Road advice please Nymboda - Dorigo area

Dorrigo loop

Via The Gresham way / old Grafton road / Nymboida / Black Mountain road / Kangaroo Creek road / Cradle creek road / Molten road / Old Creek road / East Dorrigo way / Coramba road

I'm thinking of taking a group on this loop and need some recent local road/condition advice. I've done the Coramba road section a few times before and that is OK for this group.

Will the other sections be suitable for a group of riders some with only a little dirt experience?

Is any of it particularly slippery if wet? or mostly OK?

Thanks in advance
Russ

Loose gravely round rocks 1 inch in size x a trillion. Easy ride but keep the speed down as some of them are tight blind corners. Same with the bitumen on nymboida road, some tight corners where bitumen turns to gravel.

Nothing to steep but there is a few spots where clay is present, after rain it will make some of the climbs a bit harder depending on the bike.

Cheers Gordo'

Thank you.

Kangaroo Ck Rd Black Mtn road was closed to vehicles due to ladslide 2 years ago.Not sure about bikes. You staying at Dorrigo Pub I assume?

Just after Xmas, day 2 video

Nymdoida, black mountain, kangaroo river, cradle creek through to Lowana, all good.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1035996

Looks great thanks for all the info.

There are sections of forest along Black Mountain Road that are constantly logged so if travelling through the week look out for log trucks. While they only use half the road it is usually the middle half. The areas where they are logging can also decrease in quality to like deep sand, although with the rainfall we have had recently you could make that deep mud. A few areas along the top on the Lowanna end can become fairly boggy with heavy use and some sections are red clay which when wet can be quite slippery.

Same for between Buccarumbi and Dalmorton on the Old Grafton Road (also log truck area) and across the Hernani end of the Gresham Way in the Hyland to Marengo State Forests area. All looks wonderful and hard packed when dry but like soap when wet. Bit hard to tell exactly which roads you are using for more accurate details but all in those general areas are similar.

Going the direction you have indicated with your names the biggest decent will be down the last part of the Gresham Way into Dalmorton. Most of your climbing will be the Nymboida end of Black Mountain Road but it is only gradual and that end is the best part of that road.

Any more detailed information would need a link to your Google map page. Some roads are better than others and if really wet, like now, there are a few detours available.

Thanks great info, the plan is for Easter (Saturday) so we will keep an eye on the weather the days before.
I may plan 2 loops 1 for the smaller bikes and the more experienced riders and another easier route for the others.

google maps link

Just having a closer look at your route now.

There is a great lookout on the right just before the Harden's Road / Gresham Way intersection worth stopping at for a look. It is just after here where it can get slipperiest (if that's a word) but nothing too bad, just being careful. There is another lookout about 10 to 15 kilometres further on, also on the right, which is poorly sign posted but good if you find it.

It is fairly steep going down to Dalmorton and a little rutted last down there (about four months ago) but pretty easy if you take it easy. Everything else is very standard forestry roads. Easter weekend there will be no log trucks but an awful lot of dickheads in 4wd's, particularly on the Old Grafton Road as there is unlimited free camping all along the river. I am not sure which is worse, the trucks are bigger but the drivers more predictable and there are fewer of them.

With all the recent heavy rain the conditions may have changed some but not normally. It will of course depend on how much we get between now and then. you would get a two wheel drive through all of it fairly easily in the dry and probably in the wet too, just not too wet. Glen's Creek Road has a number of causeways which hold some water after rain but it takes a fair bit to close the road. Again, caution advised if a lot of rain in the week or two before Easter.

I will see what I am doing that weekend, might tag along if nothing else planned and if you don't mind an extra (or two).

Cheers

Happy to have some local knowledge tag along or lead the way drop me a PM closer to the time
There are many other options in the area that we can choose if the weather is really shitty the week before.

I rode the dirt from Dalmorton to Dorrigo last weekend (in the wet partly), all very easy stuff and the entire old Grafton Rd in November again all very easy stuff, just watch the traffic and stay on your side of the road and it will all be good.


Did this on a 990.

Thanks I think we will be OK unless the monsoon descends

An important point actually, sometimes it can be sunny on the coast and 25 degrees then rain in dorrigo . temp can be very cold even in the middle of summer without good waterproofs.

Cheers Gordo'

Don't get me wrong Russ, the roads you have selected are normally quite good. When anyone asks about the quality of any road I try and answer with as much detail as I can, thinking not how I find the road but how an absolute novice may find it. The sections I described as red clay would only be bad if they had a lot of traffic on them while wet. Hard as buggery underneath but can be churned up to red slime surface if the log trucks give it a caning while wet.

I may be getting out for a ride on Sunday, had nothing planned but this may now be the chosen route. Needed some inspiration, thanks.

CJL00
I look forward to the ride report.

Gordo' our mob are usually well prepared for most weather, gear wise, but I'll still remind them before we take off on the day.

I'm taking my new bike to get it dirty this weekend it's way too clean

Hi Russ, you cannot bring a bike that clean into this area, it will be impounded. didn't get out last weekend as the weather report was fine all day Saturday and chance of rain from Sunday lunch. The plan was to do all the mowing and other house stuff Saturday arvo and ride Sunday until the rain hit.

The rain and hail hit just after lunch on Saturday and lasted the whole afternoon. It was just fine enough on Sunday morning to mow but then rained again all afternoon. Will try again not this weekend but the one after, weather permitting. As we had three nights in a row this week with over 100 mm of rain per night the track conditions would have changed anyway.

Don't worry it does not look like that anymore.

Still drinking the kool aid eh Russ!
Good onya!
And for those who dont know the phrase........................
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_the_Kool-Aid

Still sippin

Russ, we rode the Chaelundi Road/Gresham Way section from north to south on Friday enroute to the KRR.
From the old Grafton road up to the plateau is an amazing climb (descent for you), road is good and not chopped up. Other parts need a bit of judicious line selection, shall we say, with a few ruts on some of the hills - all doable with care. Some of the sections could be interesting if wet, as others have said.
We turned off at Marengo to head for Ebor, so can't report on the last bit into Dorrigo, but the last bit of road has been maintained for the logging trucks and is a real hoot.
Keep an eye out on the right for the Sun Dew Lookout somewhere near S30 02'59.7" E152 21'37.9" (if that makes sense!) - well worth getting off for a walk up to take in the view.
When you get to the Old Grafton Road, the convict tunnel is only 5km to the west and worth a stickybeak if you have time.