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 Trailhead:  Lead King Basin
 Posted By:  9patrickmurphy
 Date of Info:  7/20/2020
 Date Posted:  7/20/2020
Status Update
Road from Marble to Crystal was way rougher than expected. Took just about an hour point-to-point. I drive a stock 2004 4Runner and have quite a bit of offroading experience. No real obstacles on this road, it's just long and very rocky. Some steep sections, but I did most things in 4Hi and only switched to 4Lo for the steep descents. A Subaru could totally do it. Be prepared to stumble around to let others pass, the road is popular and very narrow. Plenty of passing spots, but be very careful with passing on the shelf road segments.

The road from Crystal to the Lead King Basin trailhead is very rough. I was able to make it with a bounty of scraping and a messed-up running board (the car's old so I'm not that torn up about it). Careful line selection is important for some of the larger obstacles, of which there are a few. Everything else is just very rocky, significantly worse than the road to Crystal. I personally would not even consider doing this road without 4Lo. We were chatting with a guy who got his Suburban up it without 4Lo, but honestly the dude was pretty zany and he said he was basically expecting to wreck the thing on the way down. I would recommend this road to anyone who a) has a lift and tires larger than 30" or b) someone who doesn't care about their car. The whole road was driven slower than walking pace. In the end, I wish I had just walked it.

Worth noting that we ran in to a father and son on their way down from Snowmass who said they had parked at Silver Creek (the high point of the north LeadKing loop, and I believe right about where the avy debris is. From what they were telling us, it sounds like they took the akternative approach to Geneva Lake described in Roach's Thirteeners book, route 20.A1V. They made it sound like it wasn't difficult route finding, and that there were plenty of game trails. I'd really like to hear more info about this route, but it sounds like it might be doable. If there is a real trail and it isn't just straight bush-wacking, this seems like the obvious best approach to Geneva Lake. The Crystal approach just isn't super worth it in my opinion.



Comments or Questions
Wentzl
User
Road from Marble to Crystal
7/21/2020 7:24am
Last year that road was a real mess. You would be shocked to learn that this year it is actually in GREAT shape. It has been graded and widened in places making it much easier than past years.

Not to minimize your comments, but for people who have done it before, be ready for a nice treat if you go again this year.


9patrickmurphy
User
Huh
7/21/2020 9:11am
Still not much of a treat! This is the kind of thing you'd want big tires for, just to air down and make it feel a little bit nicer for the hour or so it takes to get up there. Props to the people who've built houses up there. Hell of a grocery run.


Wentzl
User
Rough Road
7/21/2020 9:54am
No, of course. It is a rough road. I just wanted those who were already familiar to take your comments in context.

For the uninitiated, it will turn many away long before reaching the Crystal Mill.



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