How bad is the upper 4WD trailhead on Crestone

[terribletigzy]

I drove my stock forester up this road twice this year. The first time was in May and the road was tough. There were a few spots that were nearing the limit for AWD vehicles with moderate clearance. I returned again in mid-July and found the road to be significantly worse than I remembered it just a few months prior. Some of the harder sections had eroded due to the heavy rains and I had a much harder time getting up and down. I would imagine this has only gotten worse and I would be hesitant to take a stock forester up this road again. My poor forester has done more than it's duty on South Colony road, I won't put it through that torture again (at least not until next year).

[Buckeye]

Which would be better option to get to south colony lakes upper trailhead…2016 GMC Sierra 2500HD or 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee? Both stock.

[huffy13]

The question I've started asking myself is not "can I make it", but "is it worth it". I put this road in the latter category. Clearly all kinds of vehicles CAN get up there, but the hike up is a breeze, whereas the drive up (and even more-so down) was nerve-wracking for me in a stock outback in a "i hope i dont break something on my car way out here" kind of way. It doesn't add value to my personal day's experience to drive up as opposed to walking it. Plus as Gerry once said, "I want more mountain, not less".

This kind of reflects my own sentiments about some of these roads, and the S. Colony Road is one that I will never drive up again. I have driven it twice, the first time was in 2010 in a 2WD Chevy shortwide Silverado, it made it up to the upper trailhead without too much issue either up or down. I remember thinking that this road was actually pretty decent...the second time was a far different story, it was 2021 and the road was absolutely awful. This time it was in a 4WD Chevy Blazer with a 4" lift and brand new all terrain tires. I was white knuckling a little on the way up, mainly due to large ruts and some sizable rocks jutting out of the road...the way down was worse, just no enjoyment, In hindsight, I wish I had just parked at the lower TH and hiked in to camp, it would have been a lot less stressful and I would not have had the anxiety in my mind about the drive down that made me not sleep well the night before our hike.

[Buckeye]

Appreciate the insight. I think I’ll just mountain bike in to speed up the hike.

[frankster]

We took our beloved, shiny, low mileage stock 2016 Jeep Wrangler to the upper/4WD trailhead at South Colony last month.
The campsites and parking spots were pretty well filled with various trucks and Jeeps.
Humboldt was a day hike for us, so getting up the trail as far as possible was important, but I don't think we
beat up the Jeep too much.

My plan for Crestone Peak next year (and maybe the Needle) is to Jeep to the upper trailhead, MTB the road beyond
the creek crossing to the Wilderness sign (which is at about 11,000 ft or so), and hike over Broken Hand Pass.
This gets one the 3,000 foot assent without the aid of a bike.

[sfreytag]

Which would be better option to get to south colony lakes upper trailhead…2016 GMC Sierra 2500HD or 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee? Both stock.

Either vehicle will make it just fine. I'd go with the Jeep, assuming you have the low range transfer case...if not go with the GMC. IMO smaller vehicles are way better and more maneuverable off road.

The road condition is all subjective to your comfort level driving off road and what you're driving. I took a leveled Ram 2500 up there Labor Day 2022 and again two weekends ago, and didn't think the road was bad either time. Both times I saw plenty of stock Jeeps, trucks, 4 Runners, and even a few Subaru's parked at the top.

[SchralpTheGnar]

I’ve driven that road twice, once in 2001 to the old upper 4wd lot in a 92 Chevy blazer and this summer in a 04 stock 4Runner. I actually enjoyed driving up and down it both times. If I couldn’t drive that road I’d much rather walk it than bike it.

[mnsebourn]

I have a related question that I didn't want to create a separate thread for. If that's what I should have done, y'all just let me know as nicely as possible.

I'm planning to climb Crestone this Labor Day weekend. I suspect the mountain is going to be busy. I'll be rolling into the TH area sometime around noon or a little before on Saturday.

I'm trying to decide if I should take my fairly new Tundra up the road. Will it make it? I'd think so. Should I? I haven't decided.

My only goal for Saturday is to make it up to the lakes.

If I *do* decide to drive up to the 4wd TH (thoughts?), do y'all think there will be a place to park by midday Saturday? If not, is there a place to park... and wait? I was up there once before, for Humboldt, but I hiked right through and didn't pay much attention.

Any ideas on anything I've rambled here would be appreciated.

[larkinrx2]

the 4wd TH will be accommodating for a lot of vehicles. minding the private property areas there is a few pull offs that one can also use.

[Strider29]

Couple years ago, a guy drove a standard Dodge minivan to within 1/4 mile of the end of the road, so it’s not that bad. I mean, I wouldn’t have done it, but it shows what can be accomplished with slow and careful driving.

[interloper]

Couple years ago, a guy drove a standard Dodge minivan to within 1/4 mile of the end of the road, so it’s not that bad. I mean, I wouldn’t have done it, but it shows what can be accomplished with slow and careful driving.

Any car can be a capable off-roader if you don't care what happens to it. I love seeing some beat-to-hell Toyota Tercel or Dodge Neon with a missing windshield, zip tied bumpers, and mismatched body panels at a 4WD trailhead. Just gotta send it.