Mt. Princeton Road Trailhead

Posted On: 11/2/2025 By: joflyer22
Info: 4x4 road open and snow-free to the radio towers and beyond as of 11/2. There were ruts like other reports mentioned earlier this year but very easy going the whole way in a higher clearance vehicle (stock 4Runner).

Posted On: 9/26/2025 By: feldyinstilly
Info: As others have said, the road is quite rutted out by now. I still think it's Subaruable and that I could have gotten my Forester Wilderness up there without much hassle. But, I'm not an off-road driving guru and took my mountain bike instead. Two Rubicons and one Trailhawk were parked up there. Probably 2-3 difficult obstacles to clear, with the rest of it just slow-going. 16 old-school Army-style Jeeps were headed up. As much as biking up kinda sucked, I'd rather avoid a one-up/one-down standoff lol.

Posted On: 9/14/2025 By: paigemoney
Info: The road is in worse condition than when I was here earlier this year on Memorial Day. The road overall is much more washed out, and the ruts around 9,700 feet are significantly deeper. Some rocks have been placed to improve traction, but vehicles without good clearance may scrape on them. On a switchback after the ruts while ascending, there’s a spot where it looks like people have gotten stuck or spun out; it’s avoidable but difficult to see in the dark. Above the camping area, there are a few pulloffs that can accommodate about three cars total—one each! One at roughly 11,600 feet, another around 11,450 feet, and one on the first curve past the camping area. No parking beyond these spots before the trail.

Posted On: 8/31/2025 By: CraigE
Info: Mount Princeton Road is in rougher shape than the last time I was up there in 2022. Still definitely Subaruable, but it took more care than I expected (and I’m a pretty brave Subaru driver). The road is rutted from runoff pretty much the whole way to the radio towers. And there are two deep holes on a curve around 9,700 feet that require very precise tire placement. But at least the road isn’t very rocky — just washed-out dirt.

Posted On: 8/20/2025 By: SloanerBroner
Info: Went up this road in a stock Subaru OBW as someone who has never driven a 4WD road before, and didn't have any major problems until I tried to push further than the final switchback before the trail begins around 12,000ft. Wouldn't suggest taking anything higher than that final switchback if you don't have exceptional 4WD, clearance, and confidence in your skills as the road gets a little narrower and a little more treacherous past that point. I saw stock Outbacks and Crosstreks at the 10,800ft parking area, who seemed to have made it to that point without any issue. There is a section before 10,800ft in which even trucks had bottomed out, but my OBW miraculously didn't, you just need to find the right line to make it past some obstacles. Happy hiking and good luck to future climbers!

Posted On: 8/5/2025 By: brymiccol
Info: I made it up to the towers, and a little past, in a standard Crosstrek (8.7 inches of clearance). I definitely scraped on the rutted section, but other than that, not too bad at all. It was just sketchy enough to make it fun!

Posted On: 7/28/2025 By: ezabielski
Info: Don't know why the previous person said there's "functionally" no parking past the radio towers, which is not true. There's another set of parking spots a little ways beyond the towers. Then there are a couple more difficult switchbacks you could park on the outside of. Then where the trail departs the road there are two tiny slanted pullouts. Also don't be like the Jeep, Subaru, and Chevy that almost completely blocked the road at the towers Saturday by parking poorly.

Posted On: 7/21/2025 By: EvanKBlack
Info: Warning to drivers: though road itself is not too terrible (the biggest obstacle for a stock Nissan Rogue AWD was one part with 2 holes on the left and right sides), to say there are "limited" pulloffs is not accurate. Functionally, there are ZERO.

Driving this is a real gamble--you have to hope that no one else is coming the other way, and also that no one else (like an RV I found myself behind Saturday night) is getting themselves stuck, requiring everyone reverse downhill, perhaps in the dark. I heard multiple people had serious vehicle issues when I was on trail--engines dying, getting stuck on an obstacle. Safer to consign yourself to hiking/running (or biking?) the road, or possibly hitching a ride up.

Posted On: 7/11/2025 By: nohandz
Info: If you don't mind parking w/i 3000' vertical, you can keep going up the road to 11,300, 11,600, and even right where the real trail starts around 12,000, or past it (you can even go to the end, hike up and over Tigger to Princeton). Plenty more parking scattered than I thought.

Posted On: 6/20/2025 By: TechBison
Info: Planned to drive the road in a 2018 4WD Honda CRV (6.8in clearance), but was forced to turn around ~1 Mile up. The vehicle was stuck at a switchback with the tires sliding on a steep, dusty patch. It may be possible to drive to the towers in this vehicle, but it requires a seriously high level of confidence in your off-road driving ability; I chose not to risk it. I ended up hiking the road and noted several vehicles with 9 or more inches of clearance parked at the towers around 11,000 feet.

I've attached a picture of where my vehicle got stuck. The road worsens slightly from this point, with large potholes and bumps of about 12-16 inches deep further up. In better news, there is zero snow left on the road all the way to the trailhead.

Posted On: 6/11/2025 By: Cuttlefishette
Info: Road's totally dry, made it in a stock Outback Wilderness without too much trouble. Spun a little bit on those ruts at ~9800 on the way up, but got clear pretty quick and coming down was a breeze. Can confirm there are precious few pull-offs, so try to hit the 4wd road after everybody's come down for the night but before anybody summits in the morning. Same goes for parking spots up high. Campsites are small, rare, and the ground is far from level, so sleeping up there is tricky, but not impossible. You could probably drive to 11,800, if you make it as far as the radio towers, it only gets a little sketchier from there, but there's not a wealth of spots to park or turn around higher up.

Posted On: 5/27/2025 By: WinterisClimbing
Info: Posting this from my parking spot at the towers. Completely dry up to here. Arrived at 3:30am and I think I'm the only one here. Reading the reports I was expecting a lot worse than what it actually is. The crux was, as many mentioned, two ruts next to each other that are unavoidable. My 8.7in clearance AWD outback made it up fine with normal tires. No need for special tires or 4wd. Slightly nervous for the way down, hoping I don't run into anyone coming up.

Posted On: 5/26/2025 By: paigemoney
Info: Road is dry to the camping area near the radio towers. Past there, there are a few small/passable areas of snow within the next 0.4 miles. ~ 0.4 miles from the camping area, there’s a large snowfield blocking vehicles from going any further. There’s parking for 2-3 vehicles there.

At around 9,770 feet, there is a spot that is difficult for some vehicles to pass. Essentially two deep potholes side by side with sand inside. Deep enough that I believe my rock guard rubbed. Good tires and 4WD needed.

For anyone else going up the first time and camping: When you get almost to the radio towers, the road will go straight and you’ll see a sign on a tree that says “Warning Helicopter Operation Area.” Do not go straight. Instead, make the hairpin turn (left), then you’ll see a sign that says 322A. Camping spots are 0.25 miles from the split in the road.

For as heavily trafficked as this trail is during the summer, I was shocked by the lack of pull-offs and parking. Really glad to have knocked this one out during a slower season.

Posted On: 4/29/2025 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: OPEN and dry to the radio towers. Also made it the next 0.2 mile to the small camping pull-offs. There were a couple of snow patches just before that area but no problem getting past. Road is snow-covered beyond there.

Posted On: 1/31/2025 By: JasonCrane
Info: CR322 from BV is dry & free of snow to Mt. Princeton Road at 8,900 feet. Bathroom is in-service & parking area is plowed. Mt. Princeton Road has a lot of snow & evidence of vehicles turning around about 1/4 mile up. Road is packed down by snowcat tracks up to the Comm Towers.