Condition of Caribou Valley Road

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skimom

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Duck!
CVR, also known as Caribou Pond Road, is very drivable up to the metal bridge at 3.9miles from Route 27. There’s an area for parking right before the bridge.

After that, there’s a short rough uphill patch with big dips, and then there’s a wood bridge .2miles further down that is solid enough, but has huge ruts on each side that will swallow many small vehicles or even a small pick-up. There is another area here, before the bridge, for parking.

The AT crossing occurs at 4.4miles from Route 27 and there is parking for a few cars before, and just after, the crossing.

After the AT crossing, you’ll need a high clearance vehicle to continue. The road is fine for the most part, however, there are ruts and big dips here and there, as well as rocks that stick up in the road and some are quite large.

The road alternates between cozy and narrow enough that branches scrape both sides of the car at the same time. There are small pull offs about every ½ mile or so that you can stop to park if it’s gets too rough going or you need to turn around.

I have an all wheel drive with a suspension that I can increase (which I did) and I never bottomed out. It’s slow going, and there were a lot of “hold on to your pantyhose” moments. Nothing too scarey since the road is relatively flat and mostly dry with very little mud.

If you think you might go past the AT, pack a saw just in case. You don’t want to get trapped on the wrong side by a blowdown.
 
Thanks for the CVR update and extra details. I'm sure my hulking GMC could drive far up the road, though will be staying put near the AT crossing, since my 2 hikes are loops using parts of the AT. Too bad, I love driving rugged roads while holding on to my pantyhose. :eek:
 
I disagree with

you there on the drivability of CPR past the AT crossing. There is a significant drainage with a wooden bridge- about a .25 mile beyond the AT (if I remember right) that is in very poor shape. I would not risk it for any reason- even with a high clearance vehicle- for it may well collapse if the weight of a car (etc) tried to pass over it. I did see ATV tracks much further down towards the pond- but a truck going over this bridge- I don't know if it is worth it. It was hinky just to walk over it. Use your own judgement.

If you do drive over this bridge- I'd like to know. I would not mind being wrong on this matter, but I'd sure as hell hate to be right.
 
Hey woodstrider,

Check out this photo

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553079496/2982430400066420428TglOdP

My husband I drove all the way past the pond last week and yes the bridges are in really rough shape. I pretty much was holding my breath on this one (this was the bridge after the road forks past the AT crossing) and well, I may have said a few cursing words. The steel i-beams underneath are solid but the wood is fairly rotted out in some places...I would not recommend anyone attempting this unless you have extra gear in the car and lots of off road driving skills.

-MEB
 
Hey everyone (particularly Skimom), thanks for the updates on the road. I'm planning to finish my 14 :D on Redington within the next couple months, and I will certainly profit by the information.

.
 
MEB said:
Hey woodstrider,

Check out this photo

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553079496/2982430400066420428TglOdP

My husband I drove all the way past the pond last week and yes the bridges are in really rough shape. I pretty much was holding my breath on this one (this was the bridge after the road forks past the AT crossing) and well, I may have said a few cursing words. The steel i-beams underneath are solid but the wood is fairly rotted out in some places...I would not recommend anyone attempting this unless you have extra gear in the car and lots of off road driving skills.

-MEB

Aye carumba! You drove over that one? Last summer, I stopped just shy of it and walked across. On the way back, my foot went through in one spot. I can't believe it's still standing.

PS
Woodstrider, I think that bridge is more like a mile past the AT crossing, or at least it seemed that way.
 
MEB said:
Check out this photo

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553079496/2982430400066420428TglOdP

My husband I drove all the way past the pond last week and yes the bridges are in really rough shape. I pretty much was holding my breath on this one (this was the bridge after the road forks past the AT crossing) and well, I may have said a few cursing words. The steel i-beams underneath are solid but the wood is fairly rotted out in some places...I would not recommend anyone attempting this unless you have extra gear in the car and lots of off road driving skills.
I presume that you walked ahead with the camera and let your husband drive over... :)

Doug
 
Well...

I must say that you (MEB) have bigger ones then I. I was thinking of another bridge before that one (by the by).

Interesting observation DougPaul.
 
Here are my recent pics of CVR. I drove across the first wood bridge and wasn't worried about it giving way. The next two wood bridges, on the other hand, I did not drive over.

http://community.webshots.com/album/553365167JjZdGc

From Route 27.....
at 3.9 miles you reach a metal bridge
at 4.1 miles you reach the first wood bridge
at 4.4 miles the AT crosses the road
at 5.5 miles is the parking lot and a fork not shown on the map
at 5.6 miles is the wood bridge on the left fork from the parking lot
at almost 7 miles is the fork that branches around Caribou Pond and the last wood bridge crosses the river on the fork headed to the left

Hope this helps !
 
The parking lot at 5.5 miles is large enough for several cars although not many people make the drive all the way in.

Another point is that the clearing has been washed away and has a runoff rut thru the center. Even with this, there is plenty of parking on the sides and enough room to turn around.

Have a great time and watch for the biggest moose I've ever seen that lurks around that area.
 
skimom said:
The parking lot at 5.5 miles is large enough for several cars although not many people make the drive all the way in.

Another point is that the clearing has been washed away and has a runoff rut thru the center. Even with this, there is plenty of parking on the sides and enough room to turn around.

Have a great time and watch for the biggest moose I've ever seen that lurks around that area.

This is true about the moose. I had my little nissan on that road about 5 years ago and I came across a big moose in the middle of the road that did not want to move. I thought about honking my horn, but I was petrified about what the Big moose would do to my little car if he got mad.
 
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