7/24/2024 Posted On: 7/31/2024 By: Wentzl Info: I drove to the upper 4WD trailhead today. I do this once or twice every year for the past 15 years. The road past the Wrights Lake trail has been getting worse every year and after this trip, I have to say that the 4WD rating of 3 out of 6 is dangerously misleading. This road is just about as difficult as Lead King Basin and if you plan on driving to the top, be prepared for a knarly ride. Pay close attention to the difficulty description provided on this site, quoted here: Easy 4WD (3 rating) to the restrooms. Very difficult 4WD (5 rating) to the upper TH. | 1 |
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7/4/2024 Posted On: 7/4/2024 By: JoshLipp Info: Driving a leveled Frontier on 32in tires, no lockers, and was able to make it all the way to the top trailhead. Snow isn't blocking the road anymore. Bone stock may strugle, but heavily modified vehicles arent required either. Decent offroad experience is definitely necessary | 1 |
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6/25/2024 Posted On: 6/26/2024 By: Boggy B Info: You can now drive quite high up Yankee Boy. There's still a snowfield blocking the last hill before the upper trailhead, with ample on-trail parking. However, above the parking at 11700' the road is in very challenging shape this season with erosion from the last storm cycle posing serious tip-over potential. Stock high-clearance 4x4s were all parking at 11700'. Subaru/crossover types may not be able to reach the normal trailhead without taking damage in current conditions, and we didn't see any above the Governor Basin junction. | 3 |
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6/8/2024 Posted On: 6/8/2024 By: Wentzl Info: As Boggy B. stated earlier, you can drive past the outhouse. But you can NOT drive to the nice big parking area just below the Wright's Lake trail. So for the next week or so, park at the bottom of that hill, after you cross the stream. I saw people driving up to the snow blockage and then turn off the road and make a whole new parking lot in the tundra. This is new behavior I had not seen in 25 years hiking this hill. The photo shows the first genius in the morning. I did not have the heart to take a photo of how it looked 5 hours later after what was clearly another 25 vehicles doing the same thing. | 1 |
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6/5/2024 Posted On: 6/5/2024 By: Boggy B Info: High clearance can go past the outhouse now, not quite to the off-camber section before the Wrights Lake trail (first switchback). | 1 |
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5/29/2024 Posted On: 5/29/2024 By: supranihilest Info: Now drivable to the outhouse. | 4 |
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5/25/2024 Posted On: 5/27/2024 By: supranihilest Info: Snow was still blocking the road at the big corner for most vehicles but there were plenty of redneck ruts through the snow and one truck had driven to the outhouse the morning we went. The problem is less getting up, if the snow is frozen, and more getting down if the snow is soft. I expect the snow to be melted out in a week or two. | ||||
5/16/2024 Posted On: 5/20/2024 By: Wentzl Info: Funny thing, road was clear to the outhouse last week, but new snow has made it impassable again from about 1/2 mile below. Plenty of room for 6 or 8 vehicles where the snow starts. The last half mile is covered in drifts up to 4 feet deep and will take a couple weeks to melt out again unless the county decides to plow it again, which I think is unlikely. 5/20 update. Yup, you can now drive to the big corner. Plenty of room to park, but still a couple weeks before you can shave off that 7 minute walk up to the outhouse, which was unlocked today. | 2 |
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5/9/2024 Posted On: 5/9/2024 By: lang_daly Info: Road is open and snow starts at 11k. Road is in decent condition | 1 |
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12/27/2023 Posted On: 12/27/2023 By: Kiefer Info: The actual TH is plowed, packed & icy. There were a few vehicles with chains. LOTS of room though. Past the gate, road is plowed pretty well to the mine. | 3 |
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10/8/2023 Posted On: 10/8/2023 By: fsun71 Info: Made it to lower 4WD/outhouses in stock 2015 Toyota Rav4 with some caution | 1 |
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9/12/2023 Posted On: 9/15/2023 By: Wentzl Info: A lot of work has gone into smoothing out the rough spots on this road over the summer. They even filled in and smoothed out the upper part of the road to the upper 4wd trailhead at 12,000'. Subaru Outbacks can easily get to the outhouse now. After the outhouse is still a difficult ride, but easier than any time in the past 5 years or more. | 4 |
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9/2/2023 Posted On: 9/2/2023 By: dadykhoff Info: Haven't seen it posted here yet but the road is back open now. | 1 |
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8/27/2023 Posted On: 8/27/2023 By: GuiGirard Info: Road is closed due to a rock fall at Governor Basin Junction (the 2WD lot at 10,700 if I understand correctly) since last night and still is as of 2.30PM this Sunday. Almost certainly related to yesterday afternoon thunderstorms. | 3 |
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8/17/2023 Posted On: 8/21/2023 By: csteffl Info: Your results may vary based on your vehicle, road conditions, and driving capabilities. I took a stock 2015 Highlander up to the outhouse lot in the pre-dawn hours (dark). With new all-weather tires, traction control off, and careful lines with a spotter in a couple of places it was doable. The pucker factor was real though. The hitch scraped a couple of times. There was a newer Outback and a Jeep Compass (I think) at the outhouse lot among a few other vehicles with better clearance. It took 55 min to hike up to the upper trailhead at a casual pace from the outhouse lot. The upper was empty when we arrived, but had a few lifted vehicles with big tires (Wrangler, X-Terra, 4Runner) as well as several high clearance side x sides when we came down. Some other folks with SUVs just parked at the 2wd area and hiked or hitched a ride up to the outhouse lot. Hiking or driving that road is certainly part of the adventure! |
