Uwharrie newb question

MCDavis

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Location
Sanford, NC
Wife and I bought a 2004 Wrangler Unlimited (LJ), it's currently still stock. Uwharrie's only an hour or so from us. Are there trails that we could ride in wet conditions and not have any trouble? I did some wheeling many years ago in a Jeepster Commando, but it too was stock.

Also, how well are the trails marked? Will it be easy for us to go in and out without winding up on the wrong trail for our skill level? I've downloaded maps of the area.

Suggestions of any type are welcome other than modification suggestions. Really don't want to start those until I've done some stock rides.

Tires are Uniroyal Laredo Cross Country's 30 x 9.5 x 15, practically brand new. Used dealer I bought it from put them on to sell it...probably due to cost.

Any input is greatly appreciated!!

Also, if there is a better forum for this, please tell me or mods move my post. This looked like the best place to me.
 
I woud stay away from there when it is wet! Try it dry first! a differant world when it is wet! Would not like for your 1st trip to be a bad one! And also do not go alone!!!!!! trails are not marked good you will get a map at the store where you need to get a pass! Stay AWAY from Daniel!!!!!!! that is the MOST difficult trail there and the first trailhead you will come to keep going to the double parking area and try the loop IF DRY!
Hope this helps!!!
later,
Bradley C
 
Just head down there and when you start to get uncomfortable, turn around.
 
BigRedB2 said:
Just head down there and when you start to get uncomfortable, turn around.
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Thought about this, but I figured the trails weren't wide enough for me to be meeting oncoming traffic.
Also, alone (as in only 1 vehicle...wife will be with me) may be my only option if we don't meet up with other new wheelers as we don't know anybody who does this, yet.
I only said "wet" because we are thinking about going tomorrow and it's rained just a little :rolleyes: the last few days.
 
stay on wolf den til ya get comfortable. you drive that trail "easy" when its wet.

Smart idea not going by yourself, but URE is a popular place filled with friendly folks. almost everyone there would be willing to help pull someone over a rock or out of a hole if they came accross some one in need. again, wolf den is one of those trails that unless your retarded isnt going to get you in trouble.
 
Hmmm..... you from Sanford? The name is right...if so, I talked to you a couple of weeks ago at the Kangaroo on Spring Lane.

Drop me a PM, a couple of us are going next Saturday, probably taking the CJ's.
 
Don't know much about uniroyal cross country tires. Sounds like street tires to me or at least a mild tread. I would say wait till you have a group to go with on a dry day. You will have much more fun. Check out jeeperz.com they have a NC chapter and go to URE. They're a great bunch to go with. Considering you are stock with mild tires in muddy conditions, alone, on a sunday (limited ability to get parts) and limited experience. Don't go yet
 
My wife and I were in the same situation I currently have a bone stock 97 Wrangler Se (Which means 4 cylinder). We went to URE for the first time in Septemper teh only thing we did different was I borrowed a buddies 31x11.5 super swampers. We had a ball I did beat the crap out of the skid pan on my gas tank but other than that no major casualties.

There are some really great beginer trails there the best advice I can give is know the capabilities of your vehicle don't try more than it can handle. I have found this website a excellent site for information, I've kinda felt like informationn mooch because I have recieved alot of great information but have not contributed much. Main thing is just go to have fun and be careful.
 
You would enjoy wolfs den and falls damn. If you still want more go ahead and run dickey bell. Only one hill on that to worry about for a stocker but still shouldn't be a problem. If you still want more go for saw mill and slab pile. I would recomend staying off of rocky mountain loop in a stocker.
 
Get new tires. Even if they're cheap MTs, those ATs are going to turn into slicks in the Uwharrie mud. Even a light rain can make some trails semi-hazardous for a stocker on ATs. I'm a fan of the Winston Winners for a cheap MT tread. Kumhos or something similar is also a safe bet. Either way, it'll make the Jeep look so much better, and make the mud something to be less intimidated of. Hell, the state roads in the forest can get pretty hairy when it's muddy! I slid a Jetta right off the shoulder the first time I ventured into the forest, and I was just trying to get to the campground!
 
BigRedB2 said:
.... again, wolf den is one of those trails that unless your retarded isnt going to get you in trouble.
Click to expand...

That made me laugh, BECAUSE we came across at stock Cherokee and a brand new Grand Cherokee that had some issues on Wolf Den. The little mini ledge before you get to the turn off for Falls Dam, the stock Cherokee on 235s got high centered on it. Had to pull him off with one of our trucks, and had to navigate the Grand up to the side at an angle. Great group of guys, but they had never gone wheeling...they did have a nice brand new never used tow strap they got to put to use though.

