Question about South Colony Lakes TH

[Sglm14]

Hi, can someone tell me if the road to Humboldt upper TH is something similar to Grays/Torreys? I'm thinking of doing it this weekend and I have Toyota Highlander but don't know if it will make it up to the 4wd TH. Just trying to get an idea of how rough the road is. Thanks so much!!

[bigredmachine]

Unless the road has become drastically worse in the past year you should be fine. I took my Tahoe with no issues.

[RyGuy]

Hi, can someone tell me if the road to Humboldt upper TH is something similar to Grays/Torreys? I'm thinking of doing it this weekend and I have Toyota Highlander but don't know if it will make it up to the 4wd TH. Just trying to get an idea of how rough the road is. Thanks so much!!

The Highlander will be fine. Was up in a friend's just a few weeks ago. The road was graded and as a result, many of the old Subaru traps are now pretty easy to get over. You will just need to take your time in a couple parts and pick your line well.

-Ryan

[starsstuff]

I made it up in a Honda Element in July this year no problem.

[kaiman]

They closed the true 4WD portion of the South Colony Lake road in 2009, so these days it is pretty much just a 2WD road that requires a little bit of clearance in a few sections, a Highlander will make it just fine.

Kai

[Sglm14]

Thanks so much everyone!!!

[tjmartn1]

I am going to disagree with some of these folks. I was up there around July 4 and I thought the road was a bit worse than some of the people on this forum made it sound. I went up in an AWD Hyundai Tucson and made it until just below where there's an exposed pipe in the road. Couldn't get up that part without risking damage, so I backed into a large pullout right below that point and it was only a 10 minute walk to the real trailhead.

Going down though, I vowed that I would never again go up that road in my 2000 Outback or that Tucson. I thought it was far worse than the road to Greys/Torreys. I was in constant fear of f***ing up my car and the added distance wasn't enough to justify the risk for me.

Luckily there are lots of pullouts along the way if you decide to see how far you can get, but I have to say that all the folks that say it's no problem are selling it a bit short.

[richwill]

I agree this is a worse road than Grays/Torreys, I would be leery of anything without a lot of clearance. We climbed Humboldt a few weeks ago, and I made it to TH in my Tacoma (no 4WD needed). Wish I had a better pic of the road to share, but this was the only one I could find. It's representative of one of the MELLOWER stretches....

[Old Hickory]

So, y'all would say a rental RAV 4 or similar would not be a wise choice? And are passenger tires ("P") OK?

[Shawnee Bob]

I'm a cautious person, so I'd advise a rig with decent clearance, and maybe a tire that is something more rugged than as regular passenger car tire. Sidewall punctures and such will ruin your day.

[pmeadco]

Hmm, I guess the road must have gotten a lot worse since I've been up there. I've done it three times in a Honda CRV and twice in a Subaru Forester. The one (famous?) section past the private property was always a challenge, but I don't think we ever had any serious problems. Unless the road has changed a lot I would think that a RAV4 would probably be OK, as long as you've had some experience on rough mountain roads. But if you have a choice of something with more clearance then, by all means, go for the higher vehicle.

[JeffR]

Hmm, I guess the road must have gotten a lot worse since I've been up there.

The condition of that road (and many others) can change even from week to week.

Best bet is always to check the conditions page.