Vehicle requirements for dirt roads

[mpegfour]

Hello everyone, first time poster here.

I'm from NNJ but have always enjoyed trips to the pines to hike and explore. Yesterday I decided to take a drive down and just "get lost" a little, maybe see some new sights.

After hitting Chatsworth, instead of following 563 south like I usually would, I kept left at the fork. This road soon turned unpaved, but the surface was hard and even, and I figured I would keep going slowly, and turn back if it got too sketchy (I drive a RWD Cadillac for reference, and I definitely know my limitations...). A few miles later I came to an intersection and pulled out my phone to see where I was. I'm pretty certain it was here:

I figured I could take a right and travel down to Lake Oswego, and get back onto 563 from there. Unfortunately, only a hundred feet down that road or so, it got very uneven and rutted, and I noped right out of there. Went back to the main road and doubled back to Chatsworth. But I would love to go back and explore that area further. So my question for the seasoned backwoods drivers- what kind of vehicle would I need to do that? Any AWD SUV? Or is a lifted 4WD Wrangler with offroad tires needed?

 

[Teegate]

I drive all over that area in my car. You may have the wrong intersection. The roads there heading towards Oswego Lake are hard and wide.

If you go back and are at that location, go to the road right at the bottom of your circle. Walk up the hill to the location where the Bear Swamp Hill fire tower was until it was hit by a jet.

 

[mpegfour]

I drive all over that area in my car. You may have the wrong intersection. The roads there heading towards Oswego Lake are hard and wide.

If you go back and are at that location, go to the road right at the bottom of your circle. Walk up the hill to the location where the Bear Swamp Hill fire tower was until it was hit by a jet.

Cool, I will definitely hit that up next time around. Any remnants of the crash lying around still?

And I'm pretty certain about the location, in fact I used that Bear Swamp Hill road to pull a 3 point turn and get back to Chatsworth Rd. Later that day I went to Oswego and saw the lower end of that connecting road- same thing, deep puddles, nothing I would attempt in a sedan. Maybe I just caught it after a heavy rain?

 

[46er]

I drive all over that area in my car. You may have the wrong intersection. The roads there heading towards Oswego Lake are hard and wide.

I think he does Tee. If he went left from 563 onto Jones Mill Rd, he could not get there unless he went left again in about 3 miles.

mpegfour, since you are new to these roads, a suggestion. If you plan on driving these roads, get some good maps and turn on tracking for your phone GPS if that's what you use. Others where will probably have more suggestions. Yours is only the second caddy I know of being driven in the pines.