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Quick question - in normal summer conditions, what kind of clearance is needed to make it up to the upper TH? Does it vary year by year depending on snow melt from the previous year and what condition the road is in from that, etc? I know things on here always talk about "good clearance"....but what exactly is that? 6 inches? 9 inches? 12 inches? "Good" is all relative and was just hoping for some insight from the group. Thanks in advance all!

In all seriousness, I've driven my Subaru Forester up there twice without issue. there are a few holes and ruts I need to negotiate a little more carefully but never was that worried. I think it's listed at 8.5" of clearnace.
This also depends on the driver and comfort. I feel like I've seen a minivan up there as well, but I would definitely NOT recommend that.

Eric

I decided not to risk damaging my Outback, so I parked at the bottom and mountain biked up. I was able to bike all the way to the end of old road (two or three miles or so past the current upper TH?), which, I'm pretty sure, also marks the wilderness boundary.

I was able to drive to the upper TH in a stock Chevy Silverado single cab 2wd without any issues as far as undercarriage clearance or damage. My tires slipped a few times due to a few steeper humps, but overall it wasn't bad. This was a few years ago though, so conditions could have deteriorated since then, but they may also be slightly better too. I think the lowest point under that particular truck may have been 6 or 7 inches...not sure exactly.

Last year I drove my '98 Subaru Outback up, and was followed by a '14 Subaru Crosstrek. I didn't hit anything, he scraped once or twice, but no damage. I cared a lot less about my car than he did, though. That being said, I'm looking forward to heading up it this weekend in my new Tacoma

I was up there last August. The road is graded now. If you're careful, you really could get a Ferrari up there. I recall one steep spot where you'd want to gun it to grab a little air for the clearance. Otherwise, all good.

mtree wrote:I was up there last August. The road is graded now. If you're careful, you really could get a Ferrari up there.

And if you're not...

Ouch....I don't think that is going to buff out, but that's just me.

Thanks for the feedback on the clearance....that helps.

Yup, the road was in great condition last August. I took a Kia Soul to the upper trailhead without any real difficulty.

I was there a few days ago - no problem in a Toyota Tacoma. Saw an Audi that made it up about halfway. A few spots require some clearance; I wouldn't want to do it in anything less than, say, a forrester. The Audi was struggling.

After driving up there too many times to count, clearance is necessary, however the skills of the driver are just as important. An awareness of where your tires balance on rocks in certain areas is key. A standard Tacoma, Blazer, Jeep, etc. could get underbody damage if the driver just drives up without an awareness of high marks, and just as well, someone with good off roading skills and vehicle awareness can get a low clearance vehicle up there without any damage. The condition varies over time due to erosion. Last August a small tractor with a standard bucket flattened some areas, it was not graded as a grader can not and would not go up there. The first 1.25 miles or so goes through private property, there are many signs saying private and no parking, however there used to be a large step/ledge that stopped many vehicles and they parked on his property anyways. That is why he attempted to remove some large rocks and make it easier to continue driving, to avoid vehicles from parking on his land. Good luck, either way, it is less than 3 miles to the upper lot so you'll only add about 5 miles round trip if you park at the lower lot.

A lot of time what is more important than an extra few inches of clearance, is the low end torque to be able to drive uphill slowly without gunning the engine. Because if you have to gun the engine, that gets you bouncing around, spinning tires, kicking rocks and jarring the whole drive train while having less control over where you get to place the wheels. Result is you are more apt to strike something hard on a down bounce. That is what is so wonderful about true low range in a 4WD. When the roughness is testing the clearance on a steep hill, the vehicle doesn't strain at all while crawling along.

Another factor with regular cars and an alarming number of SUVs is how neutered are they for style. Low profile tires and a lot of low hanging trim effectively take away clearance. Next time you look at a Jeep notice how sharp upwards the angle is from the tire to the bumper. Also notice how a lot of Jeeps don't have any rocker panel / running board type trim between the front and rear wheels. This gives you effectively more clearance than just the lowest structure between the wheels. The perimeter trim on many cars works in the opposite direction resulting in less effective clearance than the tape measure says. A lot of low profile tires and tall rims don't survive the city much less a road with rocks, holes and washouts.

As for the road, the hill up out the valley can be much rougher than the rest of the way to the current TH.