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Post by AegisIII on Jun 14, 2021 12:40:55 GMT -8
I'm thinking of doing a short Mid State Trail hike in Bald Eagle State forest soon. Does anyone know recent road conditions for Stillhouse Hollow Rd between Sand Mtn Rd and the MST? I know it's called a drivable trail and so perhaps I should go somewhere else, and plenty of internet mentions suggests it is on the rough side. OTOH, I know it has been driven, and aerial photos suggest a normal gravel road, or at least the stretches outside of the forest canopy.
Or, how does it compare, better/worse/about same to the following roads?
Fifteenmilecreek Rd (between Green Ridge Rd & Deep Run MD)
FS75 (highest part before entering Dolly Sods WV)
Jacks Tower Rd (west of Orbisonia to summit Butler Knob PA)
northern Frederick Wathershed MD gravel rds
gravel road along Sleepy Creek Lake WV
Siglerville-Millheim Pike (Kish Valley to MST PA)
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Post by AegisIII on Jun 18, 2021 19:28:09 GMT -8
To answer my question...
It depends. The start of Stillhouse Hollow Rd off of Sand Mountain Rd is a typical state forest gravel road, perhaps a touch narrower than usual. After passing a (private?) cabin, it deteriorates into a double track dirt road; I'd compare it to Fifteenmilecreek Rd, drivable but not fun. After about 0.4 miles from Sand Mtn, came the first mud pit. I made it through, but decided to not go on further and so turned around. The other issue with stillhouse hollow involved the spruce trees lining the road. Given the weather, time of day, and driving direction, it is tough to see as the windshield became a fractal pattern of bright light and deep dark patches, moving upward almost as if smoke was billowing out from the hood. This made actually seeing the road surface in any detail rather difficult.
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ki0eh
Trail Wise!
Posts: 47 
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Post by ki0eh on Sept 12, 2021 10:33:32 GMT -8
Sorry I haven't been checking the forums much lately, hope you have been well. I was on Stillhouse Hollow Rd recently and verified conditions as in post #2. It probably isn't the best for an ordinary car. I wouldn't drive anything but my 4wd truck on it.
Nearby alternatives are:
-Sand Mountain Trail Head for the multi-sport motorcycles, on Sand Mountain Rd a bit east of the Stillhouse Hollow Rd intersection. From there likely the best walk over to MST is to backtrack on Sand Mountain Rd to Stillhouse Hollow Rd. Horse Path shown on some maps is not maintained over the county line ridge to MST, and it was partially obscured by bulldozing a deer exclosure on the north slope of the ridge. It is a distinct excavated trail over the ridgeline both sides but hard to get onto it from either end. Depending on skill and frame of mind it could be a challenge or frustration.
-From eastbound US 322, right after the place where trucks stop to check brakes before going down Seven Mountains Hill, there is a gap in the guiderail with no sign, to a grassy double track that is smooth enough for a Mazda3 to a wider grassy parking spot for maybe 6-8 cars. Some maps call this Ben Jacobs Trail. Walking on this away from 322 will soon cross the MST. At that intersection, a left turn compass-south is trail-north on MST to an underpass under the US 322 expressway. Tall folks or backpackers need to duck for this 90 feet culvert and in high water the walkway is covered with water (and in winter, possibly ice).
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Post by AegisIII on Sept 12, 2021 20:14:42 GMT -8
I thought about the Ben Jacobs option after my adventure. I think if I were to stop at the truck check place, and then follow a truck down, that would probably be a good way to reasonably turn off the road (and I think my car would handle it). Less sure about Sand Mtn and using the vertical trails over the mountain. Those trails have been giving me issues lately, especially downhill, and so I've decided I need a maximum slope that I won't exceed. (Squat-sliding my way down the Little Mtn Trail and literally crawling up the Pole Bridge Trail in the Bear Valley area of Buchanan SF got me to change my mind.)
I've been relatively fine, and do my near-weekly hikes; for the last year-and-half, I've been specializing in unpopular hikes, which for me isn't much of a change. Also kept w/i 50 miles of home until recently BESF/SST in June was my first 50+ mile drive since March 2020, and yesterday up to SGL 170 was my second) Did have a stomach bug for a week at the end of June about 2 weeks after my adventure up north, but that's all gone now.
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