Bingham Road - FS 135

Trail Overview

This trail is a standard National Forest Service road and is open to all street-legal motor vehicles. This trail is open year-round, but does not receive winter maintenance. It connects the gas field at the old town of Owl's Nest to the outskirts of Ridgway. This is a relatively quick way into the Allegheny National Forest from the southeast. Get gas in Ridgway, as you won't see any services for a while once entering the Allegheny. There is one ATV trail crossing near the west end and Owl's Nest. ATVs are supposed to stop before crossing the trail, but be careful as they don't always. There are yellow signs for the ATV crossing. Some pipeline equipment is visible along the road. Some dispersed camping is available on the road or the minor spurs, but only a handful are truly nice sites, and most really only accommodate one or two rigs or one rig plus a ground tent. The trail crosses several creeks over the length of the road. It's fairly well-traveled, so it feels a bit less isolated than other forest service roads closer to the center or north of the forest.

Photos of Bingham Road - FS 135

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Difficulty

This trail is passable by any street-legal vehicle under dry conditions, with occasional potholes being the only notable obstacles. Some of the spurs off this route can be muddy and overgrown, and they may require 4WD and high clearance.

History

This road was affected by wind damage from a 2012 tornado, and some fallen trees along the roadside remain as evidence of that event. Like many roads in the Allegheny region, it has served -- and continues to serve -- as access for timber, oil, and gas operations, in addition to its current recreational use.

Technical Rating

Bingham Road - FS 135 can be accessed by the following ride types:

• High-Clearance 4x4
• SUV