7/14/2023 Posted On: 7/14/2023 By: Shaller13 Info: Reached the end of the road up above the 2nd set of switchbacks in my stock Jeep Cherokee. Took me 2 hours going up and a bit under 2 hours going down. Similar times to one of the previous conditions report The 4x4 road is not the worse road of what I have done in terms of technicality(climbing rocks, clearance issues, etc) but it's not an easy road by any means. I would say Nellie creek was the hardest of the 14er 4x4 roads I have done so far but Mt. Antero was more difficult mentally and trail wise over Mt. Princeton, South Colony and the other few. Low gear range is a must(unless you like to cook transmissions) high clearance is highly recommended. If your vehicle has a similar cooling system like my XJ then make sure that is all in working condition. Road is in summer conditions. No mining work was being performed where I parked | 1 |
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7/9/2023 Posted On: 7/10/2023 By: burnhamc Info: Trail is in good shape, can be driven to the top around 13,500' | ||||
7/4/2023 Posted On: 7/16/2023 By: ZooDude Info: Took my stock Chevy Colorado 4x4 to 12,000 feet. Some nice campgrounds down a small valley to the right you get to 12k, that's where we camped for the night. Took about an hour and I tell you what, it took my truck to the limit. Had a couple of minor scrapes here and there, but this is a legit class 4 and is no joke for non lifted trucks/Jeeps. Totally worth it in the end as hiking up that road would have been super painful.... | ||||
6/24/2023 Posted On: 6/24/2023 By: GaryBroome6 Info: Think my wallet fell out of my car on the 2WD trailhead road. Please reach out if you find it. Thank you! | ||||
6/21/2023 Posted On: 6/21/2023 By: angry Info: Parked at 12k in a stock Tacoma. There is road work happening above this point and a large cat truck excavator that will be there for the next 3 weeks according to the operator I talked to. Wouldnt recommend trying to go higher because you cant get past the cat and there isnt anywhere to turn around. | ||||
6/17/2023 Posted On: 6/17/2023 By: LetsGoMets Info: At least to the 277/278 split its normal high clearance 4x4. Clear of snow all the way. Creek crossing at the split is manageable if you continue on 278 (to Antero). 277 (towards Mamma) is free of snow for a couple miles. | ||||
6/15/2023 Posted On: 6/18/2023 By: trek_with_jess Info: Was able to get to 11,800 in a lifted wrangler before blocked by snow. Road is bumpy but no major obstacles. Note that one of the stream crossings is running pretty high and fast right now. As long as you've got decent clearance and 4wd, you should be fine. | ||||
6/10/2023 Posted On: 6/10/2023 By: Ssgustafson Info: The road is almost entirely free of snow and drivable to 11,880' where there is also room to execute a (maybe 6 point) turn around. The highest available parking is at 11,770', but there are plenty of other parking / dispersed camping locations all the down to the river crossing at about 10,800'. Above 11,880' there is still a lot of snow blocking the road and some damage to the road that looks like it will take some time to get reopened. | 5 |
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5/6/2023 Posted On: 5/6/2023 By: CheapCigarMan Info: You can drive 1/3 of a mile up the 4wd road before being stopped by a snow drift. | ||||
4/8/2023 Posted On: 4/10/2023 By: kyrawhitworth Info: 2WD road easy dirt. 4WD turn off covered in snow not likely to melt out enough to drive up for a while. Evidence of tire tracks but only for a couple feet before it looks like they backed up. A few spots of ice flow on the 4WD road (one we had to avoid by hiking around it in the trees). | ||||
8/2/2022 Posted On: 8/2/2022 By: Weekapaugn21 Info: Not so much a status report as a warning to fellow newbies like me: I made it to 13.3k in my stock 2 door wrangler and never bottomed out. But unless you are actually into off-roading, and accept the potential to damage your ride, I'd recommend hiking longer than driving up this. It wasn't enjoyable in the slightest and I cannot believe that I got down with four still-inflated tires. I've done Huron and Princeton, this is a significant step up and made me aware that off-roading ain't my thing. | 3 |
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7/22/2022 Posted On: 7/22/2022 By: CommanderDawn Info: Drove up to 13800 in a 2000 Wrangler 2 door with a 2 inch lift and had zero issues. I am not an experienced off-road driver, so given the ease with which I did this, I think any 4wd truck or suv with decent clearance and a competent driver would be fine. Beyond the tree line, a long wheelbase vehicle will have to make 3 or 5 pt turns on tight switchbacks. Even I had to do one. Also tracked excavators can make the top, dont ask how I know this. | 1 |
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7/16/2022 Posted On: 7/17/2022 By: MaryinColorado Info: Oof! I think I'd bump the rating up to a 5! Drove up to 12K in a Wrangler with 10" clearance and hardy tires. Even with a capable vehicle, this road comes down to quality of driver.(she says, sort of complimenting herself but also speaking the truth). The road was new to me but not to my significant other in another vehicle who said the road is way worse than it has been in the past. This seems to jive with my overall impression since some of the research I did about the road dated back 2-3 years, but compared to that research, the road was far worse than what I was expecting. It was navigable but VERY slow going, and I had to get out about four times to scope out obstacles for a good line. The creek crossings were among the easiest endeavors, actually. Ultimately, made it up and down without incident, but it was among the most stressful off-road driving I've ever done, and I consider myself to be fairly skilled (not a newb). In summary: really need to consider the vehicle's own capability, and definitely a fair amount of nav skill is needed to ensure you don't leave a trail of auto parts. | 2 |
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6/21/2022 Posted On: 7/1/2022 By: jackjk1011 Info: Any vehicle can make it to the lower 2WD trailhead, where there is a reasonable amount of parking on the side of the road. I would not attempt *any* of the 4WD portion of the road without a proper high clearance 4WD vehicle, as it immediately becomes steep and rocky. There are multiple significant water crossings along the 4WD road including one right at the beginning within a few hundred feet of the 2WD trailhead. The entire 4WD portion of the road was dry (except for the aforementioned water crossings) and passible if you have the correct vehicle. Larger high clearance 4WD vehicles can make it to one of several places to park and/or camp along the 4WD road, but after a certain point (just above treeline) you're probably going to want a vehicle with a short wheel base to continue up. ATV, SxS, or Jeep Wranglers should be able to make it to the upper trailhead, which is only a few thousand feet from the summit and has parking for a handful of vehicles. The largest vehicle I saw at the upper trailhead was an FJ. If you are driving anything bigger than that, you will probably want to leave it further down and hike the remaining portion of the road. | ||||
5/27/2022 Posted On: 5/28/2022 By: Jimmy Jay Info: Road is passable for standard clearance 4WD all the way to the 4WD trailhead. You won't get far past the stream crossing without a tracked vehicle though due to snow, and there's a tree across the road close to the Cronin split. Wouldn't try with a low clearance 4WD (Crosstrek Forester, etc) as there are a couple large rocks in the center right after the TH. | 5 |
