Regional discussion and conditions reports for the Northern Rockies. Please post partners requests and trip plans in the Northern Rockies Climbing Partners section.
The road is rocky the last few miles, but it should be no problem for an experienced driver with high clearance. From Rock Springs, I'd plan on three hours, though you might make it in two. Don't go all the way up to Pinedale; that will add at least an hour. From Rock Springs, you can access Big Sandy via a road from Farson.
I've taken my subaru outback to the Big Sandy trailhead every time I've been there. The road sucks, it's washboard and rocky. Just go slow and enjoy it, you'll be frustrated if you're in a hurry. From Pinedale, I think it's like 2 hours of dirt and gravel roads. I don't remember what it was like when we came in from Wild Iris, but lots of slow dirt roads with little traffic. You will have no trouble in a Pathfinder.
I have a low clearance car (a TSX is that helps). I have driven that car on many dirt and gravel roads, nothing that was too bad, and never had a problem. I am planning on hitting East Fork next month. Realistically, can a car like that make it to Big Sandy? What if it is wet?
My only other choices are a) my wife's minivan or b) a rental. "A" sucks for obvious man-card reasons and "B" sucks due to the high cost. I'd rather not leave my car in Pinedale and get an outfitter to drive me in because I really want the flexibility of leaving early/late.
I guess I could head to Elkhart but I really have my sights set on East Fork.
If it's got the ground effects, you might scratch those up, but it would probably make it. The road really isn't that bad and it's pretty heavily used by outfitters so it does see some degree of maintenance. If your plans are flexible, leave early and if you can't make it, turn around and head to Elkhart. If that's the car I had, I'd take it up there, but I live a lot closer than most.