Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - Sunday, March 6th

[casm]

Anyone up for a run of Shoe Creek and/or Big Levels on Saturday, March 5th or Sunday, March 6th (weather permitting)? The two trails are about 20 miles apart and short enough to do in one day.

Full GPS info for Big Levels is here. I took a shot at getting a full route for Shoe Creek yesterday, but was running it solo and wasn't happy with the combination of that and the sheet ice that's still up there in places so turned back, but figure it should be melted off in the next week or two. Google Earth and Garmin's BaseCamp are both failing at identifying two-thirds of the trail, so if you want to get a rough feel for where it is use N37 47.263 W79 06.173 for the South trailhead, and N37 50.861 W79 07.314 for the North end.

Video on Youtube of a motorcyclist running it South to North: lower half, upper half. There's about another 4 miles of trail past the point where the second video ends that leads out to the North trailhead, but it's pretty much your standard trail ride. Couple of geocaches along the way, and about a 1-mile hike up to the top side of Crabtree Falls for anyone who may be interested.

Let me know if you're interested and we'll start figuring out who, when, and where.

 

[Ghost]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Are these Forrest Roads? Tags required?

 

[xjtrailrider]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

I might be able to make it but I will have to check my son's basketball schedule.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Gahhh I want to go! Not sure if I can swing it though. Jeep needs some work before I take it on a "long trip" and i'm trying to get the funds back up in the bank account (yeah yeah counterintuitive I know lol)

Perhaps in a couple of weeks i'll have a better idea.

 

[Stumper92]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

I might be up for it. I have a few friends that have been itching for a little trail riding. Shoe Creek is a great easy trail to ride. I have not been on Big Levels as of yet. I know the lower entrance is sometimes blocked with a gate.

 

[XJfreakHO]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Did shoe creek with some of the folks from Cherokeeforum at the end of January.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34104&id=139959559385138

Pictures from our trip.

 

[casm]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Are these Forrest Roads? Tags required?

Yes and yes.

I might be up for it. I have a few friends that have been itching for a little trail riding. Shoe Creek is a great easy trail to ride. I have not been on Big Levels as of yet. I know the lower entrance is sometimes blocked with a gate.

Yep - and both trails have more-technical side runs and/or obstacles to fool around on.

Let's see what everyone's schedule looks like in a day or two and maybe start firming this up.

 

[Stumper92]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Sounds like a plan to me. Not to preach here, but there are a lot of trails that are off shoots of the main trail. Almost all of these trails are on private land and are off limits. I mention this because Shoe Creek is a great place for some casual wheeling. If it is abused it will end up closed to public use like so many places in the GW. But I realize I am preaching to the choir here .

 

[Cnickgo]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

If it's a Sunday, I may have the day off.

 

[casm]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Sounds like a plan to me. Not to preach here, but there are a lot of trails that are off shoots of the main trail. Almost all of these trails are on private land and are off limits. I mention this because Shoe Creek is a great place for some casual wheeling. If it is abused it will end up closed to public use like so many places in the GW. But I realize I am preaching to the choir here .

This is a really good point. It's generally pretty obvious what does and doesn't constitute the main trail (if it goes off back into the woods with no obvious sign of rejoining the main trail, you're probably off into someone's private land or a designated wilderness area), but definitely bears repeating. So, reposted from va4wd.org:

The red line shows the main trail. Where it stops at the Northern end is where Shoe Creek rejoins Meadows Road and heads back out to Highway 56; the junction of Meadows Road and Highway 56 is what I designated earlier as the North entrance to Shoe Creek. That leg of the trip is also the one that I was referring to as four miles of trail riding before hitting pavement again.

My plan for this trail is to keep to the main trail only so that I can get and subsequently post the 'safe' GPS route through there, but everyone else is welcome to play around on the permitted fun stuff

If it's a Sunday, I may have the day off.

That may actually work out better for me as well - looks like I'll be up in PA on the 4th and possibly 5th as well, so shooting for the 6th (Sunday) is probably more realistic.

