Rated
5/5
Visited: 11/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Confession: I drive a mostly-stock 2013 (WK2) Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra-Drive (locking rear diff), Quadra-Lift (pneumatic 4" lift) and slightly oversized tires (265/65-18's, or barely 31"). I've only been on a half dozen or so serious trail-runs, some much harder than this, but always with experienced spotters. This was one of my first solos, which I specifically picked because it was "easy".
That said, it seemed harder than a 2. Emphasis on the word "seemed", however, because even with my lack of experience, I got through here without scraping anything (other than some pinstriping) even once, and by the end of it, I was actually having fun. But where more experienced drivers would have simply driven over some obstacles, I had to get out and look. Plus I was the only other full-sized vehicle I saw that day: everything else was side-by-sides or dirt-bikes. One couple even stopped to ask if I was okay! (I was most of the way through by then, so laughed and said yes, and they laughed too and then took off, so that was a nice encounter...)
So I guess I would call this a great "gateway" trail (credit to another reviewer for that term on his Broken Arrow review), where I learned a lot about my vehicle and my own capabilities. In short, what I've concluded is that rocks always look like bigger obstacles than they actually are, because decades of Interstate driving have taught our brains that a hole or ledge of these sizes would spell disaster at speed. But at 1 MPH, in 4-low and 1st gear, this stuff is relatively easy to either drive around or drive over.
So why do I still vote this trail harder than a 2? Because to me, a 2 should be only one notch above a wash-boarded dirt road; basically a rocky road someone could still do in a Prius if they were careful. But I doubt anyone other than an expert (and a film-crew) could get a stock Prius through here.
That said, if this relative newbie got through here unscathed in a mostly-stock Jeep Grand Cherokee, then given some relatively equivalent experience and rig (or better), you almost certainly can too, and it is a fun trail!