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Nice!

I miss the days when that road was Rav4able. On two separate occasions, went up the high road and returned via the low one - but the razors have torn it to shreds. I’ll second the discussion of numerous sharp rocks - got a flat within the first mile and a half on my third and final drive up there in 2018.

Appreciate all the info shared here.

By the way, for anyone reading this, if you drive FS-314 through the town of Crystal, there is a camping/parking area approx 1/2 mile past town just past the first switchback, with enough room to accommodate a few vehicles. This is a good option if you want to save the wear and tear on your car and hike the remaining two miles to LKB. There is NO PARKING anywhere in Crystal. My opinions only.

The lower road is bumpier, but AWD friendly until the parking area past crystal. The last 1.7 miles to the trailhead had more obstacles, to my recollection, and is probably a 5/6. Both are a step up from my prior experiences on SCL.

We'll be heading up there next week to camp at Geneva Lake and climb Snowmass via the S-Ridge. Driving an Outback. It sounds like the road is perhaps subaru-able to this parking point? Would that be the recommended option for those looking to park as close as possible with a Subaru, then hike up to LKB trailhead from there? Can anyone with recent experience weigh in on the closest subaru-able approach short of hiring a shuttle?

It is subaruable to the parking spot just beyond crystal. I did it with a crosstrek twice. The parking spot isn't too hard to find, but my snowmass TR from a few years ago has a gpx of where the parking spot is.

I think the upper road is borderline subaruable, but I haven't tried it in one, so I can't say for sure. If you wanted to send it that would get you the closest, but the parking spot past marble gets you within 1.7 pretty flat miles of the trailhead.

rmcpherson wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:25 pm

By the way, for anyone reading this, if you drive FS-314 through the town of Crystal, there is a camping/parking area approx 1/2 mile past town just past the first switchback, with enough room to accommodate a few vehicles. This is a good option if you want to save the wear and tear on your car and hike the remaining two miles to LKB. There is NO PARKING anywhere in Crystal. My opinions only.

The lower road is bumpier, but AWD friendly until the parking area past crystal. The last 1.7 miles to the trailhead had more obstacles, to my recollection, and is probably a 5/6. Both are a step up from my prior experiences on SCL.

We'll be heading up there next week to camp at Geneva Lake and climb Snowmass via the S-Ridge. Driving an Outback. It sounds like the road is perhaps subaru-able to this parking point? Would that be the recommended option for those looking to park as close as possible with a Subaru, then hike up to LKB trailhead from there? Can anyone with recent experience weigh in on the closest subaru-able approach short of hiring a shuttle?

I would say you should be ok to the camping/parking area past Crystal City in an Outback with careful driving. Keep in mind that there's limited space to park there, it could be full on a busy day. GPS coordinates are N39.06023° W107.09814°.

yaktoleft13 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:33 pm I think the upper road is borderline subaruable, but I haven't tried it in one, so I can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is Subaruable anymore, not when I was there last month. And with a tow costing $5,000+ that's too high a risk for me.

rmcpherson wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:25 pm

By the way, for anyone reading this, if you drive FS-314 through the town of Crystal, there is a camping/parking area approx 1/2 mile past town just past the first switchback, with enough room to accommodate a few vehicles. This is a good option if you want to save the wear and tear on your car and hike the remaining two miles to LKB. There is NO PARKING anywhere in Crystal. My opinions only.

The lower road is bumpier, but AWD friendly until the parking area past crystal. The last 1.7 miles to the trailhead had more obstacles, to my recollection, and is probably a 5/6. Both are a step up from my prior experiences on SCL.

We'll be heading up there next week to camp at Geneva Lake and climb Snowmass via the S-Ridge. Driving an Outback. It sounds like the road is perhaps subaru-able to this parking point? Would that be the recommended option for those looking to park as close as possible with a Subaru, then hike up to LKB trailhead from there? Can anyone with recent experience weigh in on the closest subaru-able approach short of hiring a shuttle?

Keep in mind that much of the land around Crystal, starting several miles before the town and extending quite a ways past it, is private property. If you have questions on places to park that aren't explicitly marked as National Forest Service access portals, ask the local folks in Crystal, they're generally around during the day and are happy to help educate on the topic.

As for the suitability of an Outback on either the lower or upper trails, I'll stress again the need for high ground clearance and a solid appreciation for choosing safe lines and not creating hazards for both yourself and other vehicles/drivers. See my post in this thread from last night. I see lots of Outbacks on those roads, but I also see more than a few busted suspensions and cracked oil pans.

Phill the Thrill wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 2:14 pm

yaktoleft13 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:33 pm I think the upper road is borderline subaruable, but I haven't tried it in one, so I can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is Subaruable anymore, not when I was there last month. And with a tow costing $5,000+ that's too high a risk for me.

I was there last month too. The hardest part of the road, other than the stream crossing (which should be much lower now) and the culvert type thing, which I lightly thunked both ways, is the chute leading up to the road split. I think I could get a Subaru there, but don't have to try since I have a 4runner

yaktoleft13 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 3:44 pm

Phill the Thrill wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 2:14 pm

yaktoleft13 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:33 pm I think the upper road is borderline subaruable, but I haven't tried it in one, so I can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is Subaruable anymore, not when I was there last month. And with a tow costing $5,000+ that's too high a risk for me.

I was there last month too. The hardest part of the road, other than the stream crossing (which should be much lower now) and the culvert type thing, which I lightly thunked both ways, is the chute leading up to the road split. I think I could get a Subaru there, but don't have to try since I have a 4runner

4Runner is the way to go!

Thanks for the all the advice and clarifications. It sounds like it's doable to get up to the parking spot just past Crystal, I have plenty of experience pushing the limits of the Outback's "offroading" capabilities, but also no interest in risking a $5k tow for a couple of miles of walking, so will plan to head there. It will be mid-week, so hopefully parking will be a non-issue.

Thanks for the excellent trip report as well, yaktoleft13, some great beta and pictures on the S-ridge!

Update on the road conditions after driving it last Thursday. We took the road less spicy, and it made all the difference. It took a little over an hour to get to the Crystal parking area from the town of Marble. There were large puddles on the roadway up to 6" deep but overall the terrain was fairly manageable. The hike to the Lead King Basin trailhead from the parking area only took about half an hour on fairly easy terrain. I think, in retrospect, we could have made it all the way up to the trailhead but can't be sure since we didn't attempt it.

"RECCOMENDED"
lol

Thanks for the info!