Medano Pass Rd from the East

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

Seems I read somewhere (but cannot find it now), that Medano Pass Rd from the east, avoids the deep sand issues. So, my questions are:

1. Is that true?

2. Can a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, with meaty tires make it to the Pass (skid plates, 8.8" clearance)?

3. Any chance of getting, said Jeep, over the Pass and nearer to the trailhead?

4. How far up do you think a Subie could make it?

[man_of_nature]

I've driven the whole road through in a Subaru Outback (with lift and AT tires). East side is pretty easy, but then again I'm used to abusing my Outback. Shouldn't have much issues getting to top of pass (NP land boundary). Immediately after that it's a bit more tricky. First time I did one of the 13ers out there I stopped at the top, good car camping spot.

[sfreytag]

East side is pretty easy. No sand on the east side. You should be able to do the whole pass in a Trailhawk, especially east to west. Even sand on the west shouldn't be an issue for a Trailhawk. The only concern is water depth during peak runoff but that should be fine by now. I saw a Jeep Compass attempt a deep water crossing and they sucked water in the intake and likely hydro-locked the engine but that was Memorial Day weekend. But the Trailhawk has a higher intake and is much more capable.

[Mtnman200]

I was there two years ago in a stock 4Runner, and the only really nasty section of road was right before the Medano Lake trailhead. If you stop a couple hundred feet before the trailhead, your Cherokee should be fine and you might even get a nice campsite. (See https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=21113 for photos.)

I think a carefully-driven Subaru could get there, as I don't recall the road being too rough. However, I've slept since then, and the road could have deteriorated in the past two years.

[davisrice4]

I drove up last weekend in my subaru. I stopped .1 miles from the top of the pass. It was pretty straightforward and probably could've make it to the pass, but the most difficult obstacle was right there, so I just walked. Sounds like your jeep would make it there. It gets rougher on the otherside, but with careful driving I do think that it could be done in a cherokee trailhawk. There was plenty of camping down lower that either car could've made it too.

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

Thank you all for the great information. Sounds like I (and my Subie driving companion) will be good to go!

[nsaladin]

My very first time on that road (and first trip with newly installed winch). I went up and over from the east and down into the park at about 12:30am and encountered a stuck Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (only reason I knew it was one, is because he mentioned he didn’t think he would have a problem because it was not just a Cherokee, and it had the red recovery points that I attached my winch line to) on one of the deep sandy turns. He had been there hours and no one around to help him. I drove around him and winched him towards the NP entrance of the roads and I’m assuming he got out okay without help (he did come up and over the pass and down into the park). Key is to not slow down in the deep sand, air down if you have to. There’s an air compressor near the entrance to the park at that store I’m pretty sure.

[Old Hickory]

A few years ago, I took a rental Jeep Cherokee with passenger tires up the east side and successfully made it to the pass, although it was exciting at times. Didn't even think about trying to go farther -- the Cherokee wouldn't have made it back up. But your car sounds fine.

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

For those that may be interested, here's how our trip went.

Two vehicles: Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, Subaru Forester. Subaru stopped short of the pass. Jeep made it over the pass and to the trailhead, without issue.

More Details:
1. Drove up towards Medano Pass in the dark. Was difficult to read the road, with the terrain, waterbars, switchbacks, windy parts, trees, etc. I recommend going up this road with daylight.
2. The majority of the road is "relatively" nice, the last 1.5-2.5 mi (don't recall exactly) required good clearance and had a few obstacles. Spun my tires in sections and had to back up to get a better run at them. Daylight would have helped.
3. We hit one section (~0.4 mi to the pass) where it was a steep incline up, then a steep decline down, with some obstacles. My partner (who has a reputation for being a..."ballsy" driver) decided that might be pushing his Subie's limits.
4. We car camped below that section (~0.75 mi below the pass, a closer spot had occupants).
5. In the morning I drove both of us over the pass and to the trailhead. Some deep ruts, a few rocks, but careful tire placement made them manageable.
6. In the daylight, my partner felt that he "could have" gotten his car to the pass and maybe the trailhead, but said it would have been pushing it and wasn't worth the risks to his car.

Due to where my partner's car was, I drove back down the east side so, can't speak to the descent west.

No pics of the road, we were trying to beat any storms that were coming in and I didn't want to drive the upper sections of the road wet.

[CarpeDM]

3. We hit one section (~0.4 mi to the pass) where it was a steep incline up, then a steep decline down, with some obstacles. My partner (who has a reputation for being a..."ballsy" driver) decided that might be pushing his Subie's limits.

I'm that "ballsy" driver, and just to add my perspective on getting to the pass:

The place that stopped me was actually only about 0.1 mile east of the pass -- most likely the same spot that davisrice4 mentions. I did get the Forester up on top of this bump, but as Valerie says in the dark, getting down the backside of it looked even steeper, a little sandy, and maybe slightly technical. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get back over it coming out, so decided not to try. Other than that spot, there were two other steep, sandy, kinda rutted places where the Forester struggled a little (the traction warning light came on), but the rest is pretty easy (for probably any AWD vehicle that has some clearance, at least). And, yes, I do wonder if I could've made it over that last obstacle, but I was thinking about the possibility of it being wet on the way back down and that solidified the decision not to try it, and I don't regret it. I can imagine that if the road had been wet, it would've been a whole different ballgame.

[blazintoes]

I remember driving my old Forester over this pass into the Sand Dunes. The old Forester was stock with a 4 cylinder wimpy motor but a 1" lift. Now I have a 2.1L Touring Turbo and no lift so more power less clearance and I don't push it as hard. Although the jeep road to the Cielo Vista 11,800 camp for Operation Light Snake pushed it. A little. My friend Steve made it up to Medano Pass last month in an older Highlander. I always say with a little force, anything is possible. Do you still have your original Subaru?

[CarpeDM]

Do you still have your original Subaru?

Yep! Still the same one. I've maintained it and had a couple of repairs, but it's still purring at 138k miles. Oh, yeah, there was the body work that was needed after hitting a deer near South Fork several years ago.