Canaan Valley Scouting Run!
The Canaan Valley area has been on my list to explore for a while now, but I just haven’t had the opportunity, or familiarity with the area, to organize a trip out there. Luckily, over the weekend of September 22nd, Ken from CORE 4x4 organized a club trip out there to do a scouting run of the area!
Ken also wasn’t familiar with the area, but after doing a bit of researching, and finding what other groups have done in the past in the area, he put together a 2 day itinerary to explore the area, and gather information such as trail condition, timing, and campsites, to put a full scale trip together sometime in 2024.
So this trip, we were his guinea pigs for testing out the area, and mapping out a good trail plan for a future trip.
The plan was to meet at a deli in Davis, WV at lunchtime. We would then wheel a bit that afternoon, exploring Dry Fork Road and some of the other forest roads, marking obstacles, campsites, and other interesting waypoints. After that, we’d find a primitive track side camp to spend the night, and then the next morning, we would check out Canaan Loop Rd, collecting the same information, and then wrap up the scouting trip around midday
The trip started out with a lovely drive from Elkridge MD out into WV. Always a scenic and beautiful drive, this trip was no different. This time, the turn off onto 22 in Cumberland was a deviation from the areas we’ve traditionally wheeled, and was a new area for me to drive through. It was a beautiful route, through small mountain towns, farming areas, and as I got closer to Davis, the awesome wind turbines dotting the landscape.
After meeting the rest of the crew in Davis, the deli we planned on visiting didn’t open at 11 as expected, but fortunately, an awesome burrito place called Hellbender Burritos opened their doors and invited us in. This place was awesome, with huge burritos, delicious tacos, and a cool small town atmosphere.
After a filling lunch, we embarked on our journey! We headed down Appalachian Way, then onto Dry Fork Rd, exploring the gravel roads in that area. We then came across an unexpected obstacle! It was a washed out culvert, with the left side being an exposed metal pipe, and the right side a washed out gully, about 10 feet across, and about 4 feet deep! Interested in how my Jeep would tackle it, I chose the very hard line, and gave it a shot! A little minor rock stacking to keep my driver tires up, I dipped into the culvert and my bumper contacted the wall on the other side. A bit of clutch and throttle feathering, and the jeep pulled itself up, and after a little enthusiastic throttle application, pulled itself out! Ben in his 4Runner also gave it a good shot. It took a little more rock stacking and some shovel work, but he too got out!
After that excitement, and some beautiful roads later, we came across the Cheat River crossing. It was a pretty wide crossing, and the water was fairly fast moving. It wasn’t too deep though, about 30 inches, and the Jeep made it across no issues. Matt was a bit nervous with his Yukon, but he walked the crossing, found a shallower line, and successfully made it across.
After that, we made a quick stop at the Olsen Observation Tower, then headed over to camp. We found an awesome campsite that could fit us all, set up camp a bit early, and relaxed. We went for a little hike down to an amazingly scenic waterfall.
It was a bit of a rock scramble down to it, but it was absolutely worth it! After the climb back up to camp, we settled in, had a simple dinner, and just hung out around the fire. It got a bit chilly overnight, dipping into the 40s, but in my Coleman Instant (my new Gazelle hadn’t arrived yet), and my 0 degree bag, I was very warm and cozy!
That night, remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia started sending storm bands across the area. We woke up to a rainy morning, rushing to get our gear packed away before it started raining heavier. With that, we got an early start on the day, and continued along the trail. After cutting back through Davis, we got onto Canaan Loop Rd. This was a gorgeous trail, with flat well maintain gravel road, beautiful forest lined trails, and awesome looking campsites. We refrained from getting out of the vehicles much, as the rain was getting harder.
We finally came across the major obstacle on Canaan Loop Rd, a big washed out section. Luckily for us, it looked like the edges of the washout have been mostly smoothed over, so dipping into, and then out of the washout was drama free.
We continued on, and to our delight, the track became a bit more technical, with some rocky bits, and a lot of mud puddles from the heavy falling rain. Additionally, there were some small creek crossings with fun rocky climbs back out.
After going all the way through, we ended the ride at the Lindy Point Overlook Trail. It was about a half mile hike to get to the overlook. It was wet and muddy, but completely worth it! The view, albeit somewhat obstructed by heavy cloud cover, was still stunning.
That concluded a really fun scouting weekend, and I look forward to the full on trip coming up next year!
