Ok some quick notes for everyone:
175 road takes you directly to the gate to D-Day park. On the way in you’ll pass a CJ-2a and an old car painted up like a staff car. Just past that you’ll see a ward container (expando van body) sitting alongside the roadway. Usually, if I am driving a bigger truck or have a decent amount of weight on, I’ll stop here and put the truck in low range. There are two fairly steep grades just past this container and although the road is well maintained, paved, etc, being in low range lets me tractor up and down the hills with relative ease. Besides, past this point, I’ll not need high range anyhow since I am coming to DDAP to off road anyhow and the big trucks are much more pleasant to trundle around off road with in low range.
Cayuga Road has a low water bridge on it that **sort of** has a 2 ton limit. I say sort of because it was redesignated as a 2 ton bridge because some of the local residents wanted to get rid of tractor trailer traffic on their road and since they knew the county bridge guy… Well, you know how this sort of thing goes. At any rate, if you are inclined to want to avoid the 2 ton bridge, you’ll need to come in from the state highway 10 side which to be honest is a lot more pleasant drive in anyhow. Most of us who are coming from KC, Tulsa and points west tend to come in this way anyhow.
Here’s how to get in that way:
From US-60 head south on State Highway 10. You’ll turn left onto 160 road just up the hill a ways and follow 160 down into a valley where at a church you’ll turn right onto 670 road along with obviously every other car that’s ever come through here… (really obvious turn) across the bridge, you’ll turn left onto 166 road again taking the CLEARLY obvious route. 166 with take you along the edge of nice little valley where if you look to the left you’ll see a massive Eagle nest before taking you to a T-junction with Cayuga road just past where the 2 ton bridge is. Turn right on Cayuga, then after a short distance you’ll see the D-Day sign and take a right on 175 road. Ta-da, you’re there.
Some specific route notes for the KC guys. As many of you know, I drive this route about 10-15 times a year with my Deuce so I know it well. I have found that taking US 69 is MUCH more pleasant route in than taking I-49. Unless, like Jwright, you just happen to live right off of I-49 on the south side of town I cannot recommend enough taking US-69 instead.
Here’s the route I use:
US-69 south to US 69Alt (follow the signs towards Baxter Springs)
Cross into Oklahoma and go through the little town of Quapaw and just past the increasingly defunct Antique Auto Museum, turn left onto 137 road.
Follow 137 past Shawnee Junction ignoring State Highway 10 at this junction, and down through the Twin Bridges State Park till it deposits you right at US-60. Turn left on 60 and note the Turtle Stop truck stop on the right just past the Casino. For those of you with older gas vehicles, it is worth noting that Turtle Stop sells ethanol free gas so it’s a good spot to fill up at if you’re trying to avoid ethanol troubles. Past Turtle Stop, you’ll come to State Highway 10 again where you’ll turn right. From here, follow the above instructions in.
Other general route notes for US-69:
Pichlers Chicken Annies just south of Pittsburg is a good place to eat and has ample parking for a convoy of big trucks.
Woods in Ft. Scott has Diesel and ample room to maneuver, you can easily walk over to McDonalds from there as well.
You can stop at the McDonalds in Baxter Springs with 1 or 2 bigger trucks but it gets tight if you have many more or if they are busy. The Walmart parking lot right there is signed No Trucks although we frequently will use it if we don’t have big loads on or trailers.
