Road to Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch TH - weekend Jun 7-8

[kmcmillan3]

Sooo I've been thinking of doing Handies, Red Cloud, and Sunshine from the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch TH this upcoming weekend (June 7-8). However, I'm not sure about the road conditions. Looking for any recent info on the quality of CR 30 and/or advice. For context, I drive a Honda Civic which of course limits me to mildly bumpy dirt roads at worst. Also live in Boulder, so I'm hesitant to make the long drive down there only to be turned around because my car can't make it up the road to the trailhead. I understand this site labels this road as "rough 2wd" during most of the summer - which can be a mixed bag for a car like mine - and can even require 4wd during the early summer - like for example now lol. One of my friends mentioned that when he did Red Cloud/Sunshine the road was in really rough shape and that there was a stream crossing he had to do (I'm guessing over Silver Creek??) neither of which he said he could see my car being able to handle. Additionally, it looks like it's supposed to rain down there all week which could make conditions wet and muddy. Obviously, none of this exactly bodes well for my car. That said, reading the TH status updates on this site, it looks like improvements have been made to the road, possibly as early as late summer 2023, and it looks like it may have been passable for most 2wd vehicles for most of last summer. However, status updates for late last summer do potentially indicate the road may have deteriorated again. All in all, I'm leaning toward changing my plans, but since I've kinda had my heart set on doing these peaks for a while now I just thought I'd make a last ditch effort and reach out for some extra input and to see if anyone could maybe provide a more recent status update (later than 5/21). Thanks!

[yaktoleft13]

I just drove it last weekend (albeit in a 4Runner). It was better than it's been a lot of years. I'd put it at a 2/6 on this site's difficulty system. I think it's at the far end of what a 2wd sedan can do, but I do think you could sneak your way up there in a civic if you're enterprising. For context, I drove a Corolla for 9 years so I know a thing or two about getting sedans where they shouldn't go.

Alternatively, you can hike RC/SS from Mill Creek, which is easy 2wd, then try to bum a ride up to Grizzly Creek for Handies. Enough people will head up that way I'd imagine you could find someone.

[madmattd]

It's not recent, but I drove a lowish-clearance station wagon (5-6" clearance, I think that is similar to a Civic? - but my car probably has a little longer wheelbase) to the Silver Creek TH for these peaks a number of years back. I had to take it slow in a few spots on the shelf road, but it was completely doable if you know your car and how to pick lines. I only went about 1mi past the Silver Creek TH, there were some tougher spots that would have made even getting to the American Basin spur a much harder task. The road seems to improve and deteriorate from year to year - seems like late season is when it is often the worst from my observations, probably due to a season of ATV traffic chewing things up?

[huffy13]

I just drove it last weekend (albeit in a 4Runner). It was better than it's been a lot of years. I'd put it at a 2/6 on this site's difficulty system. I think it's at the far end of what a 2wd sedan can do, but I do think you could sneak your way up there in a civic if you're enterprising. For context, I drove a Corolla for 9 years so I know a thing or two about getting sedans where they shouldn't go.

Alternatively, you can hike RC/SS from Mill Creek, which is easy 2wd, then try to bum a ride up to Grizzly Creek for Handies. Enough people will head up that way I'd imagine you could find someone.

There's actually no reason to have to bum a ride to GG. I ascended from Mill Creek, summitted Sunshine first, traversed over to Redcloud and just descended Redcloud via the standard route to Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch. From there Handies is a relatively easy ascent. The ascent from Mill Creek is pretty miserable though, my second least favorite ascent I've ever done.

[greenonion]

I just drove it last weekend (albeit in a 4Runner). It was better than it's been a lot of years. I'd put it at a 2/6 on this site's difficulty system. I think it's at the far end of what a 2wd sedan can do, but I do think you could sneak your way up there in a civic if you're enterprising. For context, I drove a Corolla for 9 years so I know a thing or two about getting sedans where they shouldn't go.

Alternatively, you can hike RC/SS from Mill Creek, which is easy 2wd, then try to bum a ride up to Grizzly Creek for Handies. Enough people will head up that way I'd imagine you could find someone.

There's actually no reason to have to bum a ride to GG. I ascended from Mill Creek, summitted Sunshine first, traversed over to Redcloud and just descended Redcloud via the standard route to Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch. From there Handies is a relatively easy ascent. The ascent from Mill Creek is pretty miserable though, my second least favorite ascent I've ever done.

i.e. the initial ascent from Millcreek toward Sunshine is VERY steep. It will build quads and character, and you will swear a lot. But I mostly enjoyed it

[masonzastrow]

I just hiked this road last week! If you park at the Sherman townsite just east of the bridge off Hinsdale county road 35, there's a trail up to Cinnamon Pass road. Hiking from that parking spot adds about 3.5 miles and the easiest 1k gain you've done in your life. I also was offered a ride on the way down. I drove my Nissan Juke (6.5 inches of clearance) up to this trailhead last summer and swore I would not do it again. Maybe I'm just a wuss, but I was really nervous about the cost of a tow if something were to go wrong. So I'll advocate for hiking the road, it's really pretty and hikes fast, it took me about 1:15 from my car to the GG trailhead.

Maybe someone could speak to the legality of parking in at that spot overnight, though. There are small three pullouts that can accommodate probably 4-7 cars total, and one of the pullouts is on the south side of the road, which is clearly private property off the road. I'm not sure where that places the pullouts. I didn't get a ticket at least.

[seannunn]

I just drove it last weekend (albeit in a 4Runner). It was better than it's been a lot of years. I'd put it at a 2/6 on this site's difficulty system. I think it's at the far end of what a 2wd sedan can do, but I do think you could sneak your way up there in a civic if you're enterprising. For context, I drove a Corolla for 9 years so I know a thing or two about getting sedans where they shouldn't go.

Alternatively, you can hike RC/SS from Mill Creek, which is easy 2wd, then try to bum a ride up to Grizzly Creek for Handies. Enough people will head up that way I'd imagine you could find someone.

There's actually no reason to have to bum a ride to GG. I ascended from Mill Creek, summitted Sunshine first, traversed over to Redcloud and just descended Redcloud via the standard route to Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch. From there Handies is a relatively easy ascent. The ascent from Mill Creek is pretty miserable though, my second least favorite ascent I've ever done.

+1 on just about all of this. If you try to get to SC/GG trailhead and find the driving beyond the abilities of your vehicle, go back to Mill Creek and climb Sunshine & Redcloud from there. Trying to do all three in a day + hiking from SC/GG trailhead back down to Mill Creek trailhead/campground would be a LONG day though, and as huffy says, the ascent from Mill Creek hits you almost immediately and hard. Its a trail but I would estimate 30% incline. It will burn your calves for sure. If you can handle that, its a beautiful area. Don't miss the trail coming back down around tree line. I did that once and found myself in the position of looking down over a cliff and seeing my vehicle, but having to descend a steep boulder field to get to it.

I did make it to SC/GG trailhead in a minivan, and I don't drive my vehicles to the limit. Probably bottomed out a few times. That was a decade ago. Sounds like it might be a little better now.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO