Spaas Creek

Turn north onto the gravel trail from Highway 613. There is no staging area when looking for a location to air down. However, the road is reasonably wide enough for a couple of vehicles to air down safely, and there are a few opportunities to pull off and air down before the road surface turns rough.

On the west side of the road, a sizeable roundabout offers a good location for camping that is large enough for a handful of vehicles with rooftop tents and decent enough space for three of four ground tents. A fire ring sits next to the Big Cordual Branch, which isn't so big but offers the sound of a babbling brook all night long.

Directly on the side of the road is a small campsite large enough for just a few vehicles alongside Spaas Creek. Gravel ends here until you reach Waypoint 13, and the road will be primarily a rugged 4WD road.

Hidden from the main road, a short spur leads to a campsite along Spaas Creek. This site can hold up to three vehicles, and there is room for ground tents, although the ground is not entirely flat.

The path on the west edge takes you through a four-vehicle length hard-bottomed water hole that could be up to 30" deep in wet weather conditions. Alternatively, the path to the east takes you over an erosion obstacle. There's a membrane placed in the erosion obstacle's soil to mitigate any future erosion.

The trail runs just along and dips into Spaas Creek for a moment, which is preceded and followed by ruts, rocks, water, or mudholes. During or just after rainfall, this area could become more difficult.

A tree is overhanging Spaas Creek, and a bypass is in place around it. The bypass turns up a short pitch on the west edge of the creek. While it is short, it is a blind turn onto tree stumps, so use caution. When exiting back down and into the creek, you are presented with a blind drop, an almost near-vertical drop on your passenger side due to roots. Steady and 4-low is helpful here.

Just after Bear Branch comes in, keep a close eye on the west edge of the trail for this campsite, as it's hard to see. The space is large enough for three to four vehicles and ground tents alongside Spaas Creek.

Just after crossing Spaas Creek, there are two options to climb up into this area, with the southern route being the easiest. Once out of the creek, large ruts are water-filled, which preserves the mush factor. This is one of those areas where the "condition of the day" is going to dictate the difficulty level.

After passing through the muddy area in Waypoint 9, the trail drops back into the creek bed and follows the depression north. You are no longer in the Daniel Boone National Forest. A road signed as "private property" comes in from the south, and at this point, you want to continue to follow the DBBB-marked trail that provides a good suspension test just up ahead. As you follow the DBBB in the depression, the road provides perhaps its most inspiring scenery.

The trail turns to a shale-type surface and is banked on each side. The trees tower around you, and water trickles under the tires before you climb a 24" slightly ramped ledge. 4-low and steady takes you right up and over without issue.

The trail begins to climb up and out of the hollow. Mud obstacles are proceeded by a 21° off-camber section caused by a rootball sticking out from the hillside. The off-camber is followed by a long mudhole whose southern entrance is not ramped but ledged with a sharp drop down. Drop into the mudhole slowly, or you will be in for a bone-jarring moment.

From this point onward, the road mellows and eventually turns to gravel. FSR 167 is a dead-end out-and-back trail heading west. Follow the more defined and wider road uphill.

Follow the main road up and over the crest as Hatton Ridge comes in from the south. From here, the road is well-maintained gravel transitioning to pavement at the end.

Turning west gives you two options: a small area to air back up and get your vehicle back in order after the day on the trail, or Pumpkin Hollow, another fine trail of the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway.