Offroad 4x4 Trails in DE

Let's talk about 4x4 offroad trails in Delaware

This article covers Jeep trails, OHV trails, four wheeling trails, and all offroad trails for Jeeps and trucks that Delaware has to offer.

First, before I jump into covering Delaware's offroad landscape, I'd like to say right off the bat that DE is a small state.  In fact, Delaware is the second smallest state, measuring only 96 miles from N to S, and only 35 miles across at its widest point.  And with nearly a million people living in DE, that doesn't leave much room for 4x4 offroad trails in DE.  Chances are that if you want to get some mud on the tires, you are going to need to cross state lines.

However, there is one place in DE that if you have the itch you can do some very very light trail riding, and that place is the C&D Canal Trails in Northern DE.  At the Canals there are clay and gravel roads that can be explored.  Any reckless actions here will certainly draw the attention of law enforcement, but if you are conducting yourself responsibly then the trails can be fun especially after some rain has stirred up the mud.  While we are talking about N DE, the other place worth mentioning is Pine Barrens in Hammonton, NJ.  Pine Barrens is about a two hour drive from Dover, but it is totally worth it if your looking for Jeep trails or OHV trails in DE.  Pine Barrens is inside Wharton State Park in NJ and the area has over 500 miles of unpaved roads; it is widely regarded as THE place to go offroading in NJ.  Use caution as the mudpits can get pretty deep, so it's always best to measure depth or ease in slowly before blasting into an unknown mud hole.

If you are South of Dover then you can always head into MD for some beach riding.  On the beaches near Ocean City, MD there is Assateague State Park and Assateague Island Beach.  It will cost you $75 annually for a Surf Vehicle tag, but Assateague Island Beach provides you with 13 miles of beach 4x4 access.  Now it's important to note that this beach access is not specifically for four wheeling, but designed to be an access point for salt water fishing -  so no donuts or reckless driving because you will be told to leave if you are disturbing the environment.  With that said, it is a nice spot to enjoy some top down beach driving and fishing if you are into that. You can learn more about this trail and offroading in MD on our Maryland Blog.

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

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For more 4x4 offroad trails in DE, check out the Where2Wheel map.  There are several other wheelin spots around DE that are too small for a mention in this post, but you can find them yourself by signing up for Where2Wheel and checking out the map (It's 100% Free).  Thanks for reading about offroad trails in Delaware; I look forward to seeing you on W2W!

 

Delaware off road trails, Delaware Jeep trails, Delaware 4x4 trails

Offroad Trails in North Carolina - 4x4, Jeep, and OHV trails in NC

So you would like to learn more about the offroad trails available in North Carolina; well, you have come to the right place.  Where2Wheel can help you find Jeep trails, truck/SUV trails, fourwheeling trails, OHV trails, and all other offroad trails for 4WD vehicles.

North Carolina is a great place for 4x4 offroad trails; NC offers a great variety of terrain with sandy beaches in the east and green forested mountains in the west.  Fortunately for us offroading enthusiasts, in NC we have the privilege to wheel on both the beaches and in the mountains!

Starting in the East of North Carolina, there are two beaches that NC allows vehicles to drive on.  The first and most preferred is Carova Beach.  Carova is located in the most Northeast corner of North Carolina, and public beach access is granted to all 4x4 vehicles. The beach is beautiful with soft white sand and the ocean is a great during the summer months. The beach itself is 11 miles long, and there are countless more miles of trails behind (west of) the beach. Some of the trails can be challenging as they are often flooded with deep water. On the back trails (or occasionally on the beach) you can find wild horses that live in this area.  It's quite the site to see when a group wild of horses cross your path; the horses are used to humans being around, but make sure to keep your distance - it's the law no person gets closer than 50ft to the wild horses, and there is law enforcement around to ensure this rule is adhered to.  Also, if you are going to hit the beach it's important to remember that the speed limit on the beach is 15 mph and it is enforced.  Carova beach has enough sandy trails and sights to see that it is worth spending the day here Jeepin' on the beach!  The other beach that you can drive on in NC is Cape Lookout.  Cape Lookout is north of Wilmington near Morehead City, and this beach is a bit more secluded than Carova.  In fact, Cape Lookout is only accessible by ferry and all drivers must obtain a free ORV Education Certificate and corresponding decal before being able to hit this beach.  More details on Cape Lookout are available here, but my recommendation is to visit Carova Beach for a day of sand, sun, and 4WD.

Moving towards the center of North Carolina, we find an offroad jewel of the MidAtlatic - Uwharrie National Forest has become a place of 4x4 pilgrimage for MidAtlantic and East Coast offroaders.  I can't touch on all the trails available in Uwharrie so you will need to check out Where2Wheel and our Trails Map for that (it's free), but I can tell you that Uwharrie has trails for every vehicle type and every skill level.  Worth mentioning is the Badin Lake OHV Area; Badin Lake is open from April 1st to December 15th of every year, and it has 6 trailheads with 16 miles of trails.  The trails range from beginner & stock vehicle stuff to the "you better have full rock protection, lockers, and big rubber" to hit this trail.  If you are hitting Badin Lake for your first time, it is recommended that you start with Dutch John Trail or Falls Dam Trail (both can be found on the W2W map).  I can't emphasize this enough, if you live in North Carolina and you are an offroading enthusiast then you need to visit Uwharrie; it's a fantastic offroad resource that is unique to NC.

Last, but not least, on the Western side of NC you will find an abundance of 4x4 offroad trails to ride.  You can see them all on the W2W map; I assure you there are plenty of trails in Western NC and I will put a screenshot below to show you what you are missing out on by not checking out the W2W map.  Okay, so you would like me to talk about one specifically?  How about Jocassee Gorges in Lake Toxaway, NC.  Jocassee Gorges is a trail that is growing in popularity and is mid level in difficulty.  The trail is located in Gorges State Park and has some spots that can be challenging, but nothing that should discourage vehicles with a small lift and 31s or larger rubber.  Also, the trail has some great scenic photo opportunities where you can capture the natural beauty that surrounds this area of North Carolina.

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

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Thanks for reading about the offroad trails that NC has to offer.  Please sign up for and then explore Where2Wheel for yourself.  We have way more trails listed on our map than I have time to write about.  See you on W2W!

North Carolina off road trails, North Carolina Jeep trails, North Carolina 4x4 trails

Offroad Trails in South Carolina - Jeep, truck, & 4x4 offroad trails in SC

If you are looking for offroad trails in South Carolina, well look no further because Where2Wheel is here to help you find 4x4, Jeep, truck, and OHV offroad trails.

South Carolina isn't quite as abundant with offroad trails as it's brother to the North, but if you know where to look there are enough spots to kick it into 4WD in SC until you can find time to travel up to the offroad trails of North Carolina.

Alright, so you are set on hitting the 4x4 trails in South Carolina.  It looks like you are heading to Gulches ORV Park in Northwest SC (Laurens County).  Gulches is a family friendly park with trails for every skill level.  They have almost 50 trails at Gulches, so there is enough terrain to fill the whole weekend; the park is usually muddy with a decent amount of elevation changes throughout the forested trails.  Gulches is one of the more affordable ORV parks too with a day pass only costing $25.  They even have camping available.  For more info, check out Gulches' website.

I do realize that Gulches is a bit of a hike for those of you living near the coast, which is why I will mention that we do have some trails listed near Charleston on the Where2Wheel Trails Map.  It's free to get on W2W and take a look for yourself; matter of fact I will drop a screenshot of the W2W map at the bottom of this blog so that you can see if any of the trail pins on W2W are near your area of the map.  Remember, new offroad trails are being added to Where2Wheel all the time, so while this snapshot won't update, it is worth getting on W2W to see if anyone has added new offroad trails for South Carolina.

