8/10/2009 Posted On: 8/10/2009 By: Shad Info: Bridge is repaired, made it to upper parking at 12,800 in stock 4runner with no issues. | ||||
8/5/2009 Posted On: 8/5/2009 By: Dorje1018 Info: Roughly .7 miles after leaving the pavement (just beyond the first designated campsite) the road becomes much steeper and has large enough rocks to prevent passenger car travel. | ||||
8/1/2009 Posted On: 8/1/2009 By: TI83plus Info: We were able to make it all the way to 12,800 parking lot on the road in a stock Jeep Cherokee. As for the "washed out bridge" it only had a 3 foot section missing on one of the boards. Someone had even put a rock in the hole so it was a non-issue. | ||||
7/12/2009 Posted On: 7/12/2009 By: geno71 Info: The bridge that is out is about .3 miles from the 4WD TH. Several cars (Range Rover, Jeep) made it over the washed out bridge and all the way up to 12,800. It did not seem as bad today as in previous pictures (maybe the stream level was just lower) but no water was coming over the bridge. | ||||
6/27/2009 Posted On: 6/27/2009 By: Jcwhite Info: The Bridge is out below the waterfall. Got washed out during the rain, last couple days. So You‘re walking from Mace Hut. | ||||
6/21/2009 Posted On: 6/21/2009 By: SkiNowWorkLater Info: 4wd with high clearance can make it to 12,200‘. At this point there is a snowdrift and a large boulder blocking the road. | ||||
6/6/2009 Posted On: 6/6/2009 By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Clear to the wooden bridge before the switchbacks below the Pearl Pass road junction. | ||||
5/28/2009 Posted On: 5/28/2009 By: AlexMack Info: The below mentioned snowbank has been driven through and should be significantly easier to navigate, though I wouldn‘t do it w/out some clearance still. | ||||
5/19/2009 Posted On: 5/19/2009 By: lordhelmut Info: Road is bone dry to the 1st creek crossing. About 50 yards past there is a long snowbank, blocking access for any kind of vehicle. All the cars parked at or behind the bridge. But after this initial snowbank, there is a solid mile or 2 of drivable road. Once that snowbank melts to the point where 4wd cars can squeeze by, you‘ll be able to get a good ways up the road. | ||||
9/8/2008 Posted On: 9/8/2008 By: Steve_P Info: As of 9/5/08: Road gets very rough almost immediately as mentioned in below post- I wouldn‘t plan on going far up it in a passenger car that you care about. Most stock, well driven, 4WDs can make it to the end if you want to. A few (4-5) dicey switchbacks at 3+ miles in, but that‘s the worst. You‘ll need to pick your line carefully on these switchbacks. Creek crossing is currently easy but a couple of big rocks to dodge, esp when coming in. | ||||
8/4/2008 Posted On: 8/4/2008 By: Aubrey Info: Most 2WD cars, driven carefully, can make the first half-mile. Personally, I wouldn't go any further than that. The stream crossing was no problem, though care must be taken on the exit. Water level was fine. After about 2.5 miles the road becomes rougher. As I recall, there were at least three or four rough sections that may give you pause, especially if you're in a stock truck like I was. At about 3.8 miles, or so (my odometer isn't precise and my wheels did some spinning), there's a washed-out section on the shelf road that has been crudely reinforced. Going up it was a little dicey, especially due to the fact that I don't have lockers so my wheels spun a bit (and any error would have sent us tumbling hundreds of feet down the slope). Going down that section, by the way, wasn't a problem. It looked like snow blocked the last section of road, so I stopped at the last switchback (12,550' / below the Montezuma Mine) so that I didn't drive all the way up there just to find the road blocked, and then have to back up the whole way down (on that sketchy shelf road, no less). As it turned out, the road is clear all the way to the upper "parking lot." One lone Toyota was parked there. Overall, it took us about 50 minutes to drive from the beginning of the dirt road to the switchback at 12,550'. | ||||
7/13/2008 Posted On: 7/13/2008 By: Matt Info: Here‘s your 7/11 update: Creek crossing at the bottom was not a problem (in terms of water flow) at 4:30 p.m. Snow blocks the road about 1/2 to 2/3 mile before the mine. We made it quite a bit past the Pearl Pass turnoff. | ||||
6/29/2008 Posted On: 6/29/2008 By: mjlucarelli Info: Was on Castle yesterday. Most of the snow has melted off the road up until you hit just above treeline and the avalanche debri has been moved. There was even a Toyota above treeline just as you start climbing up Montezuma road to the basin. | ||||
6/14/2008 Posted On: 6/14/2008 By: Freeze Info: There is still snow on the far bank of the creek crossing making driving across the creek still impossible. After the stream crossing the trail/road remains littered with amazing amounts of avalanche debris. | ||||
6/8/2008 Posted On: 6/8/2008 By: Marcia Info: The avalanche debris has been cut back, but still can scrape your car and tires as you pass by. You can drive to 10,200 to the creek crossing. |
