Posted By: Lisbeth
Info: Huge holes in parking lot so we didnt take the SUV into the near lot. Others had braved it in similar vehicles but we didnt want to risk it. Sadly this added a lot of time and fatigue for middle aged hikers to an otherwise great trail.

Posted By: rcvance
Info: For those who are curious about driving to the 4wd turnoff(roughly 150 yards from the TH), I managed to get there in a 2wd Escalade (130" wheelbase), summer tires, and about 11.5" of clearance. I only dealt with minor scraping on the rear end housing. Just be conscious of the lines you take and most importantly have fun with it! Good luck out there.

Posted By: KMoore32
Info: Really not so bad for a 4 out of 6 on the road rating. We made it to the second creek crossing (about 0.6 mile from the upper trailhead) in a Jeep Compass, with just some minor scraping. The second creek crossing was super rutted and a bit deep so we decided to hike in the rest of the way from there for La Plata’s SW ridge route.

Posted By: CraigE
Info: I drove a stock Subaru Forester two miles past Winfield to just below the South La Plata trailhead without too much difficulty on 6/12/2020. The rocks and ruts definitely required high clearance and probably AWD. There were two significant water crossings: About halfway up the road there was a stream about 20 feet wide and 8 - 10 inches deep with a firm mud bottom. A little ways past that there was another stream about 15 feet wide and just a few inches deep with a rock bottom and a steep West bank. Both streams were passable with a bit of care, but be aware that the water was a little deeper on the return drive when things had thawed.

I parked where the road turns North towards the trailhead sign. But when I hiked up the road, I saw that I could have comfortably driven a couple hundred yards further up the hill to a larger parking area. The final stretch from there to the trailhead sign was pretty rough.

Posted By: CaptCO
Info: Made it to the junction, 2wd mid clearance until the ice pit which is no bueno for long wheel base regular clearance trucks. Scraped 1-2 times with Stock F150 RWD V8. Worth it for me, probably not for most people. There was a Lexus SUV and leveled 4Runner up there as well. Icy in the morning which turned into small creeks and 1 shallow pond stream. Id say go at your own risk if you dont have a lift. 4wd doesnt matter with the right vehicle and driver.

Posted By: cfb
Info: Started up the rough, 4WD read for about 1/2 mile. It was crazy rough and slow. Definitely high clearance, probably 4WD. I decided it wasn’t worth it. Turned around and went to Missouri Gulch, climbing Belford/Oxford (again)

Posted By: Been_Jammin
Info: Parked my Tahoe Z71 about 200 yards shy of the TH. It could of made it all the way to the top. I think any stock 4*4 with decent clearance would do just fine with the current conditions.

Posted By: hsiegel3
Info: Road clear and well maintained to Winfield and clear to trailhead. High clearance needed for about 10% of 4WD road.

Posted By: johnt
Info: According to the Leadville Ranger District, West Winfield is open to the La Plata TH.

Posted By: KirkDCO
Info: Made the drive from Winfield to the meadow in a 2010 Outback (8.7" clearance) with standard AT tires. The drive is really not a problem, and I saw lower clearance vehicles also making the trek. As everyone else has said, don’t bother with the last 200 yards to the official trailhead. Very steep, only doable with a true high-clearance 4WD, and even then not worth it. 5 minutes of walking and you’re there.

Posted By: Barb1957
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Posted By: pbarn
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Posted By: schumi248
Info: Made it up most of the road, not the rough last 200-400 yards though, in a 2009 Subaru Outback. Breezed through the creek crossings, just take it easy.

Posted By: drgdclark
Info: Trailhead was in pretty good shape if you have a jeep / other high clearance 4wd. I would not recommend going all the way up if you have a 4wd passenger car. Near top, I was balancing on 2 wheels. Fun, but not too much fun. A couple creek crossings would also wreck havoc on my wife’s subie.

Posted By: Navigaiter
Info: The Blackbear creek washout is completely passable for AWD and 4WD. We did it in a Toyota Rav4 and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The right turn for the road to the trailhead is obvious, even in the dark. After a stretch of road that goes through an open meadow, you’ll come to a large stand of pines, and the road will start to swing left just after the trees. The road to the trailhead is right after that stand, and you can’t miss it. Go slowly, and most AWD with decent clearance will make it to the lower portion of the trailhead road.

Posted By: Alan Ellis
Info: Definitely 4WD needed to get to the high TH. We did it in the dark and had no idea where we were going. As a result, we parked lower than we should have. When on the road, just keep going and you’ll reach the end and the parking meadow. You’ll pass about three meadows on the way up the road and you’ll want to stop and park in one of them. Ignore these, keep going, and you’ll get to the correct parking meadow. In the daylight, it’s much easier to see, but if you’re doing an alpine start in the dark, it’s kinda hard to find the right meadow to park. Keep going and you’ll come to the end of the road and the parking.

Posted By: ezabielski
Info: The last few hundred feet to the gate are the hardest for 4WD, but there is not really a place to park there so don’t even do it. Park in an open area just below the gate. At the trailhead I saw a Wrangler, a Jeep Compass, a Ford Expedition, Nissan Frontier, 4Runner, and a Mazda SUV of some sort. The Mazda made quite a thunk slamming the underside on a rock.

Posted By: E_A_Marcus_949
Info: We took a stock Toyota Highlander within a hundred yards of the TH. There’s a meadow-y area where we and another 4Runner parked. There are a few steep up-and-downs and potholes but with careful driving it’s passable and avoidable. Two puddles/stream crossings but not too deep.

Posted By: stephakett
Info: just a sidenote- i disagree with the "obvious" road that rises to the right. we drove past it and had to back-peddle for about half an hour turning on every single pull-off and road until we found the trailhead. i meant to erect a cairn at the turn-off but forgot on the way out.

Posted By: rocketman5988
Info: Road to Winfield is passable by any sedan with decent tires if you stay under 25mph (watch out for potholes and corrugation). Takes 25-30 min to get to Winfield from Hwy 24 turnoff. (Watch out for elk as they are still down in winter concentration and their was close to 100 about 1 mile west on 390.) The 6-8in thick fallen tree just west of Winfield will stop all but a decently lifted 4x4. If you attempt to get to the old cemetery be prepared with recovery assets and other vehicles to help, as the snow drifts are often a few feet deep and dense. See photo Trailhead wooden post/sign is falling apart but still standing; no longer any signage but others have burnt/carved ’La Plata’ with an arrow into the wood. Trail up La Plata is all but completely lost in the deep snow drifts in the creek-bed area just past the Trailhead sign.

Posted By: dweiss2
Info: Road is dry to just past the Winfield Junction. Just past the ghost town there is a small tree that needs to be removed. Beyond that, a good clearance 4wd vehicle can make it through 2 deep snow drifts to the old cemetery, and that’s about as far as you’ll get for a couple more weeks.

Posted By: Josh Bux
Info: Road is in great condition, no snow or ice yet. Definitely need high clearance for the last half mile to mile or so of road. I had no problem in a stock Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, but I saw some other 4x4 cars with lower clearance pulled over before the trailhead.

Posted By: Acook60
Info: Drove our new 4Runner Trail Premium up there today and had no trouble, despite the road being wet. Didn’t have to use any of the car’s bells and whistles. There were 8 cars/trucks up there, 7 of them Toyotas, including a RAV4. The non-Toyota was a Subaru Forester. We thought this road was not as bad as it’s made out to be. It’s rough, but take it slow, you’ll be ok, certainly in any 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Posted By: EKassan
Info: The road was uncomfortable, but otherwise not challenging for a stock Xterra and Tacoma.

Posted By: johnt
Info: The washout is a non issue for any reasonable 4x4. I did it in a stock Tacoma, and an F-150 also did it. I’d probably stop in a Subaru before the washout anyhow, but try it if you like. If you got through the rock garden before the washout, you’d probably make it through there, too.