View topic - Roughest access road you drove on this year?

Had a rock knock my tailpipe off which in turn hit a brake line and dumped all the brake fluid on Rabbit Lake Road (Temagami region) this summer. Which got me to thinking.

What's the toughest roughest "4x4 only" road you've driven on to get to a put in this year? Or recently?

Can we nominate the toughest access road in Ontario?

Let's hear your stories.

Mine was not in Ontario, although I did travel some good old logging roads that are pretty rough.

But by far the roughest 4x4 road driven to a backcountry lake this summer was in Nova Scotia, Dunmaglass Mountain road. It cuts and winds its way over the mountains linking Ardness and Antigonish. Some awesome Trout lakes and streams up there as well. But if you don't know the area, be cautious, it is easy to get lost back there.

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Outbound2Explore

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. ~ Edward Abbey

My cottage road - it is less a maintained than any forestry road or provincial park road I have ever driven. (and yes that includes the old bare rock, following the hydro lines roads)

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No, your other left!
Loon Island Outdoors
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Last year - Trying to find a novel way to access the Nagagami River without taking a train or plane in. The old road we used was slowly reverting to bog in sections. Just after ice out, which no doubt didn't help. I was pretty sure we were stuck, when a good chunk of road slid out from underneath us while crossing a beaver dam runoff. Pulled the plug early and portaged 5.5km in - had only banked on 2.5km from where the bridge was removed. Ah well. Not a place you want to get stuck

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Hmm, haven't gone out too far remote away from Sudbury, but the roughest road I experienced was definitely the road up to Wold Lake and Chiniguchi after the turn off for Paradise Lagoon. I now see why most people choose to portage in instead of drive there. My van did make it out unscathed, but there were a few rocks that hit the bottom of my vehicle, and a few hills that I almost wasn't able to get up. If I had a better off road vehicle, like a truck or jeep, it would've been no problem.

Mine was just the regular run to Crotch Lake, North Frontenac Parklands.

You can get there most of the time in my VW Gold but sometimes it is much more suited to my Suburban.

In August the water level was so low that 4 or 5 vehicles could park out past the end which is normally underwater, but you need a 4WD to get back up if you drive down there it is a good shelf.

Love my Suburban but man it sucks gas compared to my Golf!

Well, last year, I drove down a road that lead to the southern end of thee Ottawa Temiskaming Highland trail. It was a hill that had turned into a stream.

Is that at the "newer" section of the trail? My mishap also occurred driving into the trail but it was Rabbit Lake Road that took a bite out of my truck.

This year - attempting to access the upper Madawaska via the hydro line in May. First ATV said you should be okay. Second ATV rider stopped us before we got too far into it. If it was my truck I would have turned around sooner.

Last year, on the way to the upper Gatineau we took some wrong turns on logging roads north of Ferme-Neuve . The road quickly deteriorated into a single track ATV trail. There was no place to turn around and we had to keep crawling along. At one point we had to inspect an incline to ensure the trucks wouldn't high point. Eventually the trail led to a clear cut where the road was established and we could link up to the proper path. Glad to have GPS, a good pick up with 4WD (that thankfully wasn't mine) and dry ground to get through it!

These are some great stories! Makes me want to get a truck...too bad I'm young and poor haha

Sounds like that may be by design.

I lost 3 tires on the Golden Road on my in and out of Allagash Lake in the north woods of Maine. Towing cost me $360 - cash only. Plus the cost of the tires, of course... We were stuck in the truck for 5 hours waiting for the tow truck. It was late May, so halfway between black fly and mosquito season season. Naturally the windows had to be up the entire time or we would have been eaten alive. I got to know my father in law REAL well.

To this day it's the most expensive trip I've ever taken.

Good times, good times.

The potholes on the Edmonton city streets are pretty bad this year.

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Dave W
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing" - Henry David Thoreau

Never never travel that road when they have just graded it and put more rock on.. That stuff is sharp. May is prime road grading time. Conditions ahead are a good question to ask at checkpoints.