9/15/2019 Posted On: 9/15/2019 By: glad2be Info: Did the low road this weekend; the upper road is still blocked. I would probably rate the section between Crystal and LKB as a "5" rather than a "4". Very narrow, exposed, rocky, maybe 2-3 spots to pass another vehicle the whole way. Luckily it's not very long. I received a new dent on my rear fender. Also, the nearest gasoline/cell service is in Carbondale. If something goes wrong, be prepared to fix it. 1979 F150 short bed, 5" lift, 33", front locker | 1 |
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9/7/2019 Posted On: 9/9/2019 By: rchacon Info: Took the lower road from Marble to Crystal and then up from Crystal to Lead King Basin. Road from Crystal was bumpy and filled with small rocks, but passable without much effort in a Subaru or similar SUV/CUV type vehicle. The road is narrow at times, but there were a number of pull-outs between Marble and Crystal to allow passing. Had no issue going from Crystal to Lead King Basin in a bone stock current-gen 4Runner SR5 (no locker) with OEM tires. Scraped the skid plates 3 times going up and 3 times going down, but nothing too serious. A spotter was very helpful for some of the rockier sections, and I probably would have scraped more often and more severely without some help. Kept it in 4wd low going up and down. Any Jeep Wrangler, 4Runner, Tacoma, or similar real 4wd vehicle with low range should be fine, provided your driving skills are up to par and are willing to take your time. Would not recommend a Subaru or similar SUV/CUV unless your driving skills are well beyond extraordinary. | ||||
9/1/2019 Posted On: 9/2/2019 By: yaktoleft13 Info: Lower road from Marble to Crystal would be a 3/6 on this site. Passable by awd vehicles, though very slow going. Lots of pulling off/backing up to allow vehicles to pass. In order to park for hiking, you have to go past the first two switchbacks past Crystal to a parking area on the right just beyond the second switchback. I've attached a screenshot of where it is. The road is a little tougher up those first two switchbacks, but if you made it to Crystal you can make it to the pulloff. It puts you 1.7 miles from the upper trailhead. Past the pulloff the road requires 4wd and clearance. Photos one and two are the rougher upper road, 3 is the pulloff, and 4 is the location of the pulloff | 3 |
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8/31/2019 Posted On: 9/14/2019 By: kwhit24 Info: My hiking partner and I hiked into LKB via Marble on Labor Day weekend. He has a 4runner with really good tires and a 3" lift but he couldn't make the turn to get over the avi debris. There's too much loose crap and snow beneath it to get any decent momentum. a few other trucks tried and another 4runner but no one could get through even though it "looks" doable. A 4-wheeler (I think someone with the FS) was able to get over and back a couple time but he said he hadn't seen any vehicles get through. The only vehicle we saw on the other side was a truck that came from Crystal. Here are some pictures from that morning: Pic #1: Looking back at where we parked Pic #2: most of the avi debris Pic #3: looking down the initial ramp Pic #4: looking up the initial ramp | ||||
8/26/2019 Posted On: 8/26/2019 By: pbergmaier Info: This info is for the lower road through Crystal. From Marble to Crystal it's a pretty basic 4WD road, quite rocky but nothing huge that can't be avoided. One or two very shallow water (puddles really) crossings are necessary. Immediately past Crystal, there are several steep switchbacks that have some pretty large rocks that are difficult to avoid given how narrow the road is in spots. Any high clearance vehicles with decent power at low speeds should be able to make it without much of a problem. My 19-year-old CRV just did not have the umph to get up the steep, rocky second switchback (about 0.2 miles past Crystal, just before you reach the turnoff for the road to Schofield Pass / Devils Punch Bowl), so that's where we started our hike. Once you get out of the switchbacks, the road eases a bit and isn't nearly as steep. | 1 |
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8/26/2019 Posted On: 8/27/2019 By: mrehnborg Info: I reached the trailhead via Crystal in a Ram 2500 Long Bed with slightly oversized tires. i mostly agree with the previous post, though I would add a more caution to choosing this road. The switchbacks just out of Crystal are not that difficult. Once you make the left up toward Lead King, there's about a mile of very rough road, lots of sharp rocks, with five or six spots that really do need good clearance, and a couple tight turns for long vehicles. The road is narrow, without many turnouts, and at times is high above the ravine. so if the height doesn't bother you, you have enough power, and you have tough tires, it's fine. There was an FJ at the trailhead, and a couple of Toyota pickups at campsite along the road. I would plan on about 75 mins of driving from Marble to the TH. That said, They are pretty close to having Lost Trail Rd open. I saw photos from Saturday with a lot of folks up there working on it. ATV's and four-wheelers can get through. There's a status sign (note) at the corner of Lost Trail Rd and the road to Crystal. You can probably call Slow Groovn' BBQ or the General Store for updates (and surely the forest service). All the local seem to know what's going on there. there is no cell service from about five miles south of carbondale all the way to the top of Snowmass and back, I heard that there is free Inet at one of the businesses in Marble. | 1 |
