Nellie Creek Trailhead

Posted On: 7/19/2024 By: F5fourteeners
Info: Definitely a 4x4 road above the 2-wheel trail head. 4-wheel low, take your time, and pick your line. I wheeled a full sized Tundra up there, no problem. 2 water crossings, and couple of hair pin turns that required a 3-point turn, but totally manageable. Not many places to pass opposite traffic, but its workable. Note: The high trail head toilet is still not open. Appears that maybe its permanently closed. Only about half of the camp sites were occupied on a Friday morning.

Posted On: 7/18/2024 By: ScottHendrick
Info: This is a challenging four miles. We needed 45 minutes in our 2022 Tacoma. Had to drop into L4 twice, including the second stream crossing. Encountered no vehicles driving in on Wednesday night.

Posted On: 7/6/2024 By: IHikeLikeAGirl
Info: Made it to the top in a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, ~8.5" clearance. The only issue I had was coming out of the 2nd creek crossing. Steepish bank on exit, then sharp left, steep, rocky switchback left. I couldn't see the line to take ahead of time and didn't have enough speed. Spun tires. Should have gotten out and viewed how to back up and get a better run at it (there's a pull out there). Instead I put in 4 low, spun the tires a bit more and got thru it. I did not hit bottom once (up or down). As the previous posters have said: go slow, pick your line, and know your vehicle's limits.

This is not a road for people inexperienced on 4wd roads

FYI: There was a Subie Forester up there.

Posted On: 7/1/2024 By: chrislwillers
Info: Made it to the top relatively easily in a stock Tacoma. After a lot of rain on Saturday night, both creek crossings were wider, but not necessarily deeper. One heads up for anyone wanting to camp. The pit toilet is boarded shut.

Posted On: 6/29/2024 By: PJ88
Info: Road to the 2wd should be easy for most vehicles. Walked the 4wd road so can't speak to driving it, but it did not seem too bad for Colorado 4wd. Posted pictures of the creek crossings for reference.

Posted On: 6/25/2024 By: mountainmanAJ
Info: This road is definitely a 4x4 trail. The 2 creek crossings are pretty blown out and about 1ft deep, probably will get better as the snow finishes melting. If you have a good clearance vehicle with 4x4 and know how to use it you can definitely get to the trailhead without issue. I made it in a 98 tacoma with plenty of ground clearance, but there was a rav-4 and a subaru up there. Know what you are getting yourself into on this road. IT IS ROUGH, and it gets worse as you get up. There are some features that require good line choice or you will cause damage to your vehicle. Other than that it was a super fun trail to drive.

Posted On: 11/13/2023 By: kriddle
Info: I was able to make it up to the 4wd trailhead on 11/12 in a slightly modified F150 (2" lift & 33" tires). The road itself wasn't a problem but there is a significant amount of smooth, slick ice and we needed to put on tire chains to make it. The ice was intermittent above ~10,400 ft. We ascended the night before in the dark so these photos are from the descent the following day. It might be possible to make it with ample use of traction boards and a shovel to cover the ice with dirt/snow but I wouldn't attempt it without chains at this point.

Posted On: 10/7/2023 By: brech
Info: Road is still clear of snow. I drove it with a high clearance 3/4 ton truck. A number of trucks, jeeps and larger subs. This road is rated 4 out of 6 for good reason

Posted On: 9/26/2023 By: montanahiker
Info: Outhouse is closed for the season (literally nailed shut).

Posted On: 9/19/2023 By: Carsonj20
Info: There were two bone stock suburbans with running boards at the top, if they can do it so can you. This road is not dangerous, it's not hard, it doesn't require any crazy high clearance rig its just bumpy. You're not going to demolish your car as some of the other posts say so long as you have basic knowledge of how to drive on a 4wd road.

Posted On: 9/19/2023 By: RickyDavis
Info: Done in a stock 4WD silverado with road tires after a night of rain. Traction wasn't a concern but I did choose some bad lines on the descent and scraped once or twice.

Posted On: 9/12/2023 By: Eagle Eye
Info: I doubt the road has changed much. If anything, it's at the end of a busy summer season and on the poor side.
It seems like a very capable, high clearance 4WD/LT tires and an experienced off-road driver are required. The switchbacks are really tight so the smaller the vehicle the better! Luckily, I didn't encounter anyone else besides an ATV either going up or coming down, but being able to maneuver off to the side in that case might be more difficult than just the trip up/down. The big stream crossing is wide enough and has a flat rock sort of floor to it. The other smaller crossing is more of a deep ditch but without much water flow. I came up the road in the morning in the dark which isn't preferred but the stock Xterra Pro 4 X has good overhead lights and the Duratracs grip rock really well in just high range 4WD. I think 3 times I've driven up the road over a lot of years, and twice walked it. ---> mv

Posted On: 8/22/2023 By: MetricAssLoad
Info: Made it to the upper trailhead in the 2011 outback with no problems. Plenty of camping along the road especially near the top. Parking lot only had 2 cars on a Monday morning at 6am.

Posted On: 8/22/2023 By: Gene L
Info: Got to Lake City Saturday and drove the first quarter mile in a rented AWD Rogue. Wanted to see what the road looked like in broad daylight instead of attempting it for the first time in the dark. Decided I was not comfortable driving this road, so I turned around and went back.

At some point during this brief drive, I punctured a tire. Fortunately was able to drive the car back to Lake City and got the tire fixed the next morning. Getting a flat on Nellie Creek Rd and having to find a suitable place to change the tire would have been a disaster.

Ended up hiking Uncompahgre on Monday from the 2WD lot. Took some flip flops and a swim towel for the 1st creek crossing and stashed the flip flops behind some trees for the return trip. Highly recommend doing this or even walking across barefoot; the logs set up for foot crossing are slick and wobbly.

To the young couple from Salida who I saw this day and also day the before on Handies: enjoyed chatting with you both on the trail & thanks for the info/tips!

Posted On: 8/16/2023 By: backtothejack
Info: Drove up in a Subaru Outback Onyx (non-turbo) with after-market splash guards and echo the previous comment that the road is Subaru-able, if only just barely. If youre a confident driver, go slowly, and pick your lines carefully, your vehicle should sustain no more damage than a nice coating of mud. That said, an inexperienced or nervous driver could easily rack up thousands of dollars worth of damage, so go at your own risk and know that your mileage may vary. X-mode was a must and I couldnt imagine driving this road without that capability. I also concur with other commenters who say that if you can make it past the first section, you can make it to the top. The streams are rather shallow and were by far the easiest obstacle. Despite doing the improbable, I would never drive this road in my vehicle again because the margin for error is frighteningly slim and mathematically the risk compounds the more you attempt these things. If you consider hiking Uncompahgre to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, driving this road in a Subaru should similarly be a singular experience. Drive safely, keep your wits about you, and have fun.