Let's call the run for Sunday, March 6th. Should help folks to figure out their availability as well.

 

[ridgerunner97]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Put me and a CJ driving friend as a maybe, I'm supposed to be putting my XJ under the knife around that time for Longarms so not sure if It will be together or not.

 

[xjtrailrider]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

I hope I can get away and go on this one but i may have a coaches clinic for lacrosse to go to that I just found out about today. I'll know more by Sunday.

If I can go I'll drag some locals with me.

 

[casm]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Put me and a CJ driving friend as a maybe, I'm supposed to be putting my XJ under the knife around that time for Longarms so not sure if It will be together or not.

No worries, and understood on both counts. FWIW, figure that this is a 'run what ya brung' ride - pretty much anything is welcome to come along, but it should at least be 4WD and with reasonable ground clearance. A stock XJ/MJ would be a reasonable baseline for working out if the vehicle is a fit or not.

I hope I can get away and go on this one but i may have a coaches clinic for lacrosse to go to that I just found out about today. I'll know more by Sunday.

If I can go I'll drag some locals with me.

Sounds good. Hope to see you guys there.

Let's figure on meeting at the South entrance to Shoe Creek at around 9.30am with a 10.30am rollout. There isn't really a good place to caravan up the hill from, so this is likely the best plan. CB channel 4.

 

[XJVA13]

I may be able to make it. How is big levels? I was up that direction this weekend but couldn't find any rate ups of it more recent that 2001.

 

[casm]

I may be able to make it. How is big levels? I was up that direction this weekend but couldn't find any rate ups of it more recent that 2001.

Went through it in late October. The main trail would have been doable in a stock 4WD XJ or MJ with some careful driving. It gets narrow in a couple of places (mostly brush overgrowth), but there are a couple of tight mildly off-camber hairpins. More technical stuff usually cuts across turns on the main trail, so are pretty easy to spot/follow/avoid.

No idea how it may have changed in the 4 months since I've been up there, but three trips through it in the last two years and it's been pretty much the same every time.

 

[NDMstang65]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

I hope I can get away and go on this one but i may have a coaches clinic for lacrosse to go to that I just found out about today. I'll know more by Sunday.

If I can go I'll drag some locals with me.

I gotta come up with a rear bumper and some tow points before i can go..and trim a LOT more metal

Got the big welder in the garage though! this could happen!

 

[xjtrailrider]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

I gotta come up with a rear bumper and some tow points before i can go..and trim a LOT more metal

Got the big welder in the garage though! this could happen!

Hope you get it ready!

Casm, which day are we going? Sat or Sun? Can you give me an address to meet at that my nav can pick up.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Might be able to make it after all. I should have a better idea come mid week next week.

 

[casm]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

Casm, which day are we going? Sat or Sun?

The run is set for Sunday, March 6th.

Can you give me an address to meet at that my nav can pick up.

Hm, let me see what I can work out on that - the main thing is finding an address that can reliably be mapped, which is a real problem around here. If your GPS can find 1009 Perkins Mill Rd., Roseland, VA 22967 you may be OK; the West end of Perkins Mill Road is where the South trailhead is. Might want to verify that against Google Maps/Earth just to be safe, though.

What GPS unit have you got? I'm thinking there may be a way to get it to accept lat/long, in which case it should just be able to get you straight to the trailhead.

 

[xjtrailrider]

Re: Shoe Creek / Big Levels (GWNF; VA) - March 5th/6th?

The run is set for Sunday, March 6th.



Hm, let me see what I can work out on that - the main thing is finding an address that can reliably be mapped, which is a real problem around here. If your GPS can find 1009 Perkins Mill Rd., Roseland, VA 22967 you may be OK; the West end of Perkins Mill Road is where the South trailhead is. Might want to verify that against Google Maps/Earth just to be safe, though.

What GPS unit have you got? I'm thinking there may be a way to get it to accept lat/long, in which case it should just be able to get you straight to the trailhead.

I have a tomtom and i have a Magellen 315 so I can put in lat/long to take me right to where you will be.