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8/18/2019 Posted On: 8/19/2019 By: craftymatt Info: I took the upper road ("Lost Trail Road") to the avalanche closure and biked to the trailhead from there. They are definitely working to clear the road; there is now a path through the avalanche debris. ATVs were having no trouble passing through and I saw one guy get by in a lightly modified Jeep Wrangler. It's still snow in the middle but it's covered in a pretty thick layer of tree debris. I think it was still a little tight for my 4Runner (plus, my all-season street tires might have struggled), but shorter/smaller 4WD vehicles can likely manage. It changes every day as the snow melts, plus they are making a lot of progress whenever people have a chance to work up there (don't think there is a fixed schedule for that, just whenever they have time). | 2 |
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7/29/2019 Posted On: 7/29/2019 By: nsaladin Info: Easy going for properly equipped vehicles on the lower road from Crystal. The upper road is still blocked by the avalanche debris field covering the road. | 4 |
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7/28/2019 Posted On: 7/28/2019 By: macgyver Info: Open from Crystal to Lead King. Slow going, narrow & many spots with rocks over 8"; pls know your vehicle's ability & your own. Haven't heard anything new on the avalanche from the north side. | ||||
7/22/2019 Posted On: 7/22/2019 By: connorhodes Info: Pretty intense stream crossing near the start of the road, trucks and jeeps could make it but we couldn't get across in a Ford Explorer. About 3.5 miles past the stream crossing there's a huge avalanche that will stop any vehicle aside from ATVs or something like that. Tried to do Snowmass from Lead King Basin but figured we'd rather come back and do the 22 mile standard route (if you can't make it across the stream crossing, it ends up being 21 miles). | 5 |
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7/19/2019 Posted On: 7/20/2019 By: WildWanderer Info: Lower route to Crystal has some large mud puddles, but 4wd vehicles should be fine. Sign at Crystal says Lead King Basin is closed so I parked at the Crystal Trailhead but the road was open to the trailhead. I was told theres an avalanche 1 mile after the first stream crossing on the upper road they dont t anticipate clearing this year. | ||||
7/6/2019 Posted On: 7/9/2019 By: CarpeDM Info: A (handwritten) sign at the town of Crystal said the roads to Lead King Basin and Scofield Pass were closed. In the case of Lead King Basin, don't believe it. It was my first time up that way, but it was as expected given the descriptions I've seen of its normal condition (i.e., a real, but passable, 4wd road). | 2 |
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9/22/2018 Posted On: 9/24/2018 By: robinbk Info: Conditions were more or less perfect on 9/22/18. I got my 2014 Forester XT in after dark on 9/21, and back out after dark on 9/22, without any banging, scraping, or other damage. (Okay, other than backing into a tree at the trailhead, but that's just user error). So, yes, you can get a Subaru in without any damage (there was another Forester at the TH). However... first of all, you definitely need to pay attention, and know what you're doing. Second, you really DON'T want to tackle this in a Subaru when it's wet. I tried that last year, freaked out, parked 5 miles in, hiked the last 2.5 miles, and didn't summit. There's a very specific reason not to. Around 4.5 miles in, the road becomes a 1-lane ledge with a death drop on one side. It's all dirt, with two deep ruts, and in wet conditions this turns into mud. Without mud tires, you slide into the ruts and can't get out (so you have no steering), and you have to keep up momentum to avoid getting stuck. You're careening along a slip-n-slide hoping it ends before you lose control and go over the side. This is Not Something I Ever Want To Do Again. | ||||
8/18/2018 Posted On: 8/21/2018 By: hberry Info: There was a newer ford escape that made it to the trail head. I would assume they scraped in a few spots. With careful driving you can make it in a full size pickup with minimal scraping. Don't know that I would take a Subaru. | ||||
8/12/2018 Posted On: 8/13/2018 By: KansanClimber Info: Drove from Marble to the Lead King trailhead in a 2008 subaru outback with a 2" lift. Dry conditions, and did it during non-peak times so found the drive very doable. The backside of road (closer to the TH) are much rougher than the front side, so plan accordingly. I would not advise doing this drive in a stock subaru, but with good conditions and careful driving it can be done. Make sure you have a self-rescue plan as getting stuck back there with a flat would get lonely. | 2 |
