Grassy Gap Road

We have verified that this trail is indeed temporarily closed. This is an official closure even though the Forest Service website has it listed as open.

As others have reported, this road is temporarily closed. We are looking for more information as to a possible re-open.

I wish I had read reviews before going to this trail. Muddy ruts started out what looked to be an awesome ride but sadly 1/2 mile or so in there is a gate and sign saying closed for maintenance. Big bulldozer sitting there. The trail just beyond looked so great. What a bummer. Some people I spoke with said it may be closed for years yet.

The trail is temporarily closed for maintenance.

The trail has gotten worse over the years and is definitely moderate to moderate plus in wet and muddy conditions. The ruts are deep now and you need to pay attention when you drive it. Nothing is impassable just need to pay close attention.

Trail is temporarily closed and appears to be getting graded and widened.

This is definitely a fun ride. It has many ruts making a high clearance vehicle a must. There are several deep mud holes. The deepest one is the first one you come to heading up the mountain. I went through with a jk on 33’s and a 3 inch lift. Mostly got through okay but at the deepest lost traction. Had to put in 4 low, back up about a foot and give it another go. Got out without any other trouble. Beware, it is as deep as the other comments say…about 5 feet or so. The right side had water coming over the hood

Fun trail, not very difficult but high clearance and 4x4 should be highly recommended. The downed tree has since been moved and the trail is free from any major obstructions. Limited camping options and a few deep mud puddles. Always check the depth before splashing through! Dry conditions make this trail a 2-3, but when wet this trail gets very muddy and could be more of a 3+. Completed in about an hour one way, in a 2014 Tacoma, 2.5" lift and 31s.

Very fun trail, not too technical. I did it in a 100 series Land Cruiser in 4 low the whole way. As mentioned before, stay to the left on the first mud hole coming up, or to the right on the third mud hole going down. It's very deep on that side, I slipped partially into it and the water came over my hood. It's also very narrow in some places because of fallen trees where I had to get some assistance from a friend to pass through without scraping either side. Took us about 4 to 5 hours and pretty heavy rainfall, it was a ton of fun and I recommend it.

This was my first time ever taking my 21” 4runner The trail was pretty easy, however about 3/4 of the way up there is a large tree blocking the rest of the trail. We went after about 8 days of torrential down pour and never had to go into 4WD

Most fun route into the mountains. Definitely need higher clearance. Not sure 4wd is needed though There’s a huge puddle that looks fine but is deceptive. It’s the first big puddle you would come to coming up the mountain. If you are heading up, you can make it though the puddle but you must ride as close as you can to the left side. There is an extremely deep rut on the right side. Like, maybe 5+ft deep of muddy water. There’s also a bypass to the left, but it’s pretty full of roots and it’s really wearing down the land. Other than this first puddle, everything else is fine and handled with ease in a stock Rubicon. This trail may be a little much for one’s first time off-roading due to some of the ruts. But it’s a very manageable challenge with little risk (just stay left). Great way to have fun with a capable vehicle

The trail is no longer passable without a 4c4 with high ground clearance, and good off-roading skills. It’s is great for challenging off-roading. Rain has put ruts down 80-90% of the trail.

I drove this road from north to south, so mostly downhill. The rating of 3 is, in my completely novice opinion, waaaaay off. I took two other trails rated '1' and '2' respectively to get to this one, and the jump from that '2' to to this '3' was huge. This was my first off road adventure, so take it with a grain of salt, but if the trail before this one was a '2' then this one to me should have been rated at least a '4'. My truck is a 2019 Off Road Tacoma 4x4 with stock 30" tires. I drove the trail in 4Lo the whole way. I found the crawl function very useful in a couple of places. One place was the side 'trail' around the deep mud hole (first if you come from the south, third if you come from the north). I watched a lifted F150 with big tires drive straight through it and the water almost reached the hood. My hood would have been underwater. I talked to him after he was through it and said, except for the mud hole, because his truck was as big as it was, he had been able to drive it 2W. I could possibly have driven through it too if I was careful and able to stay on the ridges instead of slipping into the ruts, but if I had slipped into those ruts, it would have been over. So, I went around. However, it's rutted and narrow so it's a good idea to walk it first to make sure you can get between the trees and around the deep muddy ruts. Crawl was also useful for getting around the large boulders that had fallen into the trail about 1 mile from the north trailhead, and when hugging the edges of the road to get around some of the deepest ruts that left little other space. I went through the two more shallow mud holes without difficulty. Aside from the boulders and the mud holes, the other big obstacles were a couple of stretches of DEEP ruts that looked to be up to 18" to 24" deep. I got through without incident, but larger tires and more lift would definitely have been useful and given this novice more confidence. But it was a heck of a lot of fun.

I am a novice in stock 2019 ford ranger 4x4. I found the trail pretty challenging with a few significant ruts. When i got to the water crossing / mud pit, some folks were just pulling a mini van out and said the water was over the hood. I didn't want to chance getting stuck in water that deep, even with there being help readily available, especially since my wife was with me. Frankly, if i hadn't seen them pulling the van out, I likely would have learned a valuable lesson the hard way. I never would ha e guessed it to be so deep.

