No matter how big and bad your vehicle is or how simply stock it is, Trail 11 in Rausch Creek Off Road Park is a must-do trail. You will meander around a glacial depression chock full of trees, and plenty of small obstacles and terrain features will keep you interested in the road while taking in the sights of the surrounding woodlands. It is the easiest of the three Jeep Badge of Honor Trails in the Park and suitable for any beginner. Don't limit yourself to this trail because the Park consists of 3,000 acres with over 80 miles of trails for almost every type of 4WD vehicle, from stock to pro rock buggies.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
Recommended Vehicle:
Stock SUV with High Clearance and 4 Low
Concerns:
Summary:
The trail gets its 3 rating from the minor obstacles throughout the trail, such as Waypoints 7 and 12. The high rating is due to the optional Twisty obstacle at Waypoint 9.
Community Consensus
0 votes
2 votes
0 votes
Easier
Spot On
Harder
The weighted average of your fellow members agreement of our trail
rating. As trail conditions change this helps us keep the community
aware of changes.
Mandatory
3 -
MODERATE
The hardest part of the trail that you
cannot bypass - you have to drive it.
Optional
4 -
MODERATE
The hardest part of the trail that is
purely optional - you can bypass it.
Typically, more rock or undulated road surface. Potential rocks and/or tree stumps less than 12" tall and/or vertical ledges less than 12" tall and/or near vertical ledges or waterfalls less than 24" inches. Tire placement becomes more difficult. Can be steep.Read More about our Rating System
Trail 11 provides a mix of terrain with road surfaces from hard-packed dirt, a little mud, and minor rocks. It is bidirectional, so you can run this one in either direction. There is only one significant obstacle at Waypoint 9 that is optional. The trail will create a loop connecting many of the area's blue, red, and black trails. All of which are well-signed. Suitable for stock high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Listed below are the essential cliff notes to be aware of before your visit.
Check In
Upon arrival, you must check in at the office to sign waivers and get wristbands and the appropriate sticker for your windshield.
Don't Go Alone
The Park requires group sizes of two or more, no solo travel.
Cost and Fees
All persons 16 and older, whether drivers or passengers, must become park members, which is called an "annual pass" The membership costs $50 and is good through 12/31 of the year you join (those joining Oct-Dec will be good through 12/31 of the following year). Once you are a member, the daily entrance fee for the vehicle and its driver is $65. Passengers are $20 each (the $20 is waived the day a passenger pays for their membership). Children 15 and younger are free. Included in your daily fees is primitive camping (reservation required). For our frequent visitors, they offer a Frequent Driver Pass for $260, which is suitable for five visits, or a Season Pass for $600. These passes are seasonal, running through 12/31 of the year you purchase (those purchased Oct-Dec will be good through 12/31 of the following year).
Map Colors
While the Park depicts this as a green trail, green is not the color used by Trails Offroad. Our 3 rated trails use orange on our 10-point rating scale.
The Park describes its map colors as follows:
Green = Easiest
Blue = Intermediate
Blue-Black (Purple)
Black = Hard
Red = Extreme
Open Hours
Fridays 8 to 4 (wheel til dusk)
Saturdays 8 to 5 (wheel til dusk)
Sundays 8 to 5
Open Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.
1. Trailhead (0
mi)
From H, continue straight to drive the trail as depicted here. However, you can drive the trail in reverse as well.
2. Stout Trailhead - Continue Straight (0.16
mi)
Continue straight. Stout is listed as a blue trail and will loop back to Trail 11 just ahead.
3. Stout and 10B Trailheads - Continue Straight (0.26
mi)
Continue straight. Stout (blue) and 10B (green)can be entered at this point. 10B will come out just ahead.
4. 10B Trailhead - Continue Straight (0.52
mi)
Continue straight. 10B (green) would come out right here if you took it at the previous Waypoint.
5. 18A and 11B Trailheads - Continue Straight (0.71
mi)
Continue straight. 18A and 11B are both blue trails.
6. Fork with Options - Turn North (0.85
mi)
Hard turn northeast. You are presented with an option to take the higher trail for an easier descent or the lower trail for a more challenging drive down.
7. 23 Trailhead - Stay Left (0.98
mi)
Once you reach the bottom from coming down Waypoint 6, there is standing water and a minor erosion obstacle. Trail 23 is blue and comes in from the passenger side.
Continue straight for the optional obstacle that will test your suspension flex. The bypass is apparent on the passenger side.
9. Optional Obstacle: Twisty (1.12
mi)
The bypass is high on the driver's side, and the optional " Twisty " obstacle is on the low passenger side. Twisty will test every part of your suspension's ability to twist. You can drive it down, then turn around to drive it up, or however you choose.
10. 23 Trailhead - Continue Northwest (1.16
mi)
At the bottom of "Twisty" is the trailhead for Trail 23, which is blue.
