A One-Day Getaway on the Trails

A classic off-road outing north of Kingston delivered steep hills, water crossings, and of course, a little mud.

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Words and Photos by Wes Branson

Off-roading is all the rage these days to enjoy the outdoors and gaining access to many types of activities. Since it has caught on within my circle of friends, we planned an adventurous, one-day ‘coterie’ north of Kingston, ON, to further hone our driving skills; build up some confidence for future trips; and most importantly enjoy the camaraderie amongst Mother Nature.

Our plan for the day was to hit the dirt on a hydro line between Ontario Highway 41 and 62. This was a relatively easy trail system, consisting of maintained-terrain, some moderate water crossings, a few steep descents, and where we could enjoy some scenery along the way. The rigs in the group were a mixed bag but they were all properly rigged to handle the trails in the event we hit some unexpected rough conditions.

In addition to my son Carter and I in my 2014 Jeep JK, Sean and Tori were running a 2020 JL; Tyler had his new GMC 3.0 L diesel and was riding with Mike; Cody’s had his 2018 Ram 1500; and Jay brought his 2016 Subaru Outback, which we nicknamed ‘Sweet n’ Lo.’

Once we were off the main highway, the road petered out and transitioned into the trail that leads through the hydro line. It wasn’t long before we came across the first steep descent. Although we had climbed steeper hills, the smiles and excitement were pretty apparent as everyone made it down without a hitch – figuratively speaking.

Rallying the group, we started to run at a nice leisurely pace before taking a quick break to enjoy the view. We then decided to take a trail that leads near Rock Candy Mountain, which provides good photo ops and a great view of the surrounding area. We then picked up the pace again and came to a shallow water crossing that was flanked by deep, dark, and muddy bogs, followed by a steep ascent.

After we played it safe through the bog, a few of us clambered up the hill and waited for the rest of the group. We were impressed when the GMC came up without any damage to its step bar and we were even more impressed when the Subie popped up quickly and effortlessly. Following a discussion on whether we should try another trail towards a local lake, we pressed on the main trail as it would be a bit of a challenge for Tyler’s GMC and Cody’s Ram.

For the remainder of the day, the trail weaved in and out of the surrounding forest and after we came across another muddy bog, we stopped to ensure everyone made it through without any issues. Although the rigs were a little muddier than we when we first left, all went well.

We then followed the trail to a highway bypass that took us to one of the many old historic colonization roads in this region of Ontario. Although a simple route, it’s basically an unmaintained dirt road. Yet, it has some interesting history, and we stopped to check out the old bridges and scarce remains of villages that once existed.

Following a morning and a good portion of an afternoon on the trails, the weather started to turn on us with unexpected rain, forcing us to call it a day. So, we headed for the nearest community of Bancroft for a late lunch.

While the day lacked some of the usual technical challenges we commonly take on, the wide smiles and stories being told around the table with a few cold ones and in the company of friends simply meant this won’t be the last outing with this group of wheelers.