What Clint and I do is more like overlanding. We pack all we need in our truck and stay where it fancies us as we adventure along these places. According to park rangers, who have been very kind, accomodating, and informative towards us, we often find places that have not been traveled much, if at all, in years. We've actually helped clear old paths. Hunters have been very generous in sharing information on old trails also.
Off-roading in an old suburban: On one trip we took, two over-dressed, high maintenance women looked at us with great disdain because we were in an old, stock suburban. They let us know they were not happy we were doing the very same thing they were just as easily with less monetary investment. They had new vehicles and had spent a lot of money on a long list of things they were told were "must haves" for off-roading. When we informed them that we had none of those things, they were quite upset. They were moving slowly along while frantically stopping every few feet. They were fussing a lot over very simple things. They were most upset when they realized they had to move over to make room for us and the people behind us.* We came to the conclusion those grumpy women, who had some very stressed-out men with them, would have enjoyed sitting in their trucks on the concrete outside of their garage more than the off-roading they were doing. They were unpleasant to be around (Grumble City), and we were thankful when we parted ways.
Many people have the wrong notion that one has to spend thousands of dollars on a truck and equipment to travel these roads. We have not and have been doing it for years without getting stuck or damaging our stock suburbans. We have done all of the roads in Virginia. The vehicle is a very small part of it. The driver's skill and tire placement are the key factors.
On one of our recent trips, we saw a guy with a very small lightweight truck without 4wd that was not lifted at all going right up Bald Mountain's Jeep Trail off of Coal Road which is a "4WD only" road. His truck had lower clearance than our sub, but he was a great driver. He used his truck's advantages as he made his own way up the mountain.
If you are going in a suburban, remember it has a longer body, so the turn ratio is a lot different than with shorter vehicles. It's wide, and it's long. That adds to the challenge on narrow turns, but the challenge is what makes it fun.
Clint and I have traveled with a group, but most of the time, we are alone. We like to go in the off-season so we can have the mountain roads to ourselves. We like to find a pretty spot and stay the night miles from anyone.
On another recent trip, we were traveling with another person behind us when three came in front of us. At first, everyone was flummoxed about how we'd all proceed. There were five vehicles that needed to pass far from any spots where one could get over to make room. Clint took to the lead and got it all worked out.
That was fun because we had to drive some of the trucks, including our sub, partially onto steep embankments to make room. People didn't believe their trucks could do what Clint told the drivers to do until they saw our big ole suburban do it. Our two old suburbans have given a lot of people the confidence to ask more of their truck.
We always carry at least two cell phones, a HAM radio, a first aid kit, a small trauma kit (with the knowledge and practice in using it), food, water, water purification, multiple ways to make fire, and forms of shelter (clothes, blankets, tarps, small instant tent), a jump box, a multitude of vehicle repair items that fit conveniently in a 5-gallon bucket, tools, traction boards, different forms of self-protection, etc. We also enable GPS sharing with our closest friends and family and keep them informed as much as we can. GPS often stops working or gets spotty in the majority of these areas we go, but as we have personally witnessed, the authorities have access to things we do not. If something does happen, we will be as prepared as we can be to handle it. #amazonaffiliate "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
One of the most fun things for us is to meet someone who tells us "You can't do this road in that." Then, we tell them not only have we done it, but we have done it several times, and we are going back for more! :-)
If you have only a car, take heart! There are a lot of roads in the state and national forests where you can go. If one of the roads starts getting too rocky for you, simply turn around! Don't let what other people say can't be done keep you from exploring and enjoying life. Most of the time naysayers are not speaking from experience but are just parroting what someone else has said. Many years ago, we ignored the people who said "You can't do that." and went to find out for ourselves if we could. In the process, we found an activity we very much enjoy!
*The unspoken general rule is that whichever group of trucks is smallest moves out of the way of the larger group. On that trip, there were six in our group and two in theirs. They were also closest to the spots where one could pull over.
