Deep Gap USFS 71 (NC)

[One Half]

How accessible is this road normally in April? Want to know if this is easily passable for a minivan (2005 Sienna) if taken at a slow pace (or maybe a fast pace )

If not passable with a minivan, can you recommend a nearby road crossing for pickup (preferably in NC, not GA)

Thanks

[daddytwosticks]

Yes, easily passable. Have been up and down it in the past with a Honda Fit and a Scion xD. However, it's still a good idea to contact the Forest Service or check the website for road status. This road has been closed in the past due to storm damage even in normally open periods of the calendar year.

[peakbagger]

One year we were all set to park there at the parking lot for section. A heavy rain event came through a few days before and when we got there there was a gate closed about halfway in. We ended up hoofing it up the road where we found the road washed out in two places. Had we parked at Deep Gap, we would have had to spend a few days or weeks until they rebuilt the road.

[One Half]

One year we were all set to park there at the parking lot for section. A heavy rain event came through a few days before and when we got there there was a gate closed about halfway in. We ended up hoofing it up the road where we found the road washed out in two places. Had we parked at Deep Gap, we would have had to spend a few days or weeks until they rebuilt the road.

Cool. Thanks. It would be a pickup point, not a parking spot for me. If I had to walk out to a closed gate not such a big deal (well, depending).

[smithjv]

Another alternative is to take Kimsey Creek trail NNE from just left (north) of Deep Gap for about 4.5 miles to the Standing Indian Campground general store where you can be picked up. It is a bit of a added hoof, but is an enjoyable trail nonetheless.

[Slugg]

The road should be in fine condition for a minivan to make it, but the wildcard is trees blocking the road. I barely squeezed by a fallen tree one time going up there. It’s a long ways on gravel. I’d take a chainsaw