Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

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JROSKA
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Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by JROSKA »

Question for anyone who has recently been on the Lake Como Road.

I’m planning a trip down there and mulling over if I can get a standard 2018 Jeep Cherokee to the pull offs @ 8800 feet. New tires, 9.1 inches of clearance.

I was down there with the same vehicle 2 years ago, parked about 2.25 miles up the road at about 8300 feet and vaguely recall seeing one area before the pull offs that looked quite challenging but I tend to be a bit tentative in my driving decisions on 4WD roads. Just wondering if the road to 8800 feet is any different now or if others with similar clearance have gotten to that point.

Thanks in advance for any information.

- Jeff R
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by CaptainSuburbia »

Yes, just go slow.
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by LoveThisSite »

Sorry to hijack this thread a bit, but since it's somewhat related I hope it's ok. Anyone tried a mountain bike (I'm thinking ebike here) up this road? I'm sure I will have to walk many sections, but my vague recollection of the road is that I probably will be able to ride >50% of that road from 8800 ft to the lake, enough to make it worth the trouble of taking a bike. Heck, it might even be enjoyable :)
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by bdloftin77 »

LoveThisSite wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 4:32 pm Sorry to hijack this thread a bit, but since it's somewhat related I hope it's ok. Anyone tried a mountain bike (I'm thinking ebike here) up this road? I'm sure I will have to walk many sections, but my vague recollection of the road is that I probably will be able to ride >50% of that road from 8800 ft to the lake, enough to make it worth the trouble of taking a bike. Heck, it might even be enjoyable :)
Don’t have an answer, but I’ve toyed with this idea as well. Just a non-electric hard tail with 27.5x2.6 tires. But it’d be cool to do Blanca from the bottom of the valley, and perhaps having a bike would speed the process (though maybe make it more miserable going up..)
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by justiner »

LoveThisSite wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 4:32 pm Sorry to hijack this thread a bit, but since it's somewhat related I hope it's ok. Anyone tried a mountain bike (I'm thinking ebike here) up this road? I'm sure I will have to walk many sections, but my vague recollection of the road is that I probably will be able to ride >50% of that road from 8800 ft to the lake, enough to make it worth the trouble of taking a bike. Heck, it might even be enjoyable :)
Just did it for the second time last week. I had gear for about four days so with the load, I was walking most of it. Some of it down, too. 3" tires. Some of the road really is one or two steps below "talus" shape, or just so loose it's hard for a bike tire to get purchase. One of those, "happy to have done it" rather than, "happy to be doing it". Good bragging points though - can't wait to offload the GoPro footage :lol:
como-start-IMG_6363.jpg
como-start-IMG_6363.jpg (79.73 KiB) Viewed 4774 times
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by ClimberSkierDave64 »

JROSKA wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:43 pm Question for anyone who has recently been on the Lake Como Road.

I’m planning a trip down there and mulling over if I can get a standard 2018 Jeep Cherokee to the pull offs @ 8800 feet. New tires, 9.1 inches of clearance.

I was down there with the same vehicle 2 years ago, parked about 2.25 miles up the road at about 8300 feet and vaguely recall seeing one area before the pull offs that looked quite challenging but I tend to be a bit tentative in my driving decisions on 4WD roads. Just wondering if the road to 8800 feet is any different now or if others with similar clearance have gotten to that point.

Thanks in advance for any information.

- Jeff R
I've been up that road twice before, and both times got to some pulloffs near 9,700. First time was with a 2007 Pathfinder and the second with a newer Grand Cherokee, so you should be fine. IMO, the road above 8,800 wasn't any worse than the lower part, albeit a little steeper. Actually, the upper part might even be a little smoother because it has less of those round, loose, cobble stones that the road's full of below 8,800. Other than that, the road up to that point really doesn't have any big obstacles, just loose rocks and some potholes. We never even used 4LO.
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by bdloftin77 »

justiner wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:30 pm
Just did it for the second time last week. I had gear for about four days so with the load, I was walking most of it. Some of it down, too. 3" tires. Some of the road really is one or two steps below "talus" shape, or just so loose it's hard for a bike tire to get purchase. One of those, "happy to have done it" rather than, "happy to be doing it". Good bragging points though - can't wait to offload the GoPro footage :lol:

como-start-IMG_6363.jpg
Haha. If the Long Ranger makes a statement like that, you know it’s gotta be rough. Think less of a load would have made much of a difference?

I’m sure some of us would be interested in seeing that go-pro footage whenever you upload it!
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by Skimo95 »

8,800’ is annoying albeit doable with 2WD/Clearance/LSD setups (not your mothers Camry). Have fun out there! Decent loop to setup a couple tents. If you can get to 8,500’ you can get to 8,800’.
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by nmjameswilson »

ClimberSkierDave64 wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:45 pm I've been up that road twice before, and both times got to some pulloffs near 9,700. First time was with a 2007 Pathfinder and the second with a newer Grand Cherokee, so you should be fine. IMO, the road above 8,800 wasn't any worse than the lower part, albeit a little steeper. Actually, the upper part might even be a little smoother because it has less of those round, loose, cobble stones that the road's full of below 8,800. Other than that, the road up to that point really doesn't have any big obstacles, just loose rocks and some potholes. We never even used 4LO.
9700' is before any of the JAWS correct? I am heading up Tuesday with a Tundra and figure I can make it to that point if it is before those JAWS.
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Re: Lake Como Road - 8800 feet

Post by ClimberSkierDave64 »

nmjameswilson wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:43 am
ClimberSkierDave64 wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:45 pm I've been up that road twice before, and both times got to some pulloffs near 9,700. First time was with a 2007 Pathfinder and the second with a newer Grand Cherokee, so you should be fine. IMO, the road above 8,800 wasn't any worse than the lower part, albeit a little steeper. Actually, the upper part might even be a little smoother because it has less of those round, loose, cobble stones that the road's full of below 8,800. Other than that, the road up to that point really doesn't have any big obstacles, just loose rocks and some potholes. We never even used 4LO.
9700' is before any of the JAWS correct? I am heading up Tuesday with a Tundra and figure I can make it to that point if it is before those JAWS.
Correct. Your Tundra should easily be able to get to that point.
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