Rock Garden - 6 to C Road

Trail Overview

The Rock Garden, or the 6 to C Road, is a steeper semi-maintained, gravel and dirt primary road. It connects point to point from the 6 intersection and goes uphill to the C intersection, ultimately to the Rock Garden inside the Turkey Bay OHV Area, within the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Its official ID is forestry M03. The road features a mild grade uphill with mild ruts, large softball- to volleyball-sized rock, coarse gravel, and occasional mud holes. This all leads to a dead-end at the Rock Garden area, which features two sections: the Long Rock Garden and the Pile Rock Garden at the very end of the road. The Long Rock Garden can be a great place to test and put 4WD to serious use, testing flex, clearances, and lockers, but full disclosure: the Long Rock Garden leans towards smaller OHV use. The Pile Rock Garden is more aggressive and leans towards the Jeep, Buggie, SXS, and Full-size OHV. In the Rock Garden area, there are many mud holes that add to the experience. Nearby are remnants of old building foundations and a former entry/exit gate to the park.

Photos of Rock Garden - 6 to C Road

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Difficulty

Though the foundation of the 6 to C Road is primarily a natural dirt and gravel rock road, it definitely adds a little edge to the term "primary road," in comparison to most of the other primary roads within the Turkey Bay OHV park. It features a steeper grade uphill with ruts, tight treelines, and coarse natural gravel to large rocks the size of softballs to volleyballs scattered along the path, and it encounters some mild water collection holes along the way to the top, less than 1 foot in depth. Up to the point the Rock Garden Area begins, the road is a 3/10-it has some thrill but is easy. At the Rock Gardens, there are mud holes anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet deep. Be cautious of these variations in depth. At the Rock Gardens, the trail jumps in difficulty; the Long Rock Garden is a mild 4/10, featuring anything from small softball to large basketball-sized rocks to small boulders the size of a full-size truck tire. The Pile Rock Garden adds a little more variation to the mix by adding 1- to 3-foot ledges and drop-offs to the perimeter of the pile, with one side of the pile being directly into a deep mud hole. This area could push into the 5/10 possibly 6/10 realm. Since the Rock Garden is optional but is a pivotal point of the trail, the base rating of this trail is set at a 4/10, due to the natural rocks, mild ruts, mud holes, and uphill climb to the Rock Garden, as well as the variation of rock and difficulty found in the Gardens. Difficulty will increase in times of wet conditions and seasons.

History

Directly 0.2 miles to the north of the Rock Garden area is the Ross-Turner Cemetery. It is just outside the OHV park and can be accessed directly on foot. Pay your respects to those who came before us. The Cemetery has existed long before the creation of Land Between The Lakes in 1964.

Technical Rating