Smokey Mountain Trail - BOH

[NJRadioGuy]

I agree with that. A BoH trail should be doable by something Jeep sells off the lot.

I'm pretty sure the Rubicon trim was supposed to be able to do its namesake trail stock or nearly-stock, and I believe the engineering team at the time did just that. But that also implies expert and highly-experienced driver(s) were behind the wheel, and most likely a support team with spare parts and maybe a welder

But now there's the issue of the 2-dr versus 4-dr versus Gladiator, each will have its own pros and cons for any given trail. With the appropriate tires, a modest suspension lift, rock sliders, and a winch, average-experience drivers can do a heck of a lot and I'd say 90% of the BoH trails, but there's a few that are absolutely exclusionary and personally that's my issue.

I dream of doing the Rubicon someday, but I won't do it until I go up to 37s. and get more experience. This is my daily and I'm not cool with body damage or rolling it, etc. I'm pretty well built for crawling and could probably handle the Rubicon with a good group and excellent spotting, but not Pritchett-level built, nor do I want to be. I'm keeping mine a hybrid of overlander and moderate rock crawler, and beyond where I'm at now, I'd have to go full-in on one or the other.

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[Trails]

I agree with that. A BoH trail should be doable by something Jeep sells off the lot. Unless and until Jeep starts selling Jeeps that can do Pritchett Canyon, trails like Pritchett Canyon really should not be on the BoH list. This doesn't mean that every Jeep they sell has to be capable of doing Pritchett. It means tnat they should have at least "some" (well-optioned) Jeeps they sell that are capable of doing Pritchett. Heck, even Bronco has a model with 37s they sell off the lot. Jeeps from a dealer max out at 35s with 1.5" (or 2" ?) factory lift.

I'm pretty sure the Rubicon trim was supposed to be able to do its namesake trail stock or nearly-stock, and I believe the engineering team at the time did just that. But that also implies expert and highly-experienced driver(s) were behind the wheel, and most likely a support team with spare parts and maybe a welder

But now there's the issue of the 2-dr versus 4-dr versus Gladiator, each will have its own pros and cons for any given trail. With the appropriate tires, a modest suspension lift, rock sliders, and a winch, average-experience drivers can do a heck of a lot and I'd say 90% of the BoH trails, but there's a few that are absolutely exclusionary and personally that's my issue.

I dream of doing the Rubicon someday, but I won't do it until I go up to 37s. and get more experience. This is my daily and I'm not cool with body damage or rolling it, etc. I'm pretty well built for crawling and could probably handle the Rubicon with a good group and excellent spotting, but not Pritchett-level built, nor do I want to be. I'm keeping mine a hybrid of overlander and moderate rock crawler, and beyond where I'm at now, I'd have to go full-in on one or the other.

Agreed. I have wheeled neither Rubicon , nor Pritchett, but from the research and reading trail reports, it does seem that Pritchett is in another league. I do beleive a stcck XR Rubicon on 35s and winch could do the Rubican trail, so Jeep might be on point there by naming it the Jeep "Rubicon". But, Pritchett and a handful of others are semi-crazy on stock from what it appears in trail reports.

 

[NJRadioGuy]

Agreed. I have wheeled neither Rubicon , nor Pritchett, but from the research and reading trail reports, it does seem that Pritchett is in another league. I do beleive a stcck XR Rubicon on 35s and winch could do the Rubican trail, so Jeep might be on point there by naming it the Jeep "Rubicon". But, Pritchett and a handful of others are semi-crazy on stock from what it appears in trail reports.

Yep. Pritchett, Holy Cross, Dusy Ershim in Cali, and Beasley Knob Trail 93B are hard nos. Even Crawl Daddy at Rausch Creek (a red-rated trail) was crazy-hard, but skid plates, rock sliders and a world-class spotter got me up that one. I don't get my ya-yas doing hardcore rock crawling.

 

[Trails]

Yep. Pritchett, Holy Cross, Dusy Ershim in Cali, and Beasley Knob Trail 93B are hard nos. Even Crawl Daddy at Rausch Creek (a red-rated trail) was crazy-hard, but skid plates, rock sliders and a world-class spotter got me up that one. I don't get my ya-yas doing hardcore rock crawling.

I think for Beasley Knob in GA you don't have to do a particular trail to qualify as BoH. Like Gulches in SC, it is open as to what you choose to run. As far as I know, those are at least a couple places (Beasley and Gulches) tnat don't name a particular trail as the BoH trail. They seem like "Jeeper's choice." Pick any, and qualify for a badge. Others, such as Dickey Bell #91 or Windrock #26, for example, even have the numbers on the physical badges. No numbers on the Beasley or Gulches badges.

Also noteworthy is that the most difficult trail is not necessarilty the BoH trail. Off the top of my head, at Uwharrie, the "Daniel" trail is more difficult than "Dickey Bell", but Dickey Bell is the BoH trail.

