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Old Florida Road

65K views 219 replies 41 participants last post by  djflyy 
#1 · (Edited)
A few guys up here in Rutland county VT are planning on getting together and taking a trip to Old Florida Road April 19th. It will be my first time going there. If you guys could shoot me some links to pictures or videos you might have that would be cool. I have seen some videos and pictures and by the looks and from what i've heard the trail is pretty awesome but it's always nice to see more to get myself a little more pumped for the trail... Any tips and pointers or other info on the trail would be cool too. Thanks everyone :thumbsup:
 
#3 ·
Well i changed it but that kind of defeats the purpose of the thread :rolleyes: Everyone in the group has winches so that wont be a problem. I thought it was a popular trail, pretty well known throughout New England.... Are the locals trying to hoard it for themselves?
 
#5 ·
My 2 pennies:
OFR is a difficult road. A rig on 31s will most likely get some damage and may likely end up with some broken part that may make it difficult to drive out and/or drive on the road. It will also need to be dragged over not just the main obstacles but many spots throughout the road. Should another group show up behind you that is better equipt to move along the road, courtesy would say to make every attempt to find a place where you can let them by (this may be difficult to do)

I would suggest having 33s of an aggressive tread pattern (MT), a locker and underbody/rocker protection.
I would also say that several people should have tow straps, everyone should have tow hooks/tow points front and rear and there should be at least one rig with a winch. I've taken rides there where 10 rigs, all on 35s or larger took only about 3 hours to drive the entire length.
I've also been there when 10 rigs, with tires in 33-37 range, ended up taking over 10 hours, due to broken axles, a roll over, etc.

IMPORTANT!

Along the way, one will see several "go arounds" out through the woods to avoid the obstacles.

The obstacles ARE the road. The "go arounds" are on private land and are NOT the road. If you get to a point where you can't drive, winch or get pulled over an obstacle, you need to turn around and go back out.. do not drive through the woods to get around an obstacle... Please! Continued actions like that will get the road closed. The state wants it closed, the towns feel a bit differently, but the state tends to wield more power than the small western MA towns.

Once you reach the water hole at the end, you must stay to the left. The bottom is hard packed and usually about 2-3 feet deep.
Again, the trail up through the woods around the water is NOT the road, is state land and will surely help to get the road closed by driving there.
Also, running through the mud to the right, which is thick and about 4' deep, is not within the right away of the road and should also be avoided.

If you spread this information everytime you bring up OFR, then, everyone, over time (one would hope) will become more responsible about its use and keep it open for years to come. Failing to do so will see it closed long before its time.

Thanx!

Talk soon,
 
#40 ·
My 2 pennies:
OFR is a difficult road. A rig on 31s will most likely get some damage and may likely end up with some broken part that may make it difficult to drive out and/or drive on the road. It will also need to be dragged over not just the main obstacles but many spots throughout the road.
BTW, when I went through, we had a CJ on 31s. Only time he had a problem was when he got hung up on a tree in one of the water holes near the end on the FL side. Otherwise, he went through just fine, which was very surprising to all of us! He did bottom a few times, but never needed to be dragged. No damage either.
 
#10 ·
The first obstacle is getting very washed out and eroded and harder. That's not to say it is impassable, by any means. ;)

I will reiterate what Dave said: Old Florida Road is just that A ROAD. Please stay on the trail. Any go arounds are on private/State property.

There is some concern with the water hole...Road vs. Wetlands issues. I think the general consensus is if you choose to travel through the waterhole, please stay to the high (north) side and avoid swampy/marshy portion.
 
#15 ·
We think that is were the road is ,veral pool or not I don't care, it is a road and it is still open. If they had an issue it would be blocked off and posted.
stay out of the far right.And stay off the far left ATV trail on real high ground.
 
#17 ·
How is that considered a "road" and how come there aren't more "roads" like that in the northeast? Couldn't all trails theoretically be classified as "roads" like that and be legal like out west? Also I think I already know the answer but would there be a problem with parking a trailer at the trailhead and riding in a dedicated off road vehicle (no registration or insurance) like a full tube buggy? I'm dying for fresh challenging terrain.
 
#20 ·
The ''roads'' are unmaintained roads and are still on the maps. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. And since these are still classified as roads, you need to be registered and insured like a real maintained road. And sometimes you can and sometimes you can't park a trailer at the beginning of the trail head. It depends on the trailhead.
This is correct. It is an official road because it is on the town maps as a through way. At some point it became an unmaintained road, meaning it is still on the town maps as a road but the town no longer maintains it in any way. You need a registered and inspected vehicle to drive on it legally. It also means that any land that is outside the originally laid out roadbed is private property.

FWIW, if you have a full tube buggy, I don't think OFR will prove very challenging for the most part.

Trailhead parking at OFR is sketchy at best. There is room for one truck and trailer, sort of.
 
#18 ·
The ''roads'' are unmaintained roads and are still on the maps. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. And since these are still classified as roads, you need to be registered and insured like a real maintained road. And sometimes you can and sometimes you can't park a trailer at the beginning of the trail head. It depends on the trailhead.
 
#23 ·
If I've got my facts correct, the reason OFR and others like it are called roads, is because when the state doles out transportation funding to the towns, the total milage of roads is part of the calculation. Plus in certain instances, the town is required to maintain the existance of a right of way for access to private property.
 
#31 ·
Just for the record, I live right down the street from OFR. There is no posted signs up for the road itself, however, like everyone said. The round abouts are private property and posted. If you go off the road, you could be asking for trouble, otherwise, its all good. I am actually planning to run this myself for the first time on Sunday. I have a TJ on 35s with a winch. I am going with a few friends too. So whoever is going on the 19th, we may see you up there!
 
#32 ·
Oh yeah, and I dont know how many Jeeps have gone through there yet, if any. But last time I hiked up there, there was trees down, so bring something to cut trees with just in case.
 
#34 ·
Went all the way through last weekend. All is good! Only problem to this is that you would have to go through the pond if you want to come out in Savoy/Florida. The trail going around the pond still has many trees down across it.
 
#35 ·
The trail going around the pond still has many trees down across it.
Who do you think clears the trails? Our club brings chainsaws and hand saws on rides this time of year. If we run into down trees across the trail (only), we clear them. We had one 2' in diameter across a trail a month ago. It took an hour+ and winches to clear it.
 
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