| Date | Status Information Posted by 14ers.com Forum Users | Posted By |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-03 | The road has been graded at some point this summer, so the difficult areas have been removed. A standard high clearance vehicle should have no issue. We were there 10/3 and saw two or three low-clearance cars beyond the "4 Wheel Drive" sign and even one at the trailhead. It is expected to snow 10/4 so expect mud & ice after that date, but the road may again be passable to all vehicles for the 2010 summer season. | Mel McKinney |
| 2009-05-17 | Chaffee County 390 and FS road 390 are both dry, although some small patches of snow exist. We had no trouble getting all the way to the forest service closure gate at 10,600ft. | Ski4me |
| 2009-04-09 | The main road is dry for the first 8 miles (to the Missouri Gulch Th) and then patching snow for the remaining 4 miles to Winfield. The 4WD road from Winfield to Huron is snow-covered but I doable for an advanced snowmobile rider with a deep track. | BillMiddlebrook |
| 2008-11-21 | Went up this morning at 6am and could not get past the 2WD parking... long slick of thick ice immediately after up a hill, but if you have chains perhaps and can get past it, then you should be fine the rest of the way. | breezytrees |
| 2008-11-07 | 11/07/08 Used the road leading to the trail head. There is currently 3 inches of snow on the road and some ice. This makes the road a little slick. I had no problems, but the slick nature of the road was a little un-nerving. | Gary Brady |
| 2008-10-20 | Hiked Huron Peak from this trailhead on 10/19. 4WD road was rough, but passable, with a few spots of frozen mud and ice in the morning, but nothing that would stop a standard 4WD vehicle. We took an Xterra to the trailhead, and saw an Explorer and a pickup truck there. | jefficke |
| 2008-09-21 | climbed Huron from this TH on 9/17/08. Road is clear all the way to 4 x 4 parking. Last two miles is very rough and full of potholes. Would not recommend a 2wd on last two miles | pt4 |
| 2008-08-17 | On 8/17/08 made it to the 4WD parking lot TH in a Ford Expedition with no problems. The Expedition has a wheel base similar to a Tahoe (shorter than a Suburban but longer than an Explorer) | gdthomas |
| 2008-06-30 | Grover‘s update is spot on, just wanted to add that the trail to the Apostles is dry to the basin, pretty wet though in a number of different sections, but can stay dry by hugging the sides. | lordhelmut |
| 2008-06-29 | Totally clear for me today. I made it all the way to the 4x4 parking area, as did many other vehicles. Sure, there is lots of water in some spots, but nothing troubling. For Huron itself, there are two prominent snow fields in the basin between Browns and Huron. Plenty of foot holes to step in. Very soggy in that area though. | Grover |
| 2008-06-27 | I drove through the snowbank on the road with no problems. When we got back there were three other vehicles at the 4WD trailhead. A few more days and the snow will be gone. | Zippoman |
| 2008-06-21 | the snowdrift is still covering the road with a couple feet of snow 1/4 mile from the trailhead. There were some tire tracks in the mud on the other side of the drift suggesting someone had driven over it, but i have no idea how they got through it. It looks like it will be a few more weeks before it is melted, but there are plenty of places to park shortly before the blockage. | realhillboarding |
| 2008-06-08 | EDIT : any 4wd high clearance vehicle will be able to make it to within 1/4 of the 4wd lot in a few days, I just remembered there was one snow drift high enough to stop any vehicle in its tracks, but it only covers half the road, anyone with a shovel and interest could pave a way for themselves. | lordhelmut |
| 2008-06-08 | Was up there sunday 6/8. My friend‘s Outback made it about 1/2 miles passed the 4wd sign before running his front end into a steep section near a creek. Any stock vehicle could make it to within 1/4 mile of the 4wd parking lot right now. Leftover avalanche debris stretches for about 50 yards just before the lot, but isn‘t very deep, i‘m guessing by the middle of the month, most vehicles will be able to make it to the end of the road. Lot of snow up on the peaks though, Huron and the Apostles. | lordhelmut |
| 2008-06-02 | The avalanche debris has melted out and the road is now passable to the 2WD parking area. This was a big slide that even knocked a house off its foundations! The road becomes solid snow right at the sign marking the start of the 4WD road. Its going to be several weeks before anyone gets all the way to the summer trailhead. | Chicago Transplant |
| 2008-05-19 | Road still blocked just short of Winfield by avalanche debris. The snow was cement and would likely be passible in frozen conditions, but be wary, you won‘t get back through once the snow softens later in the day. | RoanMtnMan |
| 2008-05-15 | The road is drifted about 2.5 miles from winifeild. About .25-.5 miles of drifts and then it could be driven the rest of the way to winifeild. Probably will be passible by 4X4‘s in a few days. | Titan_20 |