But that is just an example of what can happen going un-prepared, but on 30"s I wouldn't worry too much doing Wolf Den and Falls Dam dry. The hill climb on Dickey bell might be a little bit tricky but you should be able to do it. We got a Grand Cherokee with a 2" lift and 235s up it. Slab pile and Sawmill aren't too bad, but you will probably have some bottom scraping. Only thing about Rocky Mount is the descent areas going down after Kodak Rock. If you take the wrong line with less clearance you might get some rocker panel modifications. And again like said when its wet Falls Dam can even be interesting.

I have gone out there alone ONCE and done a down Dickey Bell, and then up Falls Dam run but its not something to do on your first time out. If I had busted something even on those easy trails it would have sucked badly. So best bet is to go with someone else if possible, but it all depends on what your comfortable with. And oh yes about Daniel, as long as your coming from the parking lot side you have nothing to worry about. If you accidentally get on Daniel you will come face to face with the ledge and other obstacles right off the bat. There is room to turn around and go back if that happens. Accidentally getting on Daniel from the Rocky Mnt side and going down it is another story...hope you have a good set of brakes. :beer:
 
Well, we rode over there and eventually found the Wolfden trail head. Jeep did great, although we did bang it up underneath some. I was surprised at the amount of rocks we had to go over. There was only 1 time I had to back off and pick a different line because the rear tires wouldn't climb the rock. There was also 1 time I chose to go left up a slight hill to avoid some rocks. My wife swears we were way too far over, but we weren't.

The tires are definitely a street tread, but did very well all things considered. Will probably stick with them for a while since they're new and URE is closing soon, anyway.

We're trying to figure out if we stayed only on Wolfden or if we wandered onto another trail. At one point there was a mud hill to our right which I wasn't comfortable with because we were alone. We went left instead, and that's when we came to the one rock I couldn't get over without changing course. We did exit at the Wolfden exit, but looking at the map I'm wondering if we wandered onto Dutch John or Falls Dam. We did avoid Slab Pile.

A few things I now know: 1. TAKE ANOTHER ORV WITH YOU! We had no problems, but could have.
2. Skid plates will be the first mod. Simple protection that could be the difference in driving off the trail and being towed.
3. Slow and easy is best...and fun!

I would welcome any insight into my trail question, and any further input anyone would like to share.

Kaiser715...yep, it's me my friend! We were discussing camping trailers that day. Would love to go, but we've got the kids next weekend so I won't be able to. In fact, due to the holidays it'll be almost a month before I can go out again! But, I think we're going to go to Carolina Beach and ride some Thanksgiving weekend. I'll keep you in mind the next time we get a chance to go.
 
If you went left and not up the small muddy hill to the right then you verd onto fallsdamn for a bit. Glad you had a good experince on your first ride out.
 
Wolf Den is a short trail, unless you were only out there for maybe 20 minutes or so you ended up on a different trail. If you ended up on Falls Dam you would have came across the soup bowl a large mud pit, among a few rocky areas. If you ended up on Dutch John you would of went up the hill climb that has walls on each side as high as your vehicle. Because unless you looped back around and out the entrance of Wolf Den, you would dump out on one of the 2 exits to Falls Dam.

EDIT:Looks like I was just a little bit too late, haha.
 
We did wind up at a soup bowl...has 2 parking lot/campgrounds on each side of it. We cut over to the one below, and when we came out a couple guys on 4wheelers were going around it, followed a TJ and a Cherokee with nice lifts...obviously more experienced than us! No one went through the pit while we were there. Not sure if that's the one you mean or not, but I knew I wasn't going in!!
 
When dry, your street tires will do anything there except a mud hole! Swampers rule when it is WET...because they clear out better, and carolina clay likes to stuff itself in your tires and stay there.

You heard this already but Wolfs Den and Falls Dam are the two easiest to do...personally I like coming in from the Falls Dam side, climbing the hills and then coming out Wolfs Den.

Another short section that is really fun is the end of the road where you turn right onto Falls Dam or LEFT onto Dickey Bell. There is a short section there that crosses a creek twice then crosses another service road before starting into the main trail.

That one little section is really cool and will give ya just a bit of fun coming out of the creek with wet tires and up that little rocky ledge.

Look at the LOWRIDER in the WOODS folder in my webshots account to see me on these trails in a stock YJ with street tires. My only mod on it was a Lock Right in the rear.

Glad you enjoyed yourself...oh, a 48" Hi-Jack is not a bad idea. You CAN use it to move your rig 4 feet at a time, "winch like" if you really must!

Much better to have a buddy with you and a good 20' strap (loops on both ends, d rings, etc) instead...

http://community.webshots.com/user/shinton1970
 
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