11. JK Killer Trailhead - Continue Straight (1.22
mi)
Continue. JK Killer is an optional water/mud obstacle on the side of the road. The story goes that a Jeep JK driver just decided to drive in without any testing of the depth of the water and hydro-locked the motor, thus killing the poor JK.
Continue straight to follow the trail guide. 11 Shortcut is a green trail that will bring you to Waypoint 13. 19B is a blue trail that comes out at Waypoint 17.
13. Trail 11 Shortcut Trailhead and Optional Line - Continue Straight (1.51
mi)
Continue. Trail 11 Shortcut that you passed at Waypoint 12 comes out here, and it also continues to Waypoint 15. An optional driving line on the main Trail 11 is present here if you want to make this section a little more interesting.
14. Fork - Hard Right Turn (1.77
mi)
Turn passenger to continue following the trail guide.
Continue to follow the main trail guide. If you have been following the Trail 11 Shortcut, this its northern Trailhead.
16. 19 Black - Continue Straight (2.09
mi)
Continue straight to follow the trail guide. 19 Black is not suitable for beginners or stock vehicles.
17. 19A and 19B Trailheads - Continue Straight (2.14
mi)
Continue straight to follow the trail guide. 19A is a green trail, and the trailhead can be found on the north side of the road and comes out just up ahead. 19B is a blue trail with its trailhead on the south side of the road.
18. 19A and 13B Trailheads - Continue Straight (2.36
mi)
Continue. 19A, from the previous Waypoint, exits here. 13B, a purple trail, is just up ahead. Inexperienced drivers and stock vehicles should not attempt 13B.
J3 on the north side of the road is a blue trail that exits here; it can only run in the downward direction. 16, a black trail is on the south side of the road.
20. 14 Trailhead - Continue Straight (2.53
mi)
Continue. 14 is a green trail that can start at this point and exits at Waypoint 24.
21. J2 Exit - Continue Straight (2.62
mi)
J2 exits here. It is a blue trail that can only be run in its downward direction.
22. 17 Trailhead - Continue Straight (2.71
mi)
Continue straight. 17, a black trail, is on the north side of the road.
23. 15 Trailhead - Turn Right (2.74
mi)
Turn hard to the south. 15 is a blue trail that, if you take it, will take you right to Crawl Daddy
24. 14 Trailhead - Continue Straight (2.79
mi)
Continue. 14 is a green trail. If you entered it here, it would take you back to Waypoint 20.
20, a black trail, comes in from the east, and to enter Rock Creek (13A) is to your west. 13A should not be attempted in a stock or mildly built vehicle.
26. 20 and Beaver Creek Shortcut to Rock Creek - Continue Straight (2.87
mi)
Continue straight. These trails lead to the large glacial depression and the most iconic scenery in the Park, but you need a well-built vehicle for them!
27. 10A and 12A Trailheads - Continue Straight (2.97
mi)
Continue to follow this trail guide. 10A and 12A are both blues that will test you and your vehicle.
28. End (3.1
mi)
The trail ends right where you started. The clearing in this area is a perfect spot for lunch before you tackle your next set of trails.
Designated
You can camp in the Park's parking lot, which offers a few picnic tables and porta-potties. All camping is by prior arrangement by emailing info@rc4x4.org.
The nearest hotels can be found in Pine Grove, seven miles from the Park.
Comfort Inn, 433 Suedberg Rd. Pine Grove, PA 17963 (570) 345-8031
Baymont Inn, 419 Suedberg Rd. Pine Grove, PA 17963 (570) 345-4099
Hampton Inn, 481 Suedberg Rd. Pine Grove, PA 17963 (570) 345-4505
Knights Inn 347 Suedberg Rd. Pine Grove, PA 17963 (570) 345-8095
Starting Point
Exit 107, Interstate 81
Take Highway 209 west for 19 miles. Turn left on Joliet Street to reach the Parks entrance. From the entrance, follow trails A to B to Poleline to Tower Road, to H where you will travel H to the start of Trail 11
Trail 11 was one of my favorite trails at Rausch Creek. It had just a little bit of everything. I would recommend this trail to anyone new to offroading and looking to test their skills!
Super fun trail and very scenic. We ran it twice while visiting the park. The JL on 37s had zero issues on this trail. The twisty obstacle was the fun!
From the Community
Be the first to ask a question!
Todd
Founder
Todd is an avid wheeler who loves to explore new trails whenever and wherever possible. They say necessity is the mother of all invention, which is true for Todd. His want and desire to find passable trails and new nooks and crannies of the Great American west to explore were his reasons behind starting Trails Offroad. On any given day, you can find Todd on an obscure 4x4 trail, curating Trails Offroad guides, or using his legs to hike to an alpine lake.
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