I first heard about Magruder Corridor (link is to a PDF) when Brad mentioned it in an episode of TrailRecon a couple years ago. We purchased a Square-drop trailer with the intent of using it to go on adventures such as Magruder Corridor but for a couple years never managed to actually do anything with it. I introduced the idea of doing the Magruder Corridor trip to a friend. He got excited about it and we kept promising to do it.
Things finally started coming together. We decided that this summer was going to be the year we were going to do the trip. We began planning in late April, looking at maps, watching YouTube video, putting together ideas about how we wanted to do it. I made some improvements to the trailer in preparation for the big adventure. As go-time drew closer, life began to happen. I had to go out of town for a couple of weeks to assist family. My friend had other plans that were book ending our schedule for the trip. We had to adjust the schedule a little to make it fit into busy lives. The day before our departure date, my friend’s house and four legged family member decided for him that this was not his time.
I decided to go anyway. We headed out late afternoon and made it to Fales Flat Campground around 2100, per my wife’s prediction (yes, she’s almost always right). We made dinner, ate and crawled into the camper for the night.
I had done some work on the plumbing in the trailer, removing a propane line intended for a water heater that we decided to delete. Around 0200 the carbon-monoxide/propane gas alarm started beeping, loudly. Unable to figure out what was causing the alarm we opened windows, turned the ventilation fan on full, cleared the alarm and went back to sleep. At 0430 the alarm sounded again. We repeated the same procedure. In the morning, with a more clear head, I connected the dots. Checking the propane line I found that I had not properly tightened the fittings and we did not shut off the propane before going to bed. I grabbed the appropriate wrenches that did what I should have when I did the work.
We rolled out onto the Magruder trail about 0830. From Fales Flat Campground to the Magruder Crossing Bridge is not terribly interesting. Shuttle drivers for the rafting companies drive the road like they are running the Dakar Rally. Two almost hit us head on. I spoke with a Forestry employee later who said they are a problem. We took the side road to check out the Magruder Ranger Station. It is a rather nice compound, in my opinion. I could live there for a while, maybe even a long time. In the winter access would be limited to sleds.
Once we reached the Magruder Crossing Bridge, the road got more interesting. Still only about a 3 on the scale use by Jeep Jamboree. We passed quite a few designated dispersed camp sites, some marked on the National Forestry Service map for the Magruder Corridor, many of them not. We stop to take in the information about the Magruder Massacre at the site designated such. Lloyd Magruder is the namesake for the corridor and many other places in the area.
From the Magruder Massacre site we made it another 13 miles at which point we came to the beginning of snow drifts still covering the road. I got past first couple of drifts but they got bigger as we went. I finally decided that traveling solo, it was not wise to try and proceed any farther. We turned around, not easy with the trailer attached, and head back down the trail. At the Magruder Massacre site we met a group of guys from Indiana on very well equipped four-wheelers. They asked about the trail ahead. Given what I saw, I thought they could probably make it. Certainly they could make it farther than we did with significantly narrower wheel base.
We returned without incident to the Magruder Crossing campground where we spent the night before heading home the following morning. We will definitely make another attempt to complete the corridor, probably toward the end of summer when the snow drifts will be completely melted and assuming the fire season does not get too crazy.