Sold/Expired Durhamtown wants your input!

BMan · Aug 9, 2012

Mike D asked me to post this up on other boards. As it says below post up comments here or email him directly. I'll try to facilitate the conversation or answer any questions as best as possible. Thanks in advance for your input!

"Ok folks. here it is in a nutshell, What are the good the bad and ugly about DP that needs to change. Also as some of you know I am due to return back to the sand box here soon. When I come back well my future is unclear if I will still be working at DP. I would love to stay but with how some things are going I am not sure it would be cost effect for me to stay. So why I am still here and still might be able to make some changes give them to me. What do we do right, what do we need to improve on and what do we need to scrap and start over with. I am looking for straight answers dont beat around the bush. I have thick skin so its ok if ya bash me, but for this park to go forward I need your help.

If you want to post them here you can, or you can email me as well [email protected]

Thanks so much and I will be seeing you all for the Fall Crawl..

Mike D"

TBItoy · Aug 9, 2012

I didn't know there was any trails there besides "slippery nipple".

After paying to race the ECORS race and paying to camp, I didn't want to pay another $30 to be able to drive my race truck around the rest of the park.

BMan · Aug 9, 2012

Nick the race course only weaved through one of the 4x4 trail areas and used only of the forrest service like trails plus the newly cut areas just for the race course. Slippery Nipple (B and C class) and another natural rocky area by some hill climbs (name escapes me but it's not seen from the race course) being 2 of the more major rock areas on that side. Down from the RV park going the other way are some of the other trail areas I haven't seen all of that side yet though. The wife was playing on boulder ridge with our buggy and had a blast! That area is a ridge with all natural rock, ledges and boulders with multiple lines from tame to pretty hard. There are suppose to be some really hard ledges that not many have been abke to climb but since I haven't seen them or the rest of that area I can't speak for the difficulty. There is also the obstacle course area futher behind the lodge that's fun. We walked the whole thing with the buggy many times. I'm personally not fond of the culverts they used there especially with the brocken ones with rebar sticking out ready to grab tires.

Also I believe they were giving racers discounts if they wanted to ride but I don't remember what it was. Cost is always a concern and others have mentioned the rates need to be aligned with other parks.

Keep the comments coming if you've wheeled there. They need to know what ya'll think! :dblthumb:

Edit: Natural area on same side as slippery nipple isn't called boulder ridge, name escapes me this 5 minutes....

Ricky 79cj-7 · Aug 10, 2012

We are down here in Orlando and used to go to River Rock quite often because it was the closest park to us. Now that it is closed we decided to check out Durhamtown since it is almost the same distance. It has the potential to be a great park for the River Rock type crowd, it just needs to get more traffic so that new trails can be created. There are tons of trails (total of 750 acres, I think) with some decent hill climb areas. Most of them are just clay hills, but with the amount of rock at boulder ridge, you could easily add some rock to the hills to increase the difficulty. There are no bounty hill type climbs there, but if you look at the reality there are only a handful of guys hitting those type trails anyway. Boulder ridge is a great place to play for a couple hours with anything from a stock jeep to buggies. Most of it is overgrown because it doesn't get a lot of traffic, but we found a few 6-7 foot ledges that are fun. There are also a few ravines that could easily be pretty cool trails.

I think the biggest downfall to the park is the cost. Most parks are around $50-$75 for the weekend and include camping. At Durhamtown you have to pay for $25 driver and $10 per/passengers each day, and pay an additional $20/night to camp. Don't spend any more time or money on the culvert section. Guys with stock jeeps are afraid to play on it, and anyone with a decent rig will crawl right through all of it.

To be honest, initially when looking at the pics and videos on the internet we were not interested in Durhamtown at all, but after actually going there for Memorial Day and checking it out, we are planning to take our club there for Labor Day weekend to replace our annual River Rock trip. Of course, pics never do a trail or obstacle justice, so we thought everything there was pretty flat, but there actually are places with nice elevation changes. Obviously this park doesn't compare to Harlan, or Choccolocco, but is a great place for anyone on 33" - 38" tires. With a lot more traffic and some work, it could even be challenging for the 38"- 42" inch crowd.

zukiscott · Aug 15, 2012

All I gotta say is they just need to keep doin what their doin with the place cause it has got good terrain for what we like to ride "and a lot of it" and we WILL come there to wheel ;D

and I RRRRRRREALLY hope there will be more ECORS races there,,,,,that course was RETARDED FUN to race on ;D

gray tj · Aug 15, 2012

I will be there on the 23rd to ride my quad and bring my rig,So I will give you some input during or after,if you are there next weekend stop by and visit ,staying in the "turkey roost"cabin..Eddie

Mongo44 · Aug 16, 2012

it would be easier to figure out that there were truck trails if they had a damn map that wasnt drawn by a lil kid... :

crawlin85cj · Aug 17, 2012

That was one of the best places I've raced. Having food onsite was a huge bonus. The only complaint I have is having to pay $90 to sleep in my race trailer while supplying my own power, water and sewer. That was a first

Ricky 79cj-7 · Sep 19, 2012

This place is over 6500 acres and has the potential to be a very cool place to wheel, it just needs more traffic. Here's a few pics from different areas of the park to give everyone an idea of what Durhamtown has to offer.