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

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Lastly, if you are in SC and you are looking for offroad trails, I suggest that you check out our blog post on offroad trails in North Carolina.  NC has a ton of great trails and is right next door to SC!

Thanks for reading this short briefing on 4x4 offroad trails in SC.  See you on Where2Wheel where you can search for offroad trails and find wheeling buddies near you!

South Carolina off road trails, South Carolina Jeep trails, South Carolina 4x4 trails

 

Offroading in MD - Maryland off road trails

Let's talk about 4x4 offroad trails in Maryland

 

This article specifically covers Jeep trails, trucks trails, SUV trails, and all other highway vehicle four wheeling trails in MD.

Maryland can be one tough state to find 4x4 offroad trails in, but have no fear Where2Wheel is here to outline some of the offroading trails that MD has to offer.

Let's start at the coast and move from East to West.  On the beaches near Ocean City, MD there is Assateague State Park and Assateague Island Beach.  It is about a 30 minute drive and will cost you $75 annually for a Surf Vehicle tag, but Assateague Island Beach provides you with 13 miles of beach 4x4 access.  Now it's important to note that this beach access is not specifically for four wheeling, but designed to be an access point for salt water fishing -  so no donuts or reckless driving because you will be told to leave if you are disturbing the environment.  With that said, it is a nice spot to enjoy some top down beach driving and fishing if you are into that.

So if you are located East of Baltimore, you are definitely going to have to drive a ways to get to the bulk of the offroad trails in Maryland, but the good news is that MD is a small state so that shouldn't be a deal breaker keeping you from having some 4x4 fun.  West of Baltimore and just North of Frederick is the Frederick Watershed Area, and just like the beaches this is nothing too extreme.  Inside the Frederick Watershed is the Frederick Municipal Forest that contains 11 miles of gravel, dirt, and rocky roads that explore the 7,000 acre forest.  Most of the trail doesn't require 4WD, but there is the occasional creek crossing and rain or snow can make this area a lot more fun.  There is also some good fishing of stocked lakes and hiking to be had in this forest.

Continuing to travel to the most Northwest parts of MD will land you the states best offroading.  The Garrett State Forest and Savage River State Forest both provide some fun 4x4 offroad trails - these trails be found on Where2Wheel.com on the W2W Trails Map, but one of those worth mentioning is the St. John's Rock ORV Trail & Campground in Garrett County (Frostburg), MD.  At St. John's you can find more that 12 miles of woodland trails constructed specifically for ORV enthusiasts, including a full-size rock crawl area for Jeeps and other four-wheel drive vehicles.  It has been a relief to many Maryland resident offroad enthusiasts to see the state finally taking actions to embrace the strong offroad community in MD, and projects like the St. John's Rock ORV Trail are a welcome addition to the recreational resources that Maryland has to offer.

Lastly, don't forget to check out Ocean City Jeep Week!  It's a fantastic celebration of all things Jeep, including beach rides, a custom built off-road course, and a kickin display of Jeeps and all things off-road at the Ocean City Convention Center.  Where2Wheel is often in attendance with many other vendors in the off-road world, and it is honestly a great time and one of the highlights of our year.  OWJW is held annually in late August.

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

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Offroading in PA - Pennsylvania 4x4 offroad trails

Let's talk about fourwheeling trails and 4x4 offroad trails in Pennsylvania.

To be clear, this article covers Jeep trails, truck/SUV trails, OHV trails, and other 4WD vehicle trails in PA.

For life as an offroading enthusiast, if you can't live out West near the seemingly endless supply of offroad trails available in the Western States, then Pennsylvania might be the next best place in the US to live for 4WD fun.  On the Where2Wheel Map, we have 17 offroad trails listed in PA - for a State on the Eastern Seaboard, this amount of offroading availability is typically unheard of.  So if you want to check out all 17 offroad trails in Pennsylvania (probably more by the time you read this) then get on W2W, create a free account, and poke around our map to see nearby trails.

Okay, so if you haven't checked out the W2W map yet, I'll give you a quick rundown of the best 4x4 offroad trails in PA.  First, you can't talk about offroading in Pennsylvania without bringing up Rausch Creek Off-Road Park.  Best known as Rausch Creek, this park is THE spot for Jeep and 4x4 enthusiasts in PA.  Rausch Creek is over 3,000 acres large and is located right in the Center of Pennsylvania - here they have everything: easy, intermediate, and difficult trails - featuring rocks, bowls, hills, club friendly trails, and free, on-site camping.  There is a 2 vehicle minimum to hit the trails, but if you check the Rausch Creek website, they will help you connect with a trail buddy or trail guide.

Next up worth mentioning is Rock Run Recreation Area.  Rock Run has over 140 miles of 4x4 trails with trail difficulties varying to suit every experience level.  This park has a great reputation for being well maintained and is quickly becoming a local favorite among the OHV and Jeep community.  You will find Rock Run in Central PA near Altoona, and a day of riding will cost you just $27.  If you are thinking about visiting Rock Run, check out their website and calendar to verify their hours and open dates.

So we have covered Middle PA, but what about Western PA?  On the Western side of PA you will find some more great offroad trail options.  About an hour north of Pittsburg is Scrubgrass OHV Park.  Scrubgrass is over 1,200 acres large encompassing more than 60 miles of OHV and Jeep trails.  They have a full day worth of trails for every difficulty level, even for beginners.  So if you are on the Western side of Pennsylvania and you are a 4WD enthusiast, then Scrubgrass needs to be on your short list.  Again, make sure to check Scrubgrass's page before heading out to make sure that the trails will be open on your day of visit.

This last offroad trail that gets a shoutout is for those looking for a guided 4x4 experience. Nemacolin Woodlands Offroad Course is a great option to help you find your offroad footing.  Here they have over 20 miles of wooded trails along with a rock garden, and they will guide you through all this terrain while teaching you how to get the most out of your 4x4.  You can bring your own Jeep or ride along in theirs, but if you are interested in getting into offroading and you are in PA, then you should visit the Offroad Driving Academy at Nemacolin.  Check here for pricing and hours.

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

“As an Amazon Associate W2W can earn from qualifying purchases.” #ad

Alright, so that is a quick summary of some of the highlights of Pennsylvania's offroad trails.  If you want to see all the offroad trails in PA, including local lesser known trails, then just check out Where2Wheel and our map (it's free).  Thanks for reading, see you on W2W!

Pennsylvania off road trails, Pennsylvania Jeep trails, Pennsylvania 4x4 trails

Offroading in Rhode Island-RI 4X4 Trails

Let's Discuss the Offroad Landscape and Offroad Trails in Rhode Island.

Just to be clear, this article covers Jeep trails, OHV trails, truck/SUV trails, and four wheeling trails in Rhode Island.  From here on out, to keep things simple let's just refer to all these trails as 4x4 offroad trails.

AsI am sure the residents of Rhode Island know, there unfortunately are not very many places to go offroading nor are there a good deal of offroad trails. The state of Rhode Island itself has plenty of natural parks and wildlife management areas, but they sadly do not allow offroading. The owners of Where2Wheel understand this pain being that we ourselves are east coasters and live in Virginia, where offroading and 4x4 offroad trails are few and far between. It is one of our goals to help the offroad community and more specifically the offroad community east of the Mississippi with accurate and up-to-date 4x4 trail information. With that being said, if you know of any other offroading trails in Rhode Island that are not included below, please feel free to help us east coasters out and add the trail listing to our 4x4 trails map - it is free to view/use and register. 

Now that all that boring stuff is out of the way, lets get to the offroad trail information for RI that we do have on our trails map, which can be viewed at www.where2wheel.com/trails. We have one offroad 4x4 trail listing located near Charlestown, RI and the Ninigret Conservation Area called East Beach Sand Trail. A screenshot of the trail listing from the Where2Wheel trails map is included below for better reference and so you can see the lat and long coordinates. This write-up will give a brief overview of the trail below, but you can read the full trail description here

 

The East Beach Sand Trail is, as the name mentions, located on East State Beach in Charlestown. It is approx. 3 miles of prime beach offroad trail riding and is also the easterly extension of Quonochontaug Neck. This beach is one of the least developed beaches in Rhode Island, which makes it prime for offroaders and offoad trail rides, as long as you follow all the rules laid out by Rhode Island Parks department. You can find all those guidelines along with other important information about the East Beach offroad trail here, but a few important ones worth mentioning are 1.) Vehicles driving on East Beach require a Barrier Beach Pass so make sure to purchase that before heading out to hit the trail, and 2.) During the summer season, all vehicles using the East Beach Sand Trail will be charged a beach parking fee unless registered for a campsite on East Beach. So if you like camping along with hitting the offroad trails, then it would be smart to combine them for this particular trail and save yourself the beach parking charge during the summer. 

A few more items worth mentioning is that while East Beach might be the most undeveloped beach in RI, it still has 20 camp sites along with toilets and there is also access to the beach for swimming.  So along with offroading and the East Beach Sand Offroad Trail, East Beach has other activities for a family outting and camping adventure. While the state of Rhode Island itself is lacking in offroad trails, this particular 4x4 trail is said to have some of the best views of Rhode Island's spectacular seaside treasures, so at least when RI does it, they do it right! 

*Shameless Plug to Help Support W2W: Don't forget your Recovery Gear! Wherever you are wheeling, you should always be prepared for getting stuck! I've handpicked these items for their great value and dependable quality.

On a side note, if you are willing to drive to hit the 4x4 trails, then there is good news for you yet as Connecticut right next door has several offroad trails located in Cockaponset State Forest, just north of Chester, CT which is about an hour and a half drive from Providence, RI. The Where2Wheel map currently has nine offroad trail listings in Connecticut and seven of those 4x4 trails are just over an hour and a half away from Providence. 

That about sums up the offroad trails and offroading landscape in Rhode Island. As mentioned above below is a screenshot of the East Beach Sand Trail location and a quick trail description. As stated above, to view more information on this particular offroad trail and to find other 4x4 trails across the country visit the W2W trails map

Rhode Island off road trails, Rhode Island Jeep trails, Rhode Island 4x4 trails

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Safety First!

Offroad safety should be important to everyone and not an afterthought. Having a safe experience means stresses and problems will be down and fun will be up! There are a ton of tips out there, some to be learned the easy way, some the hard way. Get with experienced wheelers in your area to learn from them! Ask questions and don't be afraid to make mistakes. We all started out new..

4x4 offroad safety, off road trails, jeep trails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Vehicle Recovery Safety and Tips

  1. Never Wheel ALONE!

    4x4 offroad safety, off road trails, jeep trails
    1. Always have at least one partner vehicle-minimum.

    2. Have a recovery and medical plan before it happens!

    3. Ensure someone outside of your group knows where you are going and about what time you will be back.

    4. Have a communication method and a backup. Cell phones will not always have service.

    5. Use Where2Wheel's Recovery Needed! feature.

  2. Always have a medical kit in your vehicle.

     

  3. Use only snatch designed straps for snatching vehicles out of sticky situations.

    1. No metal/hook ends, only loops.

    2. Use only hardened recovery points, usually attached directly to the frame (If you have one *cough XJ *cough ????)

    3. Pay attention to vehicle weight and how deep the vehicle is + how aired down the vehicle is.

    4. Never hook up to steering or driving components, you will need to get out of the spot and then off the trail. Axles have ripped completely off of the vehicle!