Trail Overview
Rambling through the scenic Martin Hill Wild Area and bridging the Evitts and Tussey Mountains, Blankley Road is a quiet, scenic and relaxing ride through a beautiful part of the state. The picnic area, with restrooms, is a former CCC camp is very nice and well worth stopping at even just to see it. The east part of the trail passes along the Western border for the Sweet Root Natural Area. There are two very nice vistas. One looks East and the other West. The West facing one is unique in that the full size trail is just above the ATV trail stop for the vista - both stop there, but at slightly different elevations. There is a significant ATV trail system in this tract of the forest, but none of the full size trails are shared with the ATV trail system. Be on the lookout for those smaller vehicles and their tow vehicles, though. There are a couple of dispersed motorized campsites that must be reserved on Reserve America. They're mostly geared towards ATV riders as they are close to the trail system, but outside of ATV season would be fairly quiet.
History
Blankley Rd is notable for being the site of CCC Camp S-154 during the Great Depression. This camp was specifically established for black CCC crewmembers and later became a picnic area. The CCC was instrumental in developing many forest roads, trails, and picnic facilities still in use today, contributing greatly to the infrastructure and conservation legacy of Buchanan State Forest.
