KathyW wrote:I'm wondering about road conditions to the Cold Springs Trailhead. I'm going to give Adam's South Side a go in the beginning of August and will driving a rental vehicle; so I'm wondering if I need to rent an SUV or will a passenger car get me to the trailhead?
Thanks in advance.
There aren't any Forest Service roads in the Washington Cascades that require high clearance vehicles let alone 4wd vehicles. I have driven a lot of them in a old volkswagon diesel rabbit and other low clearance "normal" vehicles.
Now maybe over in the Rockies or Blue mountains, but over here in snootville USA? Hardly. Idiots over here think that if a road is unpaved and has a pot hole it requires 4wd... The closest that used to exist was the middle for Snoqualamie which essentially was river bed for a half mile or so. Was a blast to drive until the forest service closed it due to "maintenance" cost. What a joke, they never touched it. Only reason they closed it was because they wanted a deeper wilderness experience. There are still a few "mudding" side roads on HWY 2... But those aren't forest service roads. =) Ok, there are a few over in the Okanagon that are fairly bad, but still drivable with a little experience in the art of not being an idiot. =)
As for the road in question, several thousand drive, park, and climb via this route. If any road is well up kept it will be this one. Then again I have not driven this road personally. I would be shocked if you couldn't easily drive 45mph avoiding potholes along the way.
PS. If a road in Colorado is marked high clearance vehicle they mean it generally.