Yankee Boy Basin Trailhead

Posted On: 9/2/2026 By: dtron
Info: Drove to the upper TH in a stock Jeep Rubicon on 8/29, Definitely would not want anything less than that for the upper mile. Lightly scraped a couple of times in the Jeep despite have spotters and taking it slowly. Saw a few similar or modified vehicles at the top. Definitely need off road tires, clearance and shorter wheelbase. The road to the outhouse is fine for most AWD/4WD vehicles. It's fairly steep in a few places, so if you don't have 4LO you will probably be unknowingly stressing your transmission. Saw a variety of crossovers and SUVs at the outhouse TH.

Posted On: 7/22/2026 By: aldsw
Info: Easy drive to the outhouse but glad we stopped there in our AWD trail rated SUV. I watched a Crosstrek get a couple wheels off the ground just past the outhouse.

The page mentions dispersed camping along the road - we didn't see any! There were signs all over the place saying no camping allowed. We found one spot for a tent near the outhouse that seemed ok but otherwise we would have been sleeping in the car.

Posted On: 6/29/2026 By: Boggy B
Info: Looks like county filled the washout below the lower TH again, it's in pretty good shape to there.
Free of snow to the upper 4WD TH.

Posted On: 6/10/2026 By: Boggy B
Info: Still snow on the ledges. Ample parking below.

Posted On: 6/3/2026 By: Boggy B
Info: Now you can drive to the bench below the ledges. Should be open to the upper TH within a week or two.

Posted On: 5/31/2026 By: Boggy B
Info: The road is in great condition to the standard/bathroom trailhead.
High clearance 4WD can go pretty far, it's clear a switchback or two above the Wrights Lake cutoff trail.

Posted On: 1/14/2026 By: aidan_esco
Info: Closed to all commercial traffic

Posted On: 8/29/2025 By: ColoNativeGal
Info: Summer conditions even after a lot of rain, made it in a stock F150 crew cab 6' bed no issue to outhouse, just watch your line and ensure you don't get a tire over the edge on the steep shelf parts. Made it to the upper TH in a lifted Rubicon, we took the smoother offshoots on the way up and came down the main road. A couple of tight switchbacks and the rock steps are intimidating, but there is a smooth offshoot to the right. Saw lots of Jeeps, side by sides, a LX 470 and what looked like a stock XTerra at the upper TH. Also saw several 4Runners and a Taco parked lower down.

Posted On: 8/22/2025 By: Ed_Groves
Info: Since I was not familiar with the road and I was driving in the dark, I ended up parking just below the area where the bathroom is located. Up to that point I think 2wd trucks and AWD vehicles should be able to handle the bumps. My 4wd Toyota Tacoma could have made it to the parking just before the sign that indicates only high ground clearance and short wheelbase vehicles should go further. Taking proper lines, it might have made it all the way to the 4wd trailhead but I probably wouldn't attempt that as I prefer to protect my vehicle for the long ride home.

Posted On: 8/13/2025 By: sherby
Info: No issue getting a Sunaru up to the outhouse parking.

Posted On: 8/10/2025 By: gmarcotte
Info: Reached the Governor's Basin road split in low-clearance sedan with no problem. Road is washboarded and bumpy in a few places (mostly where it narrows right next to the cliffs), but nothing that requires high clearance.

Posted On: 8/10/2025 By: paigemoney
Info: Past the outhouse, there is a medium-sized pull-off that any 4wd/awd vehicle with good clearance should be able to access. I’d estimate this spot is about 0.25 to 0.5 miles beyond the outhouse. Beyond that point, the road becomes much more challenging—I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving my stock Wrangler. I also watched several lifted Jeeps struggle on multiple obstacles further along.

Posted On: 8/8/2025 By: CWill83
Info: Last portion of the trail (past outhouses) was super sketchy. My 4x4 Tacoma is lifted with skids/sliders, and it was about all I could handle. If you don’t have a highly capable off-road rig, with experience in off-road driving, I highly recommend you stop and park at the outhouses.

Posted On: 8/8/2025 By: seannunn
Info: Summer conditions. Be very careful driving above the split. I tried to skirt a big hump about 1/4 mile before the outhouse, got stuck on the edge, and had to call tow company to winch out my stock Ford Explorer. $1800. My own dumb fault. Just don't want to see that happen to anyone else. Not worth the effort IMO to save the 3/4 mile hike between the split and the outhouse. Just take 15 minutes extra each way and hike it unless you have high clearance, real 4WD.

Posted On: 7/23/2025 By: sdevj
Info: Road is in summer conditions all the way to the top. I got my RAV4 to the outhouse parking area at around 11,350 ft. A handful of areas that take some planning to get through in a similar car, but nothing major. I would not recommend going farther without more clearance. Got to the lot around 4:30am on a Sunday and only two other cars were there.