| 2008-04-27 | Road is impassable ~3.5 miles from the Missouri Gulch trailhead; the snow looks to be 18-24" deep for as far up the road as I could see. | KeithK |
| 2008-03-07 | Rode a snowmobile all the way to the Winfield and the road had plenty of well-packed, snow. Rode 1/2 mile up the Huron 4WD road before encountering a deep dip in the road. It‘s possible to ride around it, but I didn‘t bother because I was just exploring. Deep, deep snow on the 4WD road, but a snowmobile could get you at least within 1.5 miles of the upper trailhead. | BillMiddlebrook |
| 2007-11-12 | Was able to make it past initial icy section at the beginning of the 4x4 road after slipping backwards on the first try. Not sure I would do it again though. Rest of the road is icy and snowpacked in spots. | Yog |
| 2007-11-12 | Steep, icy section at the start of the 4WD TH as of 11/9/07. Could not get past this section in a Pathfinder in low-range 4WD...just slipped right back down it! | jamienellis |
| 2007-10-29 | 4x4 road open to the TH rough but no problem w/clearance | cheesehead |
| 2007-06-12 | TH is in a good shape, but some road improvement is being done now. It may cause some substantial delay on yor way back, especially if you have a car with low clearance. | Alex |
| 2007-05-20 | open | shanahan96 |
| 2007-04-15 | Watch out for mud developing late in the day. Drove in at 0600 without difficulty but driving out at 1400 required 4wd to get through the mud and sloppy snow drifts. | s_tuning |
| 2007-04-09 | Road is open to Winfield with good-clearance 2WD. Some snow patches between 10 miles and Winfield (11.5 miles) but nothing serious. Passenger cars should wait a few more weeks. | billmiddlebrook |
| 2006-11-27 | Road easily passable to Winfield, just a bit icy. Easily made it 0.5 miles south to the 2WD trailhead. Got 1/10 mile past that with 4WD but wasn't helpful as there was nowhere to park. Not much snow, but very icy. Saw another stock SUV a few tenths of a mile further. A chained vehicle made it much farther. | SarahT |
| 2006-11-13 | Road clear to Winfield. You can make it at least partways to the 4WD trailhead if willing to drive over boulder covered by several inches of snow | SarahT |
| 2006-07-29 | Took my new Honda Ridgeline 4WD up the trail to climb Huron. I figured I'd get as far as I felt comfortable driving the rugged last 2 miles to the trailhead, then begin the hike from that point. To my surprise, I made it all the way to the trailhead without much difficulty and with no damage to my new truck. If this solo, female, unexperienced driver can make it, so can you! When I returned to the truck from summiting, there were 12 other 4WD vehicles parked there. | mtgirl |
| 2005-10-03 | The last 2 miles are rough, but nothing like S. Colony Lakes Rd. Worth it though, as there are some beautiful spots to camp up that way. | doggler |
| 2005-09-19 | Successfully navigated this road today in a little Jeep Liberty 4x4. The road is dry even at the usually marshy area near the end. You need a minimum of 8 to 9 inches of clearance when loaded to even think about going up there. There is a stream to cross that is potentially hazardous if it rains and a couple other rocky traps that are a little sticky. | dunking_deutschman |
| 2005-06-27 | Road is clear and mostly dry to the trailhead. 4WD, high-clearance only. | BillMiddlebrook |
| 2005-06-20 | Drove all the way to the trailhead in a Ford Escape (4-wheel drive). No problems at all, but we saved 2 miles of hiking on each end! | Judge K |
| 2005-05-30 | 5/29/05 I drove ALL the way to the trailhead. It is still quite MUDDY, and the road is DEFINETLY a 4WD road, but no probs! Toward the end, there is a large "mud hole," but you will see the tracks that go out and around it through a meadow- easy to avoid (and you should!) | ktiffany |
| 2005-05-22 | I drove the Clear Creek road today, and the road is clear and passable for all vehicles to the Winfield townsite. I did not continue beyond the town. | chicago transplant |
| Location: | Sawatch Range |
| 14ers Served: | Huron Peak |
| Road Type: | 2WD dirt to Winfield. Narrow 4WD to 10,560' at the upper TH. |
| Winter Access: | Closed near 9,200 feet - many miles below the TH. |
| Directions: | From Leadville: Drive 20 miles south on U.S. 24 and turn right on the Chaffee County 390 road.
From Buena Vista: Drive 14.5 miles north on U.S. 24 and turn left on the Chaffee County 390 road.
On the 390 road (dirt), drive 11.3 miles to Winfield. There are a bunch of log buildings here. Turn left on a new road. From Winfield, you must drive a total of 2.1 miles to get to the trailhead.
After 0.4 mile, the road gets rugged and requires 4WD. After 0.7 mile, there is a junction. Do not bear left. Stay right. 1.7 miles up the road, you will see the Banker Mine road to your left. There is also another turn on the right shortly after that. Do not take either of these turns. Stay straight on the main road as it parallels the South Fork of Clear Creek. There is parking near the end of the road. Beyond the parking is a gate and the trail starts to the left.
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