S. Winfield/Lake Ann Trailhead

Posted By: AlpineSplit
Info: Road is snowpacked from just past the Missouri Gulch trailhead, and is not drivable past this point:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ac56H5oBBH8NLHpz8

It is possible to snow machine all the way to Winfield

Posted By: madmattd
Info: I’d highly recommend AWD/4WD and actual snow tires (or AT) to get to Winfield right now - the road is drive-able but nearing Missouri Gulch it starts getting a little deeper and softer between and along the tire tracks, and worse beyond. Many places where people have clearly gotten stuck with inadequate traction/driving ability. Shockingly it’s clear that people are still getting up the 4WD road towards the Huron/Lake Ann TH, but it’s just as clear that a ton of people are getting stuck as well - the road is very soft and very chewed up not even 1/2-mile up from Winfield from all the spin outs, but tracks continue beyond that. I gave up trying to XC-ski the mess and went elsewhere.

Posted By: Chipmunk
Info: The drive to the 2WD trailhead is currently doable in any vehicle with intermittent snow patches and the usual washboarding. The road beyond Winfield townsite to the 4WD trailhead is full snow. We made it in a 4Runner - there are tracks to follow, but I don’t recommend this right now without excellent winter driving skills and/or chains. One more storm and the 4WD TH will be inaccessible.

Posted By: sarahmariekirk
Info: Road is pretty snowy all along Missouri Gulch. We were able to basically get all the way up to Rockdale, but it was pretty snowy up there.

Posted By: MetricAssLoad
Info: Made it to the trailhead in the lifted outback with no issues, no scrapes, minor slippage on the first obstacle but the Subaru figured it out after a couple seconds. There are three sections that I would say require some clearance and if its wet a couple areas that would be difficult without 4wd, the worst of which is directly after the start of the 4wd road. Vehicles at the trailhead: 4Runners, tacomas, f150s, outbacks, crvs, and rav4s.

Posted By: Ryan987
Info: Made a post to show photos for your judgement. Wasn’t bad in a lifted trucks but I saw three subies at the TH which was very impressive IMO!! The first and worst obstacle is very flexy right now

Posted By: JasonCrane
Info: I walked the 4WD Road from an area of dispersed campsites about 1/2 mile from Winfield to Huron TH. The 4WD road has a few really rough spots starting at that first hill where the road sign is located. There are some deep dips at least 3 feet in depth. However, I saw a lot of vehicles at the TH, mostly 4x4 pick-ups & one SUV. All the vehicles driving-out made it okay.

Posted By: minnesotanclimber
Info: I camped at the 2WD trailhead for South Winfield Saturday night to Sunday. There are tons of spots here to find a good place to car camp, including on the road itself into Winfield. I climbed Huron and descended via the standard route, walking the entire length of the 4WD road back to the 2WD trailhead. I was impressed to see a Forester and a CrossTrek (!!!) at the 4WD trailhead. Most of the 4WD road is doable, but there are a few really tough spots. Use the first 30ft of the 4WD road as a tester. If you can’t make it up that stretch, then park at the 2WD trailhead.

Posted By: Ed_Groves
Info: The four wheel drive road was rough with large rocks and lots of dips. I drove on it in the dark and stopped 7 tenths of a mile from the four wheel drive trailhead when I encountered a hole that I thought would scrape the bottom of my 2022 Toyota Tacoma. Since I needed to drive it back to Missouri I didn’t want to risk it. However, when we returned from our hike I noticed that I could have driven to the right and missed the worst depths of the hole. My truck could have made it all the way to the 4wd trailhead. I should have climbed out of the truck and given the hole a closer look. After that hole the road was pretty decent to the end. The first 2/3rds of the road are the worst part. The last third is pretty easy if you can make it past the hole.

Posted By: 5ClimbingCooneys
Info: No big changes to report, but a little more detail: the worst portion of the road currently is the section right where it turns into a true 4x4 road immediately after the small parking area. There are several holes that have been dug out by water, erosion, and too many people needing to gun it, thus spinning tires and making the holes deeper. I was able to crawl up in okay in a stock Nissan Xterra Off Road, but the road was loose enough I had to use my locker to avoid spinning the tires and bouncing too much.

The holes tent to alternate from one side of the track to another, forcing a lot of flex and articulation within the vehicle’s suspension and making it nearly impossible to choose a line that avoids all the holes. It completely maxed out the flex I had in my Xterra to the point I was lifted a couple tires at various points on the way down. Due to the spacing, a longer bed vehicle like a Tacoma might handle these a bit better. If your vehicle doesn’t have a good crawl gear and good articulation, it’ll be a really touch pitch.

After that the road was no issue except the large dried-out mud hole closer to the trailhead. There was a row of well-placed rocks that made the climb out of the hole easier, but it’s still a pretty good size lip to get over.

Posted By: Strider29
Info: As mentioned elsewhere, there are three tricky spots on this route. The first is right where the 4WD portion starts. The second is about halfway up and is very similar to the first obstacle, maybe a tick rockier. The third is the mudhole, which I thought was the easiest of the three. I saw one subaru parked just up the hill past the first obstacle, otherwise it was all Jeeps and 4WD trucks at the upper TH. It was pouring rain on my way in and my way out. I didn’t think this road was all that bad - maybe a 3.5/5 (I was in a stock Jeep Wrangler Unlimited). Just make sure you have decent clearance and go slow. Also, the men’s side of the bathroom at the Winfield 2WD parking area is "permanently closed". Women’s side is still open.

Posted By: jhalee4
Info: We drove up to the beginning of the 4WD road and parked there. We were going to attempt it, but then decided not to. After walking the road to the trailhead, we realized we probably could have done it (have a Jeep Patriot), but the walk wasn’t too bad. There are 3 pretty rough spots, but the rest is fine. At the actual trailhead there were a lot of trucks, Jeeps, and two Subarus that made it up.

Posted By: Hunter
Info: Drove to the 4WD trailhead 8/5/23. 4Runners, F150s, Tundra’s, Tacos, and Jeeps were at the trailhead. Several sections require good lines and very slow passes. Stock 4D Rubicon’s are fine. I strongly recommend walking the first .75 mile before committing. It is beat up and getting worse. No plans by the county to bulldoze the road this year. Tread carefully. A recovery/tow in the back country is not cheap. Gunsmoke Towing is the only local outfit out of BV.

Posted By: devo27
Info: 4WD trailhead is named appropriately. For comparison, I made it up in a 2023 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 without any issues - although I kept it in 4LO. A vehicle with decent clearance should be fine. The first few tenths of a mile and then the hole about .3 tenths from the trailhead are the worst parts for anything with low(er) clearance.

Posted By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Ah, yes, still a rough 4WD/AWD road. You’ll need good clearance as soon as it turns to 4WD. If you have a low-ish clearance SUV, park at the bottom and walk the 2 miles to the upper, Lake Ann trailhead.

Posted By: dark_forest
Info: Came with my Santa Fe expecting to make it to the trailhead, but gave up quickly after the 4wd trail started. Gentleman I camped next to had a Honda Pilot, and also gave up at the same point.

There were still a decent number of vehicles at the trailhead, but they all had pretty good clearance (more than I had). I also saw several vehicles bottoming out.

Guess my only advice is to be prepared to start at the 2WD trailhead if needed.

Posted By: supranihilest
Info: Clear to upper trailhead. Two spots which might give some mid-clearance vehicles trouble, one rocky, one muddy. If hiking the road there’s one stream crossing on logs. See photos.

Posted By: supranihilest
Info: Potholed and washboarded but clear to Winfield townsite. Deep, drifted snow and ice starts 0.2 miles up the 4WD road.

Posted By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Had tracks through the snow all the way to Winfield and the 2WD trailhead, recommend vehicles that have good 4WD/traction for the snow, as it gets pretty well packed the further you drive in, would not want to get stuck up there, however pretty much impossible to go any further near/before the Lulu Gulch turnoff unless conditions improve. On the other hand, getting to Missouri Gulch TH ended up being lower difficulty due to it being further east than Winfield.

Posted By: dennywitte
Info: Drove a 1996 Ford Explorer to the Huron/Lake Ann 4WD TH today. There are three spots where you need both 4wd and ground clearance to get through some holes and around big rocks. The road is currently dry with one brief creek crossing. The big mud hole near the meadow is currently dry. Pretty much only vehicles with 4WD and high clearance at the upper TH, although I did see one Ford Edge up there.

Posted By: Giff47
Info: As of August 23 the road to Lulu Gulch is closed and gated at the junction with CR 390 (the road to the standard Huron trailhead). There are two private inholding above this gate. MV access is available to the owners only. Foot traffic is welcome.

Posted By: vswrman
Info: The road to the upper trailhead is definitely rough and narrow. The recent rains have refilled all the mud puddles. That said, I’m a novice 4WD driver, and I was able to navigate it in a Tacoma by going slow and carefully picking my lines. I was lucky, though, because I didn’t have to try to negotiate meeting someone coming the opposite direction -- that would have been a significant challenge. Saw a number of other 4WD trucks, 4-Runners, and Jeeps at the upper trailhead.

Posted By: cfitzpatrick
Info: The road wasn’t too terrible in a 4Runner, and the large mud pit has mostly dried (as of 7/17/22). Wouldn’t recommend driving the 4X4 road in a smaller car or SUV. Saw a few smaller SUVs at the 4X4 lot but I’m sure they scraped on the drive up.

Posted By: Pine Martin
Info: The road has seen a lot of rain and a lot of use in the last week. With that being said, it was easy going in a Chevy Colorado. Good clearance, 4wd, and patience is all you need!

Posted By: hsfedina
Info: 4wd access was tricky. A few vehicles stopped 3/4 of the way due to big mid pit, which looked worse than it was. Our Tacoma TRD, an Expedition, FJ Cruiser, F150 all made it. Lots of obstacles tho. Mostly dry even after yesterdays rain/snow.