Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
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yaktoleft13
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by yaktoleft13 »

sdzurenko wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 4:45 pm Hi. I'm planning a trip to summit Sunshine and Redcloud in early September. After reading about the road to the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch Trailhead, I was wondering how my car would do and found this discussion. I have a Subaru Outback, with listed ground clearance of 8.7". Any thoughts on how that will do getting up to the trailhead?

Thanks!
No problem. Been to that trailhead in a Corolla before
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huffy13
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by huffy13 »

sdzurenko wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 4:45 pm Hi. I'm planning a trip to summit Sunshine and Redcloud in early September. After reading about the road to the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch Trailhead, I was wondering how my car would do and found this discussion. I have a Subaru Outback, with listed ground clearance of 8.7". Any thoughts on how that will do getting up to the trailhead?

Thanks!
Your car should have no issue getting to the SC/GG trailhead. If you want to carry on to American Basin it will be rougher, but if the first TH is as far as you are planning to go it will be relatively easy.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
1brokedad
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by 1brokedad »

sdzurenko wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 4:45 pm Hi. I'm planning a trip to summit Sunshine and Redcloud in early September. After reading about the road to the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch Trailhead, I was wondering how my car would do and found this discussion. I have a Subaru Outback, with listed ground clearance of 8.7". Any thoughts on how that will do getting up to the trailhead?

Thanks!

I took my Subaru Forrester down the road to the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch TH last year and didn't have a problem. I just took it slow and picked my spots. BTW - I will be there 9/10
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drewski
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by drewski »

I drove a rented ford fiesta there carefully and had no problems. Of course I washed the car before returning it.
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greenonion
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by greenonion »

Somebody in a recent other thread (don’t remember which) mentioned that the heavy rains this summer messed up that road some more. See if you can find that or hopefully hear from others who’ve been there recently. Good luck!
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TommyF
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Re: Handies, Red Cloud, Sunshine Questions

Post by TommyF »

greenonion wrote: Thu Sep 01, 2022 2:07 pm Somebody in a recent other thread (don’t remember which) mentioned that the heavy rains this summer messed up that road some more. See if you can find that or hopefully hear from others who’ve been there recently. Good luck!
That was me. Made multiple trips out county road 30 between August 19th and the 23rd. I did see a new Altima at the American Basin/Cinnamon Pass split so with careful driving a normal 2wd passenger car can make it. Plan on taking 2 to 3 times longer than normal unless you don't care about tearing up your vehicle. The road is in pretty poor shape with the amount of rain this summer in that part of Colorado. Some of the puddles ( I use that term loosely, more like ponds across the road) were probably over a foot deep or more. A Rav4 made it up to the American Basin upper trailhead.
Don't Dream It, Do It!
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