Rough in a stock jku, but so much fun!!!! The mud pit was a quarter door deep, wasn’t expecting that. The drive around has been totally rutted away, so the only way is through the pit....

Some extremely deep ruts after the heavy rains we’ve been experiencing. I started from the top off Cooper’s Gap and had to turn back 3/4 of the way through, didn’t feel confident going over some of the final ruts in my stock Tacoma solo. Still a good time though! The mud pit is very deep, but there is a side route if you choose your line carefully.

Took a trip up Grassy after almost a year. Still a fun road and I would say that it's a bit more on the higher moderate side now. Ruts are a bit bigger and deeper. You can still get up with a stock height 4X4, just pick a good line.

This is a great trail. 4high and pretty good clearance is probably needed right now with rains. The 3 mud/water pits are full and all the lines around it are gone. This was perfect for us, but I wouldn't have continued past the first pit without the aforementioned options available.

A word of caution - the mud hole at the top has become deeply rutted, more than it looks. BEWARE. The rest of the trail is about the same as normal.

I've done 4 Off-road adventure trips that have included this trail, and it seems to get a bit more tricky each time I go. The ruts are getting deeper, mud pits are getting deeper, but it is an extremely fun road in my 2020 Subaru Outback! I will feel much better about this road once I have a 2 inch lift, but if you choose the right lines and go with at least one other vehicle, you should have no problems! Just don't attempt this one in the family sedan!

It was a fun Sunday drive. We only saw four other vehicles. The road was pretty bumpy and rocky. There were some places with big ruts and a few muddy puddles. I did it all in 2WD on 35’s in a lifted Rubicon.

Quiet morning run, mild rain last night so it was a little muddy nothing terrible, only a couple others out there was a great time.

Hit this last week. fun road, as others have said there are a few spots that may take a little thought but over all not bad. drove my 2020 TRD OR 4Runner in 2WD the whole trip. Ill post an edit with video... Edit:9-1-21 I haven't been back since I made the video but I'm curious to where the mud hole is? I didn't hit.

Fun, would recommend

Hit grassy gap yesterday, trail was a good challenge in TRD Offroad Prerunner - a few spots required scoping out before proceeding but nothing impossible.

Great trail. Washouts throughout so high clearance is recommended (4WD optional but not a bad idea, especially if wet). Ran it downhill and didn't have any issues in a lifted 4Runner. On a side note, we noticed a large amount of fresh trash dumped off to the side about 1/3 mile up from Black Mountain Rd; while we're obviously disappointed that someone is using this trail as their own personal landfill, we'd like to go back with some large trash bags and help clean it up. Props to Jeepin Bubba and others who have helped clean up this trail in the past.

Great trail! Lots of ruts, mud, and some smooth areas. Trail was about an hour long but we went a little slower as this was the first time we have been on this one. We even had a bear run out in front of us so be aware that they are there! Truly an amazing thing to see!

A great getaway - a true offroad trail from start to finish. I'm really surprised this trail doesn't see more visitors. Some of the ruts are even worse than just last month. The easier lines have worn away. This is the extent I'd push a stock vehicle before you start to need a lift and some bigger tires. Not so much that you need 4x4, but the ruts are deep and there are some off camber spots where lift/bigger tires really really help. Also, very rocky the entire way. But all camping areas open - didn't see another person on the trail today.

Definitely rough, rocky and rutted. Definitely fun. Definitely not passenger vehicle. This beautiful dry morning allowed 2wd the entire way. But we did encouter a couple of muddy spots. With just a light coating of rain, conditions would quickly deteriorate to 4wd. Overall a great ride.

This is such a fun trail. Ruts are big enough to make this 4x4 only now, especially in wet conditions. Still an easy trail for any high clearance 4x4, but I no longer consider this a 2WD trail anymore. The road is wide, there are plenty of easy passing areas and easy turn around areas. Good camping, scenic views.... Truly a great trail.

Very awesome easy trail for 4x4 vehicles. I can see it being a challenge for 2x4, but it’s totally doable. It’s rated moderate but I think it’s easy. Great views!

Very enjoyable little unmaintained road. High clearance recommended for some of the ruts. There are even a couple of “flex rocks” along the side😛

Beautiful ride. Some of the ruts are a little bigger after the rainy winter. Still 2WD for the most part in dry conditions, but definitely need some good ground clearance now. 4WD recommended.

This is about the minimum you are looking for technical wise to make the day interesting. As stated above. Easy enough with some washed out areas that need a little clearance but could do in 2WD in good conditions. Great lunch views near the top.

Took the Sequoia up the trail and had no issues. Felt like an accomplishment till we saw a Honda Accord on the trail.

Easy trail in good condition, 100 percent passable in 2wd, but clearance could be an issue in lower vehicles. Took Cooper's Gap and a couple of other fsr's after that were marginally more challenging