6/5/2022 Posted On: 6/6/2022 By: Marcos Info: FYI: About half a mile from the parking area, watch out for hand-dug trench crossing the road. It's totally out of character with the rest of the road up to that point, and you will need an alignment or possibly a new driveshaft if you hit it going faster than about 3 mph. | ||||
5/26/2022 Posted On: 5/26/2022 By: HikesInGeologicTime Info: The recent snow did stick as far down as the road. On my way up in the morning (a bit before 8), I got just over a mile before getting nervous at the depth cresting the hill where 1375 splits off. I backed down and parked in a pull-off a mile from the split off the main Kite Lake Road; fairly consistent snow between I wimped out and the "proper" trailhead reassured me that I'd made the right decision. On the descent, much of the road had melted out down to (pre-storm?) tire tracks, though there were enough patches of thick snow remaining even late into the afternoon that I still felt pretty good about my decision not to take my car any further than I had. Most likely it won't be long before it melts out entirely. ' | 4 |
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5/15/2022 Posted On: 5/15/2022 By: habaceeba Info: Very little snow left on the road to Mineral Park Mine. It's all easily passable until you get to the actual mine where there is a large snow drift that can be bypassed on the right. I would recommend high clearance for the bypass until it melts. If you don't have good clearance, you should be able to find pullout parking right there. The road continues past the mine to the north, but there is a large snow drift that I wouldn't risk. It should melt out soon. One caveat about the road is that there is a deep cross cut about 1/2-mile from the mine that should be taken with caution. I bumped the trailer hitch on my stock Tacoma with 17s. | ||||
9/11/2021 Posted On: 9/11/2021 By: duncanmil Info: The road to Mineral Park is 145, not 415. It is 2.7 miles from Alma. Glad I took my Rav4, and not my 2 wheel drive Optima because of one spot. | 1 |
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4/4/2021 Posted On: 4/4/2021 By: serveJesusChrist Info: The road is closed at Paris Mill. It will likely be closed for weeks. There are bare spots on the road, but most of it is covered in feet of snow. | ||||
9/14/2020 Posted On: 9/14/2020 By: hellmanm Info: pretty much similar to 08/22 report -- rougher then the initial rating might suggest. I drive a Forester and this was doable, but right about at my limit. I stopped in an open area a couple switchbacks before the actual TH. Puddles abound, and you'll want to be intentional with your lines in several places. A 4wd with decent clearance will have no problem, but a regular old sedan will have a lot of trouble. | ||||
8/22/2020 Posted On: 8/23/2020 By: MountainHiker Info: The road has several large pot holes and a few ditch crossings to be respected. Putting your wheels in the right place is mandatory. There are stretches with solid rock sticking up. The road is often narrow enough to require cooperation when meeting other vehicles. Low clearance vehicles or low profile tires shouldn't be there. A carefully driven SUV or sturdy vehicle with better clearance should be able to make it to the mine. Don't go past the mine unless you're in a real 4WD (low range, off road tires). Actual 4WDs shouldn't have any problems but drive slow or you'll hit hard in many places. The big plus, since everyone drives slow, there is no washboard or perpetual dust cloud like the Kite Lake road. I parked at the Bristlecone Pine Scenic Area (small parking lot) which is up a steep narrow (hope you don't meet someone) 4WD hill past the mine. | ||||
7/31/2019 Posted On: 8/5/2019 By: ultradoughboy Info: Leaving Alma, I never saw the FR 415 sign anywhere. Google maps will also try to take you through a house about 1/2 mile from actual turn. So 2.5 miles from Alma, there was a sign "Kite Lake 2.5 Miles (up arrow) ; Windy Ridge 2.5 Miles (right arrow). Taking the hard right, the road immediately turns poor. The next mile is a good climb with several places to narrow for 2 vehicles to pass. The road levels out but still in pretty rough shape. In my 4x4 full size pickup, I average 25mins to cover the 2.75 miles in each direction. Plenty of places to park at the trailhead | ||||
7/3/2019 Posted On: 7/4/2019 By: parkcobound Info: Road is in decent shape. Water across the road in several sections, good clearance recommended | ||||
9/14/2017 Posted On: 9/14/2017 By: saxtonno Info: Road to mineral park is not passable without very high clearance vehicle or atv. About halfway from then off road to kite lake the below mentioned ditch is completely washed out. | 1 |
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9/8/2017 Posted On: 9/9/2017 By: dreinberger Info: The downed trees noted in the June report have been cleared. High clearance vehicle required to get past the one moderate ditch on the route. No issues in a 2015 Forester. | ||||
6/3/2017 Posted On: 6/4/2017 By: aLiEn Info: Road has 2 large downed trees, water crossings, snow piles, etc. 4X4 only! Add at least 1+- more miles to your day. | ||||
11/4/2016 Posted On: 11/4/2016 By: RockCaCO3 Info: Except for one large (diameter, not depth) pothole closer to Mineral Park, road mostly dry all the way from Paris Mill. In Outback. | ||||
10/3/2016 Posted On: 10/3/2016 By: Mooney Pilot Info: I would not attempt to drive this road in a low clearance 2WD vehicle. | ||||
9/6/2016 Posted On: 9/6/2016 By: MikeK Info: Went all the way to the trailhead in a Toyota Corolla on 8-28 (scouting), 8-31 (hiked up a ways), and 9-5 (summited). The road is full of water-filled holes that are deceptively shallow; the rut that transects the road (by my odometer at 1.4 miles, but clearly the one in question) was full of water the first time, but is now dry; it's passable in a 2WD, but only if your clearance is a tad above average and you are very sure of what you're doing; I never bottomed out. A collection of deep divots closer to the trailhead presents a similar challenge to a 2WD, but can be skirted/straddled. Otherwise, don't try it except in a high clearance vehicle -- meaning Subaru and up. |
