Fording streams and rivers

[Ga293]

Looking around Austin on Google Maps, I found this:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Luckenbach,+Gillespie,+Texas+78624&hl=en&ll=30.378253,-97.778968&spn=0.0027,0.003664&sll=30.682802,-98.334503&sspn=0.974343,1.875916&t=h&geocode=FZCIzAEdphUd-g&hnear=Luckenbach&z=19&layer=c&cbll=30.378253,-97.778968&panoid=LeI6W8DO3qzmDp3v0_TtPA&cbp=12,109.64,,0,20.36

Anyone else have any fords near them?

[NE2]

Poor oxen.

[deathtopumpkins]

I believe the only one I've ever been through is the one on one of the Yorktown Battlefield tour roads at Colonial National Historical Park in VA:

Best picture I can find of it (no streetview): http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/va/va1700/va1761/photos/369076pv.jpg

Location: http://goo.gl/maps/vYmeg

[kphoger]

I've driven a few fords in my time, but most of them were dry at the time.  The one closest to me that I've driven is this one near Fall River Lake.

The most fun was a temporary routing of the federal highway between Puerto Vallarta and Mascota, Jalisco.  What had once been an unpaved mountain road was then a two-lane paved highway, except they were still in the process of constructing the Puente Progreso near San Sebastián.  As I recollect, this was the ford; yes, there was water in it, and we were in a rental car (a Chevrolet Chevy, AKA Opal Corsa).  The super-steep incline up to the highway from the riverbed was also quite fun.

[oscar]

HI 450 and HI 460 on Molokai island each have a ford, so the western and eastern ends of the island are cut off from the rest of the island after heavy rains. 

Here's a photo of the one on HI 450 (part of the ford on the left, warning sign on the right):

[empirestate]

There's one in Robert Treman State Park near Ithaca, NY.

[MrDisco99]

Here's one we drove in Ireland...

http://goo.gl/maps/7cHBB

[wxfree]

There are a couple around here I use with some frequency, because the roads form a more direct connection between highways.  One of them is is here http://goo.gl/maps/E4kQe  There's no Street View, but you can see the water flowing over the road.  That crossing is often dry and rarely has more than an inch or two of water.  That's where Station Branch crosses Johnson County Road 1233A, which connects Godley and Acton.

There are quite a few fords even along highways in western Texas, where the draws and even rivers are usually dry.  Here's one along SH 163 at one of the crossings of the Devil's River.  I once drove into about 6 inches of water there at night.  I was going about 50 and nearly instantly was slowed to about 30 upon hitting the water.  I then decreased speed more.  The previous crossing to the south has a bridge, and I didn't know there had been rain upstream, so I didn't expect water to be running.  I'm just glad the water was only 6 inches and not 3 feet.  It's very dark there at night.  I learned my lesson about assuming those crossings will be dry.  http://goo.gl/maps/DZh1K

[corco]

Yeah, Arizona has them in several places- where roads cross washbeds they just leave the bed untouched. 83 south of 82 comes to mind as having a bunch of them.

[froggie]

Not really a ford per se, but a low-water-crossing favorite of mine is SR 624 across the Shenandoah near Front Royal, VA.

There's a few fords I've been through...one on some backroad in Montgomery County, MD (can't for the life of me remember where or which road) and there's a couple on the next "mountain crossing" north of US 33 on the WV side of the WV/VA state line.  Might also be one in Loudoun or Fauquier Counties that I'm not remembering.

[HazMatt]

Drove this about 10 years ago, and they've since been replaced with culverts.  Picture is tiny, but they re-graveled it before that article was written.  When I passed through (and for the life of me I'm not sure why I did or how I didn't tear up my car) there was a 12-18 inch deep trench through the road due to lack of upkeep.

http://archives.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2004/0812/jakesmtn.php3

[cpzilliacus]

There's a few fords I've been through...one on some backroad in Montgomery County, MD (can't for the life of me remember where or which road)

West Old Baltimore Road near Boyds, west of Md. 121, not especially far from I-270.

Google Maps here. GSV here (apparently the driver of the Google vehicle was unwilling to cross the stream).

Not so far away, there used to be a few fords in Little Bennett Regional Park, but I believe the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the bicounty agency  which owns and runs most parks in Montgomery and  Prince George's Counties) has closed-off those roads.

There were once several fords along Beach Drive, N.W. in Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia, but they went away  when  Beach Drive was relocated through the Zoo Tunnel in the 1960's. 

[triplemultiplex]

Poor oxen.

Someone has to acknowledge this solid reference to Oregon Trail.  I'll be that person.

[The High Plains Traveler]

There are a couple around here I use with some frequency, because the roads form a more direct connection between highways.  One of them is is here http://goo.gl/maps/E4kQe  There's no Street View, but you can see the water flowing over the road.  That crossing is often dry and rarely has more than an inch or two of water.  That's where Station Branch crosses Johnson County Road 1233A, which connects Godley and Acton.

There are quite a few fords even along highways in western Texas, where the draws and even rivers are usually dry.  Here's one along SH 163 at one of the crossings of the Devil's River.  I once drove into about 6 inches of water there at night.  I was going about 50 and nearly instantly was slowed to about 30 upon hitting the water.  I then decreased speed more.  The previous crossing to the south has a bridge, and I didn't know there had been rain upstream, so I didn't expect water to be running.  I'm just glad the water was only 6 inches and not 3 feet.  It's very dark there at night.  I learned my lesson about assuming those crossings will be dry.  http://goo.gl/maps/DZh1K

Those intermittent drainage features in the southwest are referred to as "arroyos" - normally dry but can be devastating to cross in a flash flood situation. At least in west Texas, there are staff gauges along some of the crossings that allow you to determine the often deceptive depth of the flowing water.

[PurdueBill]

Sand Run Parkway across the eponymous stream in Akron.  Sometimes ride through on my bike but the bumpiness of the concrete to both sides of the ford itself is very jarring. 

Not surprisingly, the ford is closed in icy weather and in high water conditions.

[realjd]

The highway to Cape Tribulation in Qeensland has a number of what I suppose would be similar to arroyos. They were dry when I was there. The bridges up there were even designed to be flooded over.

Other than that, I've only ever really seen them on backcountry roads like you'd find in a National Forest.

[Alps]

HI 450 and HI 460 on Molokai island each have a ford, so the western and eastern ends of the island are cut off from the rest of the island after heavy rains. 

Here's a photo of the one on HI 450 (part of the ford on the left, warning sign on the right):

And HI 560:

[jwolfer]

My mother-in-law rented a house near Maggie Valley NC a few years ago.  Going up the Mountain we had to ford a small stream.  The rental car agreement said we could not go off-roading so I was glad we didn't get stuck or anything

[SteveG1988]

Poor Bugo (aka Jeremy L.)

[Laura]

I know of another ford in the road in Whiteford, Harford County, Maryland: Tabernacle Road, just north of Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tabernacle+Road,+Whiteford,+Maryland&hl=en&ll=39.699873,-76.2743&spn=0.007099,0.013797&sll=38.804821,-77.236967&sspn=1.840674,3.532104&oq=tabernacle+road,+mary&hnear=Tabernacle+Rd,+Whiteford,+Harford,+Maryland+21160&t=m&z=16

I've always wanted to go through this ford (or a ford in general) but since I've been in a flash flood and was on the news for it (NBC Washington 4), I'm incredibly leery of crossing one myself or in my vehicle.


This isn't a ford, but Maple Dam Road runs through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, and is frequently flooded out. This picture doesn't do it justice - the day that I went, I turned around out of fear that I would get my car stuck.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Harriet+Tubman+Birthplace,+13,+Bucktown,+MD&hl=en&ll=38.392624,-76.06601&spn=0.003616,0.006899&sll=38.726769,-76.16066&sspn=0.230342,0.441513&oq=harriet+&hq=Harriet+Tubman+Birthplace,&hnear=13,+Bucktown,+Dorchester,+Maryland&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=38.392977,-76.065957&panoid=hsHnGveLoX6UQ6o6t2wJ0Q&cbp=12,9.17,,0,8.85

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

The only one I know of in Louisiana is a low water bridge over-crossing of Bayou Sara on Solitude Road near St Francisville.

[SD Mapman]

I don't think we have any on state highways in SD, but there are a lot on county roads.

[corco]

Arizona 83 has a couple south of SR 82 and I know there are a couple of other spots on the AZ highway system, but none are coming to me off the top of my head

[1995hoo]

Thought of this thread today when we were on a back road in Loudoun County, Virginia, and stumbled upon a sign for a ford. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to go check it out, though after getting home I wished I had said "screw it" and checked it out anyway....seems I somehow drove through horse manure somewhere because my driver's side wheel well was coated in horse crap and our garage smelled like the Elephant House at the National Zoo (resulting in my spending half an hour out in the dark tonight hosing it out).

Anyway, we were going north on St. Louis Road (Secondary Route 611) when I saw a sign around a corner warning of a ford some distance ahead that would be impassable following rain or other periods of high water. The ford is on Jeb Stuart Road. No Street View, unfortunately, and the satellite view is lacking, but here's the link to where the intersection is if anyone happens to be out that way and wants to check it out: http://goo.gl/maps/YM50g

[Pete from Boston]

Never seen one in this country.  Is there an MUTCD sign for "ford"?