6/14/2025 Posted On: 6/14/2025 By: carmitz001 Info: Road is drivable to 11,020 feet. After that there's too much snow on the road. All three creeks are flowing fast, but they're shallow enough for a Jeep or similar vehicle to pass. I was on foot and didn't find a good crossing for the third stream, so I had to get my feet wet. | ||||
5/11/2022 Posted On: 5/11/2022 By: Thevirtualsherpa Info: Road still mostly covered in snow after creek crossing. If descending Emperor or Y - expect a lot of transitioning or carrying gear once back on road. Snow does not go continuously from bottom of lines to creek. Snow bridge on second creek crossing, but melting fast. | ||||
6/6/2021 Posted On: 6/6/2021 By: Agstrohmeier Info: Road driveable to just beyond the third creek crossing. You can go a little further than that, but parking is limited. Snowfields and two downed trees a little further down the road. | ||||
5/16/2021 Posted On: 5/18/2021 By: ClimberSkierDave64 Info: Easily drivable to the junction with the Grays Peak road. I wouldn't drive any further, although a Ford Ranger did make it a quarter mile up the road. It should be driveable for the first mile past the junction in a week or two. It melting quick up there! | 2 |
|||
2/11/2021 Posted On: 2/11/2021 By: mtnrgr275 Info: Stevens Gulch Road is impassable till the snow melts. I skin the road weekly and see stuck 4x4s or the large ruts caused by stuck vehicles every time. The first mile is fairly hard pack, but is also the steepest section. If you drive off the hard pack you'll find 2-3 feet of unconsolidated, unsupportive, pure sugar, depth hoar. The tow bill will be very expensive when you get stuck. Also Stevens Gulch Road is a popular ski route. The deep ruts left by stuck trucks is a hazard to people skiing down. Please tread lightly and just park at the exit. Embrace the challenge of winter ascents and accept the longer approach. | ||||
7/10/2019 Posted On: 7/11/2019 By: bergsteigen Info: Reading the last update, I wasnt sure how far Id make it down the road, then I remembered I have a lifted Tacoma. Clearance for days. Plus the streams are more normal sized now. You can drive 0.5 miles beyond the 3rd stream crossing (~1.8 miles on GG), but you may not want to. Theres no where to turn around at the Emperor Avy debris. A nice pullout is 0.3 miles beyond the stream crossing. Go beyond only if you like backing down a 4wd road with slippery mud that will slide you around for that extra 0.2 mile. I didnt like it. | ||||
6/30/2019 Posted On: 6/30/2019 By: Thevirtualsherpa Info: Would recommend very high clearance and an experienced driver to make it past the 1st creek crossing. Road is in rough shape and creeks are raging. Debri fields at emperor and near Tuning will not be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. If you do make it past 3rd creek crossing, I would find a spot to park there before the road ends. | ||||
6/22/2019 Posted On: 6/23/2019 By: Carl Info: Grizzly Gulch road is driveable approximately 1.6 miles from the start. In a few days it should be driveable another tenth of a mile to the avalanche debris at the base of the Emperor Couloir, where its blocked by downed trees. | ||||
6/24/2017 Posted On: 6/26/2017 By: randomboulder Info: Was able to drive to the first clearing/avalanche path near the base of of Emperor Couloir at 11k in a stock 4Runner. Continuing to the next clearning/avy path at 11,200ft would not have been possible due to several downed trees farther up the road. Creek crossings were no problem. There were a few muddy spots, but they didn't present any problems. Scraped the skid plate a few times and there's a tight, off-camber turn through some dead fall just before the first clearing. I made it through fine, but on the way out my rear wheels slid and caused me to scrape against a branch on the rear quarter panel. Saw another 4Runner, FJ Cruiser and a Ford Ranger parked up there later that day. | ||||
6/18/2016 Posted On: 6/19/2016 By: SolarAlex Info: Road is dry and drivable to the end. Creek crossings were manageable and the mud pit was passable for a jeep and modified toyota truck, although the jeep seemed to struggle coming back. We parked at the big creek crossing about 1/2 mile from the end of the road. Xterra, 4runner, couple of toyota trucks all made it no problem. | 3 |
|||
6/27/2015 Posted On: 6/29/2015 By: AlexeyD Info: Made it to just before the mud pit in my Forester, with just a couple of bumps. In the morning light, realized that there is a bypass around the pit on the right; however this would really only buy you maybe 10 mins of walking until the "real" end of the drivable road. There are 3 stream crossings, none of which felt particularly scary or difficult. Otherwise, there are definitely some pretty rough sections, and yes, it falls into the category of "4x4 road" - the Subie was near the limit of what it could handle, for sure. Higher-clearance and true 4x4 vehicles should have little difficulty. | ||||
6/14/2014 Posted On: 6/16/2014 By: COnaive Info: Drove to about 1/4 mile from where the road passes across the valley from the large gulley on the north side of Torreys, where the road is buried in avy debris including large trees. The mud pit mentioned below, just past the last creek crossing is there, and the trail around it has been fenced off. Would recommend that stock 4x4s park before the mud pit, as it is much harder to drive out of on the way out than on the way in, even with mud tires and a rear locker I almost got bogged down in it. | ||||
6/29/2013 Posted On: 7/1/2013 By: burnindaylight Info: There is a mud pit just past the "Grizzly Gulch (Upper TH)", as marked on the TH map, that I managed to bury my Xterra in. It looks like some people have driven through the willows to bypass the pit. The road was clear to that point. | ||||
6/16/2013 Posted On: 6/16/2013 By: Carl Info: Road is clear of snow to the base of the Tuning Fork (north face of Torreys). Made it in a 4Runner without any problem. | 2 |
|||
7/6/2012 Posted On: 7/7/2012 By: geoffnco Info: Cinnamon closed due to mudslides on 7-5-2012 |
