Wheelin' in the Garden State??

Hi all,
With about 8 months experience in my first Taco ('04, ~158,000 miles, 5-speed, TRD-Off Road), I'd like to experience a bit of off-road fun. Of course, being that I'm in northern New Jersey, about 25 miles west of NYC, I can't find a anything within about 2 and a half hours from me that offers off-road wheelin' (Rausch Creek in PA). This really isn't practical to do for a day trip, especially given all the expenses involved, and I was hoping there might be some alternatives a little closer to home that my Googling just hasn't turned up.

I have a fully stock TRD truck with nothing aftermarket on it. I'm not looking for rock walls or deep mud--rather just a pleasant place to *legally* discover what 4-Lo is capable of, aside from driving up and down the big hill in West Orange, NJ in a snowstorm.

I'd like to think that my going out of my way for a 4x4/stickshift truck will actually be useful for something more than 2 or 3 winter days a year, with a 3 mile commute each way .

Am I outta luck or could some kind soul point me in the right direction, maybe? I'd love to do Rausch Creek, but as I said, 5 hours just to get there and back, plus the time spent on the trail, really sounds a bit much.

Thanks in advance, and happy wheelin', all!!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/north-east/274779-nj-b-s-thread-517.html

Stop by over here and drop a line... There are a bunch of guys up your way with spots in and around Stokes state forest... As long as you don't mind some trail pin striping!

Or you can make your way down to the pine barrens next trip out...

But stop into the BS thread and introduce yourself man!