First Mountain Quarry Road

This gnarly quarry road climbs First Mountain’s eastern face through a maze of abandoned granite workings that operated from the 1920s through the 1960s. The route starts innocently near Bentonville but quickly turns nasty with loose rock switchbacks, off-camber sections, and a notorious rock ledge called Devil’s Staircase that’s claimed more oil pans than most folks want to count. The payoff comes at the old quarry site where you can see clear across the Shenandoah Valley to Massanutten Mountain.

This is solid difficult terrain requiring real 4WD with skid plates, low range, and decent tires. The rock ledges are unforgiving and there’s no shame in walking the worst sections first. Spring and fall offer the best conditions when the views aren’t hazed out. No permits needed on this George Washington National Forest route, though camping is limited to designated spots only. You’ll earn every inch of elevation and some serious bragging rights on this technical Blue Ridge classic that separates the talkers from the drivers.