Western Virginia Monthly Meetup (old thread)

[TerryD]

We were talking about a Big Levels trip for next month's meetup, so let's get that hammered out! August 26th is the next weekend I'm really free to do anything but September is completely open right now. Everyone discuss what date will work best for everyone.

We had talked about doing this as a day trip, camping afterward is always an option but as a day trip it would allow people to come and go as needed. What maps I can find show the trail to be about 20 miles, but I'm not 100% sure about how much of what's listed is trail and what's just dirt road. I'm also trying to find info about which direction it's better to run it in. Some trails are very challenging in one direction while much easier in the other. If we know which is which, we can choose which direction suits us as a group the day of depending on who shows up with what.

Is anyone familiar with the trail and area?

 

[Bjorn44]

Ive got a guy who has taken it a few times

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He said it wasnt very challenging.

 

[Nick80]

August 26 works for me. I was going to do it myself last week and a huge storm passed so I just went to shoe creek.


Video of shoe creek It was not very challenging.

 

[Darrell]

August 26 works for me. I was going to do it myself last week and a huge storm passed so I just went to shoe creek.


Video of shoe creek It was not very challenging.

Is it still shut down in the middle?

 

[Nick80]

Is it still shut down in the middle?

Yep still shut down.

 

[Darrell]

Yep still shut down.

That sucks. I ran it right before the gated it. Was pretty fun in a stock Cherokee.

 

[TerryD]

I talked to some people in one of my old off-roading circles and they all said it was stock friendly with some pretty deep, but hard bottomed mud holes. @PipeFighter and @xnooby63 , y'all got the rear breather mod done yet?

I've also got a buddy from that group who's never run it and wants to go along.

Right now, I'm not quite sure if this will be a day trip for me or if I'll be camping. Who's interested in camping?

 

[Nick80]

I talked to some people in one of my old off-roading circles and they all said it was stock friendly with some pretty deep, but hard bottomed mud holes. @PipeFighter and @xnooby63 , y'all got the rear breather mod done yet?

I've also got a buddy from that group who's never run it and wants to go along.

Right now, I'm not quite sure if this will be a day trip for me or if I'll be camping. Who's interested in camping?

I figured I would camp near the end of the trail and go home in the morning.

 

[witchdoctor_33]

It will have to be a day trip for me.

 

[Bjorn44]

Im game for camping or just a day trip

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[xnooby63]

Im game for camping or just a day trip

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Hey y'all, the Big Levels trails are a lot of fun. It's been a while since I've been up there, but I used to run around up there in a stock Tacoma on 31-10.50's. I always found the climb to be the most fun. Starting on coal road 42 end heading towards the BR parkway. There are multiple options for getting up the hill. The first and most obvious is following the road that's switchbacks all the way up the hill. Option 2 is what I think is an old firebreak that runs almost straight up the mountain and is more of a loose rock climb than a road. Option 2 crosses the main road several times so you have a choice of abandoning straight up for switchbacks if that's what you want to do.

Need to check with my better half to see if there is something is something planned for that weekend already, hopefully I can find out tonight whether I have the weekend open or not.

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[xnooby63]

There are also multiple locations for campsites, at least there used to be.

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[xnooby63]

Just so y'all don't think I've disappeared, I've changed my screen name to Mtntrtl63X... Xnooby63 bothered me for some reason... [emoji848]

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[Bjorn44]

So how many people do we have coming this month?

 

[xnooby63]

I'll be there, possibly camping. The hill climb from my memory, which is somewhat foggy, can range between 2-4hrs. Followed by another 2-3hrs of relatively flat land trails that leads out to the BRP at Bald Mountain. There are several tangents that can be explored with campsites on a few. One of those used to have enough room for multiple vehicles. In the time since I rode those trails last it may have changed.

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[TerryD]

I'm planning on being there! Still don't know about camping for me though.

 

[witchdoctor_33]

I'll be there. Probably not camping, have to work the next day.

 

[TerryD]

@xnooby63 You seem to know the area best there Bob. Any suggestions for places to meet-up that morning. Maybe a grocery store near there so anyone who hasn't, can stock up for the ride?

With somewhere between 4-7 hrs on the trail, drinks and a meal or two in the cooler is probably a good idea.

 

[xnooby63]

Looking at the maps there's a place called B&R market near the North end of Coal Rd. Reviews seem promising food, guns, and camping gear. [emoji106]

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[TerryD]

Sounds good to me! Looking at it on Google, if you wanted a case of water or a specific cut of steak, you might want to have that already but it looks like a great place to stock up, grab some ice and refuel. Parking looks tight but there's a gravel spot across the road that's fair game I guess.

I'd like there to be a couple other folks with coms and I can do either CB or FRS. FRS might be better for the group since you can buy the little hand held radios for around $20-30/pair and add batteries to be on the air quick where CB you have to mount and tune antennas. But I have either so whatever the majority wants. It's nice to be able to talk to everyone on the trail.