 

[NJRadioGuy]

I think for Beasley Knob in GA you don't have to do a particular trail to qualify as BoH. Like Gulches in SC, it is open as to what you choose to run. As far as I know, those are at least a couple places (Beasley and Gulches) tnat don't name a particular trail as the BoH trail. They seem like "Jeeper's choice." Pick any, and qualify for a badge. Others, such as Dickey Bell #91 or Windrock #26, for example, even have the numbers on the physical badges. No numbers on the Beasley or Gulches badges.

Also noteworthy is that the most difficult trail is not necessarilty the BoH trail. Off the top of my head, at Uwharrie, the "Daniel" trail is more difficult than "Dickey Bell", but Dickey Bell is the BoH trail.

Correct on all accounts. I did all of Beasley Knob except 93B over about 4 hours. I absolutely loved that trail network, although I could definitely see why they shut it down when wet. When I went back in April, the South had been very dry for quite some time so I got to do it and Gulches when it was just dusty earth.

Speaking of Windrock, when the BoH program decided a park could have no more than 2 qualifying trails, they made what I consider to be the right call and retired Trail #16 from the BoH program. Both Panther Rock and Trail 26 were legit difficult but were more a driver challenge than a vehicle challenge. My favourite trail combination at Windrock was across 22 Blue, down 27, and up 26 for the Badge. The perfect combination of challenge and enjoyment, IMHO. At Rausch Creek, on the other hand, they retired Trail #11, which was a glorified dirt road with a couple of washouts, but kept the red-rated Crawl Daddy.

 

[Trails]

Correct on all accounts. I did all of Beasley Knob except 93B over about 4 hours. I absolutely loved that trail network, although I could definitely see why they shut it down when wet. When I went back in April, the South had been very dry for quite some time so I got to do it and Gulches when it was just dusty earth.

Speaking of Windrock, when the BoH program decided a park could have no more than 2 qualifying trails, they made what I consider to be the right call and retired Trail #16 from the BoH program. Both Panther Rock and Trail 26 were legit difficult but were more a driver challenge than a vehicle challenge. My favourite trail combination at Windrock was across 22 Blue, down 27, and up 26 for the Badge. The perfect combination of challenge and enjoyment, IMHO. At Rausch Creek, on the other hand, they retired Trail #11, which was a glorified dirt road with a couple of washouts, but kept the red-rated Crawl Daddy.

At Windrock, we came down 27, and as we were approaching 26, it started pouring rain. We made the call to bail out. It's not on the map, but if you continue straight on 27 instead of making the right onto trail 26, trail 27 becomes a gravel road that comes out on local streets near the historic closed prison in Petros, TN. So, we missed running 26 (the badge trail), but we will be back. There's so much to explore at Windrock. Never been to Rausch.

 

[drkshaw]

This is a great conversation for a relative newby like me to read. Thanks! I've been on Peter's Mill (rather boring) and Windrock 26. I hope to get to Smoky Mountain, Gulches, Uwharrie, Brown Mountain, Beasley Knob, and perhaps Panther Rock 51. I haven't heard anyone mention Brown Mountain. How is that one?

 

[Trails]

This is a great conversation for a relative newby like me to read. Thanks! I've been on Peter's Mill (rather boring) and Windrock 26. I hope to get to Smoky Mountain, Gulches, Uwharrie, Brown Mountain, Beasley Knob, and perhaps Panther Rock 51. I haven't heard anyone mention Brown Mountain. How is that one?

Haven't run Brown's Mountain. I believe (but not 100% sure) that it has recently been added to the BoH list. So, there is probably not a lot of attention paid to it compared to longer standing BoH trails.

 

[NJRadioGuy]

This is a great conversation for a relative newby like me to read. Thanks! I've been on Peter's Mill (rather boring) and Windrock 26. I hope to get to Smoky Mountain, Gulches, Uwharrie, Brown Mountain, Beasley Knob, and perhaps Panther Rock 51. I haven't heard anyone mention Brown Mountain. How is that one?

Haven't been to Brown Mountain yet either. I hope to do it and Dickie Bell this fall, after the N.C. summer heat breaks. Peter's Mill really is a dull trail compared to a host of other non-badge trails a bit further south. Big Levels is probably my favourite trail in VA., followed closely by Dunkle Hollow.

Don't make a special trip to Gulches unless you're in a severely built rig or a buggy. Most of their trails are for crazy stuff; it's just the connector roads that are for regular daily-driver Jeeps, and you can bang every one of those out in 2 hours, max. And it's a LONG way to get to/from the park. I did it once, and I'm glad I got the badge, but I see no reason to go back again. By comparison, I'd go back to SMORR in Missouri again in a heartbeat, and ditto Beasley Knob. I think PeeWee's Crossing is one of my favourite trails of all time.

Outdoors in the Smokies is a short trail but it has its challenges. I would recommend doing it for sure. Panther Rock is harder than 26 but absolutely doable in a daily driver, especially if you have recovery gear since there are some deep mud pits if the weather is wet. It wasn't when I was there.

