Rapidan Road

[Gregg DiSalvo]

Hey guys, Wondering if anybody has experience driving the road leading to the rapidan after a big rain.  Wondering fi I should attempt this endeavor Saturday. I have access to a car with clearance for once and figured I'd finally give this one a go.  If yall expect the road to be nasty, I have plenty of other streams I like after hard rains, but would love to cross this one off. 

Gregg

[Andrew Sarcinello]

The bulk of the rain looks to stay north of that area (if forecast holds steady), though they could still see 0.5-1 inch of rain tomorrow night.  I can't speak for the condition of that road but I know the road to the Conway has gotten pretty bad in the past few months.  But I always heard the Rapidan road was always pretty rough to begin with so I don't know if the conditions going to the Conway have any correlation.

[TurbineBlade]

Take this from a guy with a 9-month-old who hasn't been that way in almost a full year now, but both roads are fairly rough compared to virtually any road I had previously driven on, and I grew up in rural Missouri and lived on a 7 mile long dirt road.  

The road to the Con does wash-out in about 3-4 sections after a good rain, so expect to drive over standing water + large stones at times.  The road to the Rap is mostly rough at the initial section and then further toward the Hoover camps.  Well, the whole road is rough, but those are the sections that are most rocky and or littered with dips and holes.  

If you have something like a subaru, you'll be fine.  Some people will only take a truck up there, and some seem to do okay with small passenger cars.  I don't care what anyone does, but in the numerous trips Beth and I made to both of those streams in the past 4-5 years, we have seen one ford taurus with its oil pan stripped out and ditched at the first parking turnout, and at least one TPFR member high-centered his mitsubishi up there back in 2010. As luck would have it, another fisherman with a ford 150 came along and pulled him off of it., and he only had cosmetic damage, surprisingly.   

TB

[Gregg DiSalvo]

Yeah, having never driven the road before, I am slightly wary.  I may opt for a smaller, high grade stream if we end up going.  I am always game for some fishing and hiking in the rain, but my compatriot doesn't do this type of fishing, so he may back out.

Gregg

On Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Gregg DiSalvo wrote:

[Danny Barrett]

havent fished the rap in a while.  been up there after huge rains and almost got a yukon stuck.  if you are not afraid of a hike.  i know there are trails out there that start just past that sign that says end state road maintenance.  not 100% sure how long they take to get to the river, but i know they go there.  

other opition is to park down like your hiking tup to Devils Ditch.  From there its only a mile or so hike along the river to get to where the rapidan road has the first pull off by the river (for those that know the rap, its where someone mounted up a ton of dirt on that trail that cuts back parallel to the rapidan road, please chime in).

i can try and mark up a google maps image if you'd like Gregg.  i may happen to love the rap a lil to much lol

Thanks,

Dan Barrett

dannyt...@gmail.com

(540)-222-8064

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[Gregg DiSalvo]

Thanks for the offer Danny, but I think we are gunna save Rapidan for another day!  Save you the trouble!

On Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Gregg DiSalvo wrote: