South Colony Lakes Trailhead

Posted On: 9/3/2024 By: ironman1942
Info: Took the road all the way to a 4WD TH in a stock 5th gen 4Runner TRD Off Road w/BFG KO2 stock 265/70R17 size tires. I drove the road a few times as we camped out for the weekend and also did some other activities in the area. I used 4-Lo up and down the road to control speed with downshifting. I didn't bother airing down, but it would absolutely make for a smoother ride (did so when we drove Medano Pass on Sunday and it's definitely a more chill experience). Didn't notice any particularly sharp rocks to worry about punctures - most of the rocks appear rounded and well seated in the dirt. It is not hard to bottom out if you're not paying attention on this road. It is extremely rutted, and there are at least 2-3 good sized boulders that will scrape bottom if you don't pay attention. They're avoidable, but if you aren't lifted, don't just yeet yourself into it - it WILL hit/scrape something. First time up, nothing special. On my way down, I started scraping one of the big boulders on my front skid plate and had to back up to go around it. I was going slowly, so thankfully no damage. 2nd time up, I must have chosen my route in one of the rutted areas just a bit differently and my tires spun. I engaged my rear diff lock and immediately continued on just fine. I could have just backed up and modified my line, but it's so fun to use the tools! :-) I saw a Subaru Outback make it to the upper TH. Also a truck with a U-Haul parked in one of the pullouts before the TH (!? lmao). Hope they plan to live in that thing now bc it looks like a pure nightmare to get it turned around and back down. Overall, this was a really fun drive!!! It takes upwards of 30 minutes to get to the upper TH iirc. For comparison, I would say this is substantially MORE gnarly than Lake Como Road up to the typical ~10k parking spot most people stop at without modified and aggressively lifted vehicles. Como is wild with Jaws, etc higher up, but Colony is overall way more aggressive and constant by comparison up until those points imo.

Posted On: 8/24/2024 By: Sbenfield
Info: Agree strongly with previous reports that this road is worse than prior years. Right now I would only consider taking a proper 4wd vehicle with good clearance.

Posted On: 9/2/2024 By: maff
Info: Two data points: -a Cybertruck made it to the 4WD parking lot (and back down again, as best I can tell) -a (Wilderness Trim) Crosstrek made it to about 200 yards from the 4WD lot. Maybe it was the long water crossing (15-20 ft puddle) that stopped them short or maybe it was parking (plenty of spots Monday morning when I went past but the weekend could have been different). Frankly both of those surprised me. I would not call this Subaru-able (and saw an Outback turn around about a half mile into the attempt) but I guess anything is possible. Wouldn't (and didn't) do it myself. Hike it unless you have a serious vehicle.

Posted On: 8/24/2024 By: Ed_Groves
Info: I arrived at the 4wd trailhead on Saturday, August 17th and departed on the 21st. The road is labeled by this website as a 4 out of 6 on difficulty and that is accurate. I drove a 4wd Tacoma 6 cylinder and had no issues with scraping except for one moment of inattention. I had to take a couple of lines where branches probably scratched my truck slightly. On my descent, I went over one hump and couldn't see what was in front of me for a couple of seconds and I didn't see a big rock which I scraped. Normally with a lack of visibility I would stop and look, but I was in a hurry. It did not damage my truck. Don't get in a hurry! The big puddle right before the trailhead was deep but relatively smooth underneath the water. Personally, I wouldn't take this road in a 2wd or AWD vehicle although I did see one AWD at the trailhead.

Posted On: 8/18/2024 By: Castillj
Info: The road past the 2WD parking area is total garbage. One of the roughest roads I have been on and Ive been on a lot. That didnt stop people from driving up as the upper parking area was totally full with stock cars and trucks. Walking down I saw two stock full size pickups damage their rims and tires. On the way up I saw a Tesla about half way up and that was as far as it made it. If you dont care about your vehicle go ahead and send it. Ill walk it and save myself the repair costs.

Posted On: 8/22/2024 By: Thighs
Info: While I made it up in my Subaru Outback in 2022, this year it is not Subaruable. Father in law drove up in stock RAM 1500 and still scraped a few times. The august rains have not treated this trailhead road well. Did not get pics due to helping navigate but there are a few big bumps and deep, deep ruts present. 4Lo was a must.

Posted On: 7/30/2024 By: colin j
Info: I reached the upper trailhead with a stock Silverado 1500 LT. I did air down and used 4 low on the way down to save my brakes but I don't think this is required. I would be hesitant to take anything with a longer wheelbase up as there are a couple spots with exposed boulders and ruts around sharp turns which would be challenging. I did arrive on Saturday evening around 7:30 pm and took the last parking spot at the upper trailhead; it seems like parking is usually full on weekends.

Posted On: 7/21/2024 By: MaryinColorado
Info: I drove it a few weeks ago and then again yesterday (to the Rainbow TH, though). Seems like one of the washouts is deeper than it was a few weeks ago because I was a bit surprised when we came to it. I would never drive this with less than 9" clearance, just not worth the risk even if you think you're an amazing off-road driver. Can be easy to take a hit unless you're driving insanely slow to the point where hiking the road would be faster. ;)

Posted On: 7/6/2024 By: Carsonj20
Info: Made it to the upper trailhead in a 2021 grand Cherokee trailhawk in off-road 1 and 4 auto the whole time. Other vehicles at the summit include new ford ranger, old ford ranger, several stock half ton pickups, Honda ridgeline, suburban, old ford escape, and yes, the 4 runners with their little ladders and traction boards parking people in. Its not hard, but you have to have some experience. I have seen some say you can tell early if you can do it or not but the obstacles get more difficult as you go on.

Posted On: 6/24/2024 By: tlgold1990
Info: Worse than previous years but still manageable in stock vehicles with some clearance. The "obstacles" have been washed out more so the dips are deeper, leaving more room to scrape or hit a bumper. Lots of trucks, jeeps and 4runners at the TH. Did see a subaru forester but I feel that was super risky. They even pulled over to let me pass on the way down. They really had to take their time picking lines.

Posted On: 6/22/2024 By: MaryinColorado
Info: Road to upper TH seems a tad worse than last year. Real rough spots requiring decent clearance. Would NOT recommend doing it in a Subi or any car you value that doesn't have really good clearance.

Posted On: 6/15/2024 By: backcountrybrodes
Info: Lots of 4Runners (including mine), Subies, and Tacos up there. Hardest features I came across were: deepish pond crossing a few hundred feet from the trailhead (keep momentum), mandatory chunk-and-hope sections with good line choice and clearance required if you like your car. Subies can get up, just depends on the driver... and again on how much you like your car.

Posted On: 5/23/2024 By: jmanner
Info: Drove to the upper trailhead, its rough as always but better than when I drove it a handfull of times pre-Covid. Subaru Ascent didnt struggle on the up, but on the way down we scratched the bottom a few times.

Posted On: 4/24/2024 By: MBosch27
Info: Made it about a mile past the winter parking area, modified Rav4: 11" clearance, 31" tires, no winch. With winch I could have made it about a mile and a half. (just past the "private land, no parking, no camping" stretch of road- I'm GUESTIMATING a mile and a half) The first half of the road up to the summer trailhead is mostly clear with some snow patches. The second half is mostly snowed in with a few spots of dirt showing. I estimate the snow depth at the summer parking lot to be around 24" (varied depending on where I placed my probe)

Posted On: 3/24/2024 By: AlpineSplit
Info: All vehicles will need to park at the 2WD trailhead. Snow is continuous all the way to the upper 4WD trailhead.