 

[wibornz]

I agree with that. A BoH trail should be doable by something Jeep sells off the lot. Unless and until Jeep starts selling Jeeps that can do Pritchett Canyon, trails like Pritchett Canyon really should not be on the BoH list. This doesn't mean that every Jeep they sell has to be capable of doing Pritchett. It means tnat they should have at least "some" (well-optioned) Jeeps they sell that are capable of doing Pritchett. Heck, even Bronco has a model with 37s they sell off the lot. Jeeps from a dealer max out at 35s with 1.5" (or 2" ?) factory lift. Trails like Pritchett are not "Jeep" BoH . They are Rock Krawler / Next Venture / Steer Smarts / King / Currie , etc. BoH trails

I am okay with the harder trails being a badge trail as I am okay with an easy trail being a badge trail. What I don't like is a trail that is not a trail. Like Table Mesa was a dirt road that you could drive 60 mph on with a mini van. The only saving grace was there was easily a months worth of good off roading in the area. Or a trail like Peters Mill run. Once again doable with a mini van and not really a trail. Nothing in the area that was making up for it. Well maybe the good Mexican restaurant in the near by town.

 

[wibornz]

I'm pretty sure the Rubicon trim was supposed to be able to do its namesake trail stock or nearly-stock, and I believe the engineering team at the time did just that. But that also implies expert and highly-experienced driver(s) were behind the wheel, and most likely a support team with spare parts and maybe a welder

But now there's the issue of the 2-dr versus 4-dr versus Gladiator, each will have its own pros and cons for any given trail. With the appropriate tires, a modest suspension lift, rock sliders, and a winch, average-experience drivers can do a heck of a lot and I'd say 90% of the BoH trails, but there's a few that are absolutely exclusionary and personally that's my issue.

I dream of doing the Rubicon someday, but I won't do it until I go up to 37s. and get more experience. This is my daily and I'm not cool with body damage or rolling it, etc. I'm pretty well built for crawling and could probably handle the Rubicon with a good group and excellent spotting, but not Pritchett-level built, nor do I want to be. I'm keeping mine a hybrid of overlander and moderate rock crawler, and beyond where I'm at now, I'd have to go full-in on one or the other.

Just know I spotted a basically stock Rubicon Unlimited through the Rubicon trail with no damage. Granted, he did have 35s but no lift. I probably stacked and unstacked 10,000 pounds of rock. We did have to winch him twice.

 

[drkshaw]

Haven't been to Brown Mountain yet either. I hope to do it and Dickie Bell this fall, after the N.C. summer heat breaks. Peter's Mill really is a dull trail compared to a host of other non-badge trails a bit further south. Big Levels is probably my favourite trail in VA., followed closely by Dunkle Hollow.

Don't make a special trip to Gulches unless you're in a severely built rig or a buggy. Most of their trails are for crazy stuff; it's just the connector roads that are for regular daily-driver Jeeps, and you can bang every one of those out in 2 hours, max. And it's a LONG way to get to/from the park. I did it once, and I'm glad I got the badge, but I see no reason to go back again. By comparison, I'd go back to SMORR in Missouri again in a heartbeat, and ditto Beasley Knob. I think PeeWee's Crossing is one of my favourite trails of all time.

Outdoors in the Smokies is a short trail but it has its challenges. I would recommend doing it for sure. Panther Rock is harder than 26 but absolutely doable in a daily driver, especially if you have recovery gear since there are some deep mud pits if the weather is wet. It wasn't when I was there.

Thank you for this. Very helpful. I have a 2026 Wrangler Moab 392 with a winch, bottle jack and recovery gear, but no other significant mods. How much of Gulches could I do in that? I'm asking because it's the closest big park to my home in Charleston, so it's an easy day trip. Uwharrie is almost as close. Your analysis of these trails is great; I really appreciate it.

 

[NJRadioGuy]

Thank you for this. Very helpful. I have a 2026 Wrangler Moab 392 with a winch, bottle jack and recovery gear, but no other significant mods. How much of Gulches could I do in that? I'm asking because it's the closest big park to my home in Charleston, so it's an easy day trip. Uwharrie is almost as close. Your analysis of these trails is great; I really appreciate it.

You can easily do the green/blue trails at Gulches, and if you're with a group of hardcore guys they could probably guide you down a handful of the harder trails as well. I was solo and the only vehicle in the park late on a Sunday afternoon (after Outdoors In The Smokies) so I wasn't about to take any risks whatsoever. Ruts and washouts are the primary obstacles. Add mud and it's virtually impassable unless you're built for hardcore mudding IMHO.

 

[drkshaw]

You can easily do the green/blue trails at Gulches, and if you're with a group of hardcore guys they could probably guide you down a handful of the harder trails as well. I was solo and the only vehicle in the park late on a Sunday afternoon (after Outdoors In The Smokies) so I wasn't about to take any risks whatsoever. Ruts and washouts are the primary obstacles. Add mud and it's virtually impassable unless you're built for hardcore mudding IMHO.

Got it. Thank you very much. That will guide me well when I get to go there!

 

[Trails]

Got it. Thank you very much. That will guide me well when I get to go there!

If you are almost as close to Uwharrie, it's a no brainer. Go to Uwharrie. Dickey Bell is a great, fun trail. Doable on 35s. Doable on less if you take the by-pass, but much of the fun is on the uphill rocky section.

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