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South Columbus - Rt 23 Quarry

19K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Dkgbaby 
#1 ·
About the only remaining trail close to Columbus, this quarry area is on Rt 23 on the south side of the city. If you take 270 south to Route 23, go north on Rt 23. There is a shopping center on the left with a Lowes, Kroger, etc. When you get to Taco Bell turn left into the parking lot of the shopping center. There are 2 entrances to the trails. For the first, go straigt (follow the edge of the parking lot) and you will se a trail going back to an open area where you can park trailors. To the left there is a pile of rocks. Its a tight squeeze to get through and down the hill to the trails. To go in the other entrance, pull into the parking lot and go back south the way you came. look to the left for where the lot goes between 2 buildings. Follow that and keep going straight through a small grass field. You will run right into a trail that goes down a hill and into the trails.

The trails are pretty decent for being within city limits. There are some good hill climbs, some big mud pits, some creek crossings (blacklick creek) and some tight squeezes where you have to work your way through rocks and trees. They are also pretty stocker friendly, as most of the obstacles have bypasses. They are also good trails for quads / dirtbikes.

This area does have quite a few abandoned stolen vehicles which have been stripped/burned. To my knowledge there hasn't been a problem with people running the trails except for a farmers field on the southeast of the trails directly behind Lowes. Recently Columbus Police have molested people leaving the trails without registration/insurance, but other than that we have never been told to leave. I go just about every weekend with no problem. There are several groups that run here, and even camp overnight and 'wheel all weekend (one particular group is mainly toyota trucks and 4 runners :woot:

Here are maps/images:





 
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#2 ·
Do you think a full size stock truck would work? My buddy has a Siverado that always wants to take offroad, I just don't want him to destroy his truck. Sounds like something I will have to check out.
 
#3 ·
Ohio_Taco said:
Do you think a full size stock truck would work? My buddy has a Siverado that always wants to take offroad, I just don't want him to destroy his truck. Sounds like something I will have to check out.

I've seen quite a few full size trucks and SUVs (Yukons, etc) down there. There are some places they wouldn't be able to go, but there are alot of places that they could get muddy and do some hill climbs. I would definately recommend entrance # 2 (the one you get to between the 2 buildings) to get in. Entrance # 1 is pretty tight between the rocks even for small trucks. There may also be other entrances that I don't know about too, I'll have to ask some of the guys that I 'wheel with down there. Usually on Sundays there are quite a few people running around. As with any decent 'wheeling spot, I would always advise having more than one vehicle so that you can help each other out if someone gets stuck. Its especially helpful with a full size, so that the smaller truck can go ahead and spot for the larger one.
 
#6 ·
Dick Hertzer said:
Can you still get around this place if the water is up. I've been there, but didn't really get to explore much. Also didn't do any creek crossing. Want to head down on Saturday, but I figure that the creek is up with the recent rains. Any advice?
It gets pretty hairy when the water is up, although there are usually still places that you can go and mess around. I haven't been down there in quite awhile, and I've heard that it's gotten pretty rutted up. One of my friends has a full size chevy on 38's and he's gotten stuck down there several times lately. If you do go down, make sure that you go with another truck that can strap you, and that you proceed with caution.
 
#7 ·
Well, more info on this place...it looks as if they are closing it down.....info from Ohio 4x4:

The trails behind Walmart/Lowes on S.High/i-270

I was in the area on Saturday, and started driving around the south-end(Lowes) of the strip-mall, and spotted a police helicopter over me. Then I noticed a man & woman walking out of the treeline - I guess(hope) the copter was watching them, not me. I continued northward, behind Lowes, and saw a Columbus Police car with an officer in it. I asked him if the trails were legal or not - he said 'definitely illegal, and there are signs posted everywhere'. I asked if its always been illegal, and he said yes but not really enforced - until recently, when a man was walking back there and was confronted by the land owners, and was told he shouldnt be walking back there - the man said 'I can walk anywhere I f***ing well please', which convinced the land owners to start cracking-down on trespassers. The officer also said that the police, special-duty and security patrol the area regularly now. I drove further northward towards Walmart, and stopped a respectable-looking young guy that came out of the woods with his fishing-pole in hand (he was beside a utility-pole that had a 'no trespassing, hunting or fishing' sign on it). I asked what was back there, and he said fishing and lots of dirt-trails (I should have pointed-out the 'no trespass' sign). I rounded the far corner of Walmart, heading towards the front, when I spotted the mall security truck, so I asked Mr.Security about the area - he said dirtbikes are back there all day and all night, even though there are signs posted saying 'no trespassing'.

So, I think this area is a very bad idea if anyone ever gets the urge to wheel there.


Located in this thread:

http://ohio4x4.fourwardmomentum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=56499&posted=1#post56499
 
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