Fisrt Timer for NJ Off Roading

xcapt352

New Member
Sep 29, 2008
3
0
44
Warminster Pa
I would like to take my wife off roading sometime soon, i have done Paragon, and some other trails in north Pa. My wife has never driven off road, we have a 2007 wrangler stock suspension (for now) with some minor mods ( Rims Tires) I would love to maybe go this weekend or Oct 18. I'm looking for some company, and or sugestions where to start. Thanks for reading
 

MuckSavage

Explorer
Apr 1, 2005
597
218
56
Turnersville
One of the threads on that site is "Beginners trips". Now, I'm not a beginner, I just don't care to drive my Cherokee thru three feet of water. Have a second look at the site. I'll see if I can free up some time on the 18th.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
Print yourself or purchase the Atsion NJ USGS Quadrangle Map and take the road running east from the Atsion Ranger Station.
It's Quaker Bridge Road and you can take that east to Quaker Bridge, then all the way to Washington Road. Make a right on Washington and go out to Batsto Village.
If you bang a right just before Quaker Bridge, you can follow the Batsto River all the way to Batsto.
These are both great beginners roads and you could do most, if not all of it, in 2WD.
There are a few sugary stretches along the road that follows the west side of the river.
Here is the link to the Atsion Quad.
http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/cata....do?lastVisited=areaDetails&query=*atsion+nj*

You don't have to buy it but it is nice to have a print version in the truck.
Use the map locator on the USGS site and you can download the quad and view and print what you want.
Good luck and enjoy the woods with your wife and family.
Scott
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,602
8,178
Print yourself or purchase the Atsion NJ USGS Quadrangle Map and take the road running east from the Atsion Ranger Station.
It's Quaker Bridge Road and you can take that east to Quaker Bridge, then all the way to Washington Road. Make a right on Washington and go out to Batsto Village.
If you bang a right just before Quaker Bridge, you can follow the Batsto River all the way to Batsto.
These are both great beginners roads and you could do most, if not all of it, in 2WD.
There are a few sugary stretches along the road that follows the west side of the river.
Here is the link to the Atsion Quad.
http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/cata....do?lastVisited=areaDetails&query=*atsion+nj*

You don't have to buy it but it is nice to have a print version in the truck.
Use the map locator on the USGS site and you can download the quad and view and print what you want.
Good luck and enjoy the woods with your wife and family.
Scott

Scott, the link reguires a login :)

Guy
 

Y-BUC-BILL

Explorer
Mar 9, 2007
129
26
First Timer,Welcome aboard.RednekF 350 gave you some good info.A lot of thse roads do not need 4 wheel drive.One thing in deep sugar sand.Shift to a lower gear and keep her moving.Do not stop.4 wheelers are great,but when I started driving back in the woods there wre no 4 wheel drives available.Good Luck.
 

Trailhead00

Explorer
Mar 9, 2005
375
1
47
Haddonfield, NJ
I would like to take my wife off roading sometime soon, i have done Paragon, and some other trails in north Pa. My wife has never driven off road, we have a 2007 wrangler stock suspension (for now) with some minor mods ( Rims Tires) I would love to maybe go this weekend or Oct 18. I'm looking for some company, and or sugestions where to start. Thanks for reading


I might be able to go that weekend. That's a great weekend with the Cranberry Festival in Chatsworth going on. The day before Batsto has the Country Living Fair. I just have a stock 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo. I love going out in the woods especially that time of year.
 
Oct 25, 2006
1,757
1
73
All the years i have been going to the Pines with my 2 wheel drive car i got stuck twice.

Since purchasing my Jeep Liberty i can now go to places that i have never been to before, Swamp Monster here i come.

Jim
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,602
8,178
) I would love to maybe go this weekend or Oct 18.

Trailhead did mention the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival is that day, so if you are not interested in that you should avoid Chatsworth. It is a mess getting through that intersection when the festival is going on.

Guy
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
All the years i have been going to the Pines with my 2 wheel drive car i got stuck twice.

Since purchasing my Jeep Liberty i can now go to places that i have never been to before, Swamp Monster here i come.

Jim

You won't be getting very close to the monster with a Liberty Jim.
There are holes back there that would swallow Big Foot
You will still need to walk most of the way from the road leading away from West Mill Road.
 
Oct 25, 2006
1,757
1
73
You won't be getting very close to the monster with a Liberty Jim.
There are holes back there that would swallow Big Foot
You will still need to walk most of the way from the road leading away from West Mill Road.

Thanks Scott

I was wondering how the road conditions were in that area.

Jim
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,602
8,178
Go in the winter like I did and you can make it all the way to that downed tree in a car. If I had someone else there in another vehicle I would have traveled further.

FocusnearSwampMonster.JPG


Guy
 
Oct 25, 2006
1,757
1
73
Go in the winter like I did and you can make it all the way to that downed tree in a car. If I had someone else there in another vehicle I would have traveled further.



Guy

Thanks gents for the info, i will take Guys advice and go in the Winter.

Jim
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
the great swamp area is significantly more difficult to travel during a wet season. And during a drought the sand gets bad. Watch out in the winter though...falling through an iced over mud hole is rough, even with a 4x4. The most accessable road is the one Guy has pictured, running south of the sleeper to Pleasant Mills bridge out. Most of the other roads in that area are challenging even to those monster trucks...which is probably the reason they are so challenging (ruts).

Jeff
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
I would not recommend dead of winter wheeling to the Swamp Monster.
Framing out on broken ice is a real bad feeling and is one of the most damaging situations for a truck.
Those ice chunks are good tie rod wreckers and exhaust and brake system rippers.
The road leading north and northeastish from West Mill Road is a definite no-go almost all year for the average truck.
The picture Guy posted is on that unnamed road and I don't usually take my truck much past that point regardles of season.
It's only about .6 miles to the Monster from that fallen tree.
Scott
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,616
1,863
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
I've taken my old Rubicon up fairly close to the corduroy road that leads to the Monster. The Great Swamp is one of those places that I haven't explored much of. I'd like to change that.
 
Top