Carson/Challenger info needed

[Aug_Dog]

How long a trip is it really if you do both? How far up the road can I get in my Tacoma TRD?

Thanks.

I've been eying this combo for awhile. It looks awesome!

[lurker]

I forget the hiking mileage, but it is a long day for a single day hike ~ 12hrs give or take.
easy car access to the trailhead, of course that was years ago.

[Wish I lived in CO]

How far up the road can I get in my Tacoma TRD?

It would be reasonably possible for a passenger car to get to the TH, though some choose to leave it below the TH a bit with a short walk. Thus with a truck you should be OK. The biggest problem is it is sandy and your tires could spin in it a little bit - you could avoid that by speeding up slightly. Or if your truck is 4WD then no problem. The road is much better this year then in 09.

[Aug_Dog]

How far up the road can I get in my Tacoma TRD?

It would be reasonably possible for a passenger car to get to the TH, though some choose to leave it below the TH a bit with a short walk. Thus with a truck you should be OK. The biggest problem is it is sandy and your tires could spin in it a little bit - you could avoid that by speeding up slightly. Or if your truck is 4WD then no problem. The road is much better this year then in 09.

Cool, thanks. The beta on this site said it is about 14 miles roundtrip, but those aren't always right, so I guess what I am asking is, would having a 4x4 Tacoma that can get to places most can't shorten this trip for me?

Did Longs last weekend, so am not real up for another 12-hour day. Then again, this combo looks awesome!

[Wish I lived in CO]

so I guess what I am asking is, would having a 4x4 Tacoma that can get to places most can't shorten this trip for me?

No, once you get to the TH that's as far as you can drive, you're hiking from there. I assume you're talking about the West side.

[Tory Wells]

Yes, you can get your truck to the 4wd trailhead (the road is not that bad) and yes, 14 miles roundtrip is the length of the hike. I did Challenger only on Tuesday (about 13 miles) and it took me about 7.5 hours, and I am a fast uphill hiker and ran the downhill, so ya it is a long day.

[Dancesatmoonrise]

Agree, you can only drive to the TH - which will be zero problem in good conditions this year. The length of the trip is no biggie IMO. Did both, hitting KC first - N Ridge - descending via Challenger - in a moderate day from - well, home. I slept in my own bed, got up in the am and drove out there (from Springs), did both - was slowed down a bit by the boulderfield over to the N Ridge, and still made it back to the car in 10 hours - including a stop at the lake on the way back. Very definitely doable. Very definitely worth doing. One of the funnest trips I've had this summer.

[skystrings]

We did this route last Labor Day weekend. Drive to trailhead was no problem in a toyota Camry which is as far as you can go in a vehichle. We camped at Willow lake just because we wanted to make a 2 day hike out of it plus we heard that it was a beautiful place to camp which it indeed ended up being. The hike itself would be no worse than a long day attempting Longs peak from the parking lot in my opinion. It seemed like a long climb to me but again we carried full packs. Myself...I would do it again as an overnight just because I really liked camping at Willow. Enjoy your climb.

[Matt Benak]

Highly recommend backpacking up Willow Creek trail, camping, hiking the peaks the next day, camping again and then hiking out -- if you have the time. It is a beautiful area and that waterfall into Willow Lake is impressive. Just did these two a couple of weekends ago.