Trail Overview
Cooks Spring Road or North Reynolds County Road 848 is a gravel-dirt mixed road and right-of-way, going through the Mark Twain National Forest Salem Unit, in the Sutton Bluff area. From the peak elevation at Karkanghne Scenic Drive ridge, going south, the track aims towards the valley hosting the Cooks Creek, featuring a coarse gravel-dirt path, and natural rock sticking out at the surface, while going moderately downhill towards Trail 3 of the Sutton Bluff OHV trail system. After passing the Trail 3 Trailhead, the low water bridges start coming into play, and the downhill grade becomes mild, eventually leading to the Cooks Spring Picnic Area, hosting the spring, a former homestead, and a large concrete pad. From here, the creek crossings become more natural, featuring creek gravel washing onto the low water bridges, shortly concluding at the southern end of the track, which is marked by a large tree standing by itself, surrounded by a turnaround loop, as the road makes a sweeping turn, seamlessly becoming the Radford Hollow Road, or the Southwestern RCR 848.
Difficulty
Cooks Spring Road is given a base rating of 2/10 for having several splash-level water crossings, low water bridges, mild to moderate grade on the hill, and erosion washes. Outside of this, the road is a rough, natural gravel-dirt road with natural rock poking out at the surface in spots, and in occasional spots, the surface fades to soft dirt. It is safe to expect potholes, washboarding, and mounding of the gravel. Difficulty could increase in times of wet or inclement weather, or flash flooding, adding depth to the water crossings. The difficulty could also decrease in dry seasons, or if the road were to be seriously mended/upgraded with better culverts, bridges, and fresh gravel or pavement from end to end, this is unlikely to happen for the foreseeable future.
