Just a couple, maybe a few, suggestions to add;

- carry a fire extinguisher rated for gasoline/oil fires.
- carry a compass.
- carry a couple carpet remnants to help you out of the soft stuff. Type and color is your choice, I would go for stain resistant
- if you get stuck in soft stuff, air down your tires to 15-20lbs if you don't have any carpet.
- if you have to air down, a cig lighter plug air pump will come in handy.
- carry a bow saw, at worst a small hatchet.
- make sure your phone is charged.
- if you do not have one, get a GPS. Hard to call for help if you don't know where you are.
- always remember what happened in the movie 'Deliverance'.

 

[popeofthepines]

I drive out there with a 4WD Sonoma and usually do most roads without it. Remember to not floor it in sugar sand, slow and steady is best.The above recommendations for material are a very good idea.

 

[RednekF350]

Just a couple, maybe a few, suggestions to add;

- carry a fire extinguisher rated for gasoline/oil fires.
- carry a compass.
- carry a couple carpet remnants to help you out of the soft stuff. Type and color is your choice, I would go for stain resistant
- if you get stuck in soft stuff, air down your tires to 15-20lbs if you don't have any carpet.
- if you have to air down, a cig lighter plug air pump will come in handy.
- carry a bow saw, at worst a small hatchet.
- make sure your phone is charged.
- if you do not have one, get a GPS. Hard to call for help if you don't know where you are.
- always remember what happened in the movie 'Deliverance'.

Good suggestions 46er. You can use the hatchet to smash the compass in frustration after the GPS batteries die.