Road to Clohesy Lake

[ahrendse]

How difficult is the drive up towards Clohesy Lake? I feel like the two stream crossings shouldn't be as much of an issue at this point in the summer. For those who have driven it, could a Rav4 make it up? If not, how about an Xterra? I generally feel pretty good about taking the Rav4 up difficult roads and have gotten it up Jennings Creek, Baldwin Gulch, Matterhorn Creek, and Nellie Creek. Wondering how she would handle this one. Any advice is appreciated!

[Yikes]

Xterra...yes. rav4....you might be leaving it in the streambed. There was a rocky exit on the far side.

[TravelingMatt]

I've done it in a Ford Escape, but I would not take my Rav4 up there. As Yikes implied, the first couple hundred feet past the crossing is the crux. I've driven across the Rio Grande in the Rav, so wouldn't sweat the crossing this time of year.

[Trotter]

Xterra...yes. rav4....you might be leaving it in the streambed. There was a rocky exit on the far side.

+1

it can be a very rough road

[aleugers]

I've taken my stock Xterra all the way up twice. One or two spots to think about but I had no doubts.

I wouldn't take a RAV4 because I'd constantly be worried that I'd end up stuck in the middle of the trail leaking some sort of fluid. It's most likely possible but would probably take longer than hiking it. The issue to me would be the entire trail, thinking its two miles, is at the limit of the RAV4. So it would be slow going. Then the couple spots I slowed down in my Xterra you may be getting out stacking rocks, trying to create a safe path.

[RyGuy]

The RAV-4 wouldn't make it. Although this time of year the XTerra should be fine.

[DeTour]

We planned to take a Rav4 to Clothesy Lake two years ago. We'd heard, like Yikes and Traveling Matt said, that the first hill past the second stream crossing was the crux. Test drove past that spot the day before our planned hike (in daylight) to make sure the Rav4 could handle it. Made it okay, turned around, clipped a rock on the return trip and blew a tire. After we changed the tire and drove out, we decided the LaPlata trailhead off Highway 82 was a more suitable destination for the Rav4.

We had taken similar vehicles up Matterhorn Creek, Nellie Creek, Yankee Boy Basin, Lead King Basin, South Colony Lakes, etc. etc. I'm not sure the Clothesy Lake road was worse, maybe just our luck ran out.