5/29/2023 Posted On: 5/30/2023 By: ssowalskie Info: I made it up to .1 miles away from the 4WD trailhead in my stock Subaru Outback. It was a rough way up (and an even rougher way down) but is definitely Subaru-able if you pick the right lines (and are okay with a little white-knuckle driving). However, I didn't make it all the way up because of a large pool of standing water right before the 4WD trailhead (see picture). I might have been able to make it, but wasn't sure how deep it was and didn't want to risk it. Vehicles at the 4WD trailhead were all SUVs with slightly better clearance. | 1 |
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5/27/2023 Posted On: 6/19/2023 By: GaryBroome6 Info: Road is completely clear of snow and ice all the way to the summer TH if you can survive the giant holes and half buried boulders. | ||||
5/6/2023 Posted On: 5/7/2023 By: supranihilest Info: Tree mentioned in previous update has been cut back from the road. Intermittent snow and ice patches all the way to the 4WD trailhead. We were able to drive about half a mile from the 4WD trailhead. Nobody had gone farther when we parked early in the morning but by the time we came back down at least one person had driven all the way to the trailhead in what was probably an ATV or side-by-side. Personally I'd wait another week or two before going all the way, to avoid getting stuck in the remaining snow, but it is possible now. | ||||
4/23/2023 Posted On: 4/23/2023 By: colin j Info: Drove to the National Forest boundary; any vehicle that can make the trailhead in summer can make it here, though parking is an issue. There isn't a lot of snow beyond this point; however, 500 ft beyond the boundary is a large downed tree. Vehicular access to the trailhead is impractical until the tree is removed. | 1 |
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11/23/2022 Posted On: 11/24/2022 By: bmcqueen Info: I was able to drive to the summer TH in my 4Runner. Plenty of snow on the road, but the existing tracks made it very doable. Subject to change with the next snow of course. | ||||
10/15/2022 Posted On: 10/16/2022 By: infinitealpine Info: Made it to the upper TH in a stock RAV4. I'd say it's probably at the limits of my vehicles capabilities but doable if you take it slow and pick your lines carefully. Plenty of room to park when I had arrived at 9am. | ||||
10/9/2022 Posted On: 10/12/2022 By: Eagle Eye Info: I would say the road is on the poor side of its summer conditions, still. Probably the end of a busy season where a lot of damage and big rocks have been dug out. Someone mentioned a big muddy water pool and its near the end of the drivable road, near the upper TH. Its in a slight dip in the road, I estimate a foot/foot & a half deep, maybe 15 feet long & unavoidable. Its a good road to have high clearance and 4WD, LT light truck (strong sidewall) not P (easily punctured sidewall) passenger tires. | ||||
9/5/2022 Posted On: 9/8/2022 By: Thighs Info: Made it to the 4wd TH in a 2010 Subaru Outback with some off-road tires. I scraped maybe one or two times but with no significant damage done - just poor split second judgement. Two other outbacks at the top with normal touring tires installed. One big water pool but otherwise dry and in pretty good condition. | ||||
9/4/2022 Posted On: 4/16/2024 By: Rafreaki Info: At its worst spots, road was more deeply rutted and with larger rocks exposed than I remember seeing my last drive up in 2012. I did make it to the 4WD trailhead in my stock 2018 Subaru Crosstrek (8.7" ground clearance) with cheap all season tires without scraping... but I wouldn't want to do it again. Had to give a couple sections a second try to get through. Probably more my lack of commitment to my chosen line than the car's capabilities but I was worried about my weeny tires. Bigger tires and beefier suspension would be a definite plus. | ||||
8/27/2022 Posted On: 8/29/2022 By: b_esker Info: Posting this to instill confidence in the thrill seeking Subaru drivers out there. I'd say it's Subaruable, others may disagree. The road is in the best condition I've seen it in since the first time I drove it 7 years ago. I was able to get my old forester up to the pullout right before the 4WD lot (lot was full) and it was a feat. Somehow I didn't bottom out on anything. Just make quick line choices and go for it. Momentum is key which may make some AWD drivers cringe on this terrain. If my car was new, I may have been more hesitant. There was one other Subaru (forester) in the 4WD lot. | ||||
8/19/2022 Posted On: 8/19/2022 By: Shaller13 Info: Had to use 4H in a few spots in my stock XJ. Otherwise very manageable to reach the 4wd trailhead. Other high clearance/4wd vehicles should be able to reach the TH with relative ease. I would advise any other kind of vehicle to not try driving past the 2wd lot. FYI for those who air down, Westcliffe Petroleum Inc in Westcliffe has free air. | ||||
8/19/2022 Posted On: 8/20/2022 By: CommanderDawn Info: Drove mostly stock Jeep TJ to 4WD trailhead. Lot was getting close to full on Friday morning at 6:30am with several groups having camped overnight on the Humboldt trail. I did not find this road fun to drive at all. Although I know there are experts who could do it with enough patience, I would not drive my Subaru on this road. | 1 |
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8/13/2022 Posted On: 8/15/2022 By: haup0021 Info: I was worried about the difficult of the road to the upper TH having never been here, nor have I driven much 'high clearance' roads; so this was a pretty big step up from the rough road to Sherman . I did make it to the upper TH with my Nissan Frontier Pro 4x; but I would say the road was at about the limits of that vehicle; and I did have to use 4WD on the way up in one section. There were several Subaru's at the upper TH; so its doable with a vehicle of that clearance; but like many others have said; you really do have to pick your lines as there are some pretty big rocks and ruts. The lot was almost full when we arrived Friday afternoon; and was 100% and beyond full when we left Saturday mid-day. (we passed a few cars going up, no idea where they ended up parking; further down I suppose). On a weekend I would probably just park in the lower lot if just doing the day hike to avoid the clutter of the upper TH; but when backpacking/camping its nice to avoid that 2 1/2 miles. | 2 |
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8/12/2022 Posted On: 8/15/2022 By: coopergould Info: Personally found the road up to the 4WD TH in considerably better shape than a year ago. Huge improvements and the main obstacle from August 2021 is completely gone. No problem for a stock Taco, plenty of less capable vehicles up there as well. Nothing to sweat about - go get it! | ||||
8/3/2022 Posted On: 8/4/2022 By: spitfiremare Info: The 4WD road is ROUGH for a Nissan Rogue. I managed to navigate without scraping bottom. You've got to carefully pick your lines. It's much worse than 4th of July Rd, for comparison. We got within 3/4 mi of the 4WD TH. There are places to get turned around, should you need to, but you may have to back down in order to get to one of these spots. I'm sure heavy rainfall would have an effect on the stability of this road so take that into consideration (conditions could worsen significantly). Several of the pullouts as you near the 4WD TH are marked 'no parking/no camping' as both THs and road are bordered by private property. I would not choose to drive my Rogue again on this road. We planned to sleep in our cars but if we would have had tents, we could have gotten a ride up the night prior. Hope this helps! |
