NF 7720

I made it up to the ridge by the lake where the road T's (right-towards the lake). I ended up leaving early because the offroad app said there was an active wildfire (which there wasn't when I passed it going down)...so that was a bummer. Drove my '05 Honda Pilot with 30'' all terrain tires, I used the V-tm4 lock a couple times...not sure I needed to though. I'll be back up there soon to do some volunteer road maintenance, if anyone wants to help let's plan a day, with more people we can cover more ground. ...Tools that help - chainsaw, shovel, hedge trimmers, loppers. USFS isn't going to maintain this road so it's only going to get worse every year, the loggers and quarry people might maintain the lower section but most of the area to the back is Clearwater Wilderness and I don't believe the USFS uses those roads for anything anymore...although I'm still looking into it.

Ran up the mountain to the lookout over the lake. It was outstanding because noone was in a rush and trail was empty. Great views. Fun shakedown run of my new radius arm build. Ran it in 2wd for the whole ride up and down. 100% love the point to point directions on the trail

Ran up the mountain to the lookout over the lake. It was outstanding because noone was in a rush and trail was empty. Great views. Fun shakedown run of my new radius arm build. Ran it in 2wd for the whole ride up and down. 100% love the point to point directions on the trail

After a few days of steady rain there was a lot of standing water and mud on the trail. About halfway in the pot holes increase in size and the last 1/3 or so it gets fairly rough. I aired down at the start, which looking back was a smart move for the last stretch. Be prepared for some serious pinstriping towards the top.

We got to waypoint 12 but turned around due to the snow. I was with my family and didn’t want to risk it. Surprising amount of snow up there already, but could be fun with a group to finish the ride. The trail was gorgeous but hampered by all the shooting and garbage. The first ten miles of road was just pull out after pullout of people blasting away and litter all along both sides of the road along with the ranges being full of old appliances etc. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures. The overhead and side clearance at the latter part of the trail gets pretty tight due to all the trees being bent over from the snow.

Nice straight forward trail. Very rocky and dry, last part was significantly rockier. Had no trouble in lifted 4runner. Trail was definitely tight.

Had to try out the new Bronco, wanted to take it easy for the first trip so I could try out the bells and whistles. I should have deflated the tires a bit at the first switchback. Like other reviews have said, the top third gets rough, but not enough to stop a Bronco. I will say, that same top third, expect a lot of pinstriping. I’ll definitely come back in the fall or spring when it’s a little wetter.

The trail is rougher than expected toward the top 1/3 of it. Lots of slow going over some pretty rough and rocky sections. I didn’t air down, but probably a good idea to do so. The last short stretch up to the view of the lake is narrow and steep.

Drove up in a TRD Sport with a little bit bigger tires at 34 PSI. You definitely need a vehicle that is elevated due to the amount of washout and pot holes at the top 1/3 portion of this trail. You will need to be patient otherwise. More off camber situations than what was to be expected and met with a broken down van near the top but provided them with water on that hot day. Bring things in the event of an emergency if you venture up because you will not have service.

The Road From 10-11 is a little rough. larger ruts. Was able to do the trail with a stock height Wrangler. Neither of us aired down.

Visited on an overcast day. The trail is mostly a graded forest service road with some potholes. Because I visited it during the summer, it was pretty dry except for a few puddles. Expect to hear and see a lot of target shooting along the way. After waypoint 9 where it takes a sharp turn north there are some rutted areas that have been filled with rocks. Nothing crazy, but it might look a bit daunting to a crossover vehicle. The last bit between waypoints 16 and 17 offer what I consider to be the only real technical terrain which earns the optional 2 rating of this trail. Unfortunately the weather didn’t afford me a great view of the lake, but I'm sure its impressive on a sunny day. I'm guessing this is more fun as an early winter snow wheeling route.

Went up with a huge group of volunteers to clean up the area in and around this road to Cedar Lake. There were about Twenty abandoned cars and a boat that were selected to be brought out. I saw truck-load after truck-load of trash being brought out, it was amazing and also dis-heartening. Beautiful day for a clean-up and hopefully we made a dent in an ongoing problem.

There is a large boulder that is blocking the forest road right before Waypoint 12. Smaller 4x4s with ample clearance can get around it. There is still a lot of snow and pretty deep by Waypoint 13. Past Waypoint 13 the snow makes this trail much harder than the raiting at the moment.

Difficulty rating is only rated as such due to seasonality. Remember that trails such as this one are not maintained in the winter, so you will encounter more obstacles than during the spring or summer. NOTE: There is a downed tree that must be navigated around. There are several fairly sever wash-outs that can catch you off-guard if you're not paying close attention. If you do not have the appropriate tires, do not venture past mile 10 until the snow has melted off. At about 4,000 feet, a Ford Explorer 4x4 had lost traction and was digging his way out - he did not have the appropriate tires. Thankfully someone came by with a winch and helped him out. If your clearance is less than 10 inches, you may scrape. I took my modified Honda Element AWD out on its maiden voyage to test its capabilities, and it navigated this trail with relative ease. It's on 30" Open Country A/T III and was aired down to 15 PSI, and it is lifted with off-road springs. If you're in a similar vehicle, choose the high line on each obstacle.

Ran this this trail in the snow, snow in places is up to 3ft deep in places. Absolutely a fun trail to run in the trail. Towards the last half it would not be recommended to take anything that is not on 35s+ without lockers or limited slip as the normal water holes have created massive holes that require height and articulation. I personally am on 37s with limited slip front and rear and had to work a bit to make it passed these spots. Besides that this is an awesome snow wheeling trail. This trail offers stunning views on a clear day and plenty of points to winch if trouble arises. This trail would step up difficulty in snow obviously to a 6 or 7 depending on the depth of snow towards the end.

Drove the Tundra in 2WD all the way up and back for this one, but I took the right hairpin up NF7724 at Waypoint 8. 7724 is steep, rocky, a little technical and I can't find much about it on review sites. The pinstripes will buff out Anyway, on 7720 I saw a range of vehicles from a Hyundai Elantra to some vehicles that were very prepared for conditions. There were a few pothole fields that were navigable, and I didn't encounter the washboards referenced above. That said, you can mostly run what ya brung at least out to Waypoint 8. I plan to go back on a clear day to see the sights, but it was a perfect cloudy PNW day for some offroading.

By far one of my favorites! I went out as a lone vehicle, but I highly recommend going with at least one other rig. Got to the trailhead just before sunrise aired down. Most of the trail was easy for an AWD CUV, but there were areas where the water was over my rocker panels. We had to break ice on the water, but only a light dusting of snow near the trail end. Didn't take the challenge of the last uphill to Waypoint 17 as I was alone and didn't want to push it. Don't take this one if you care about paint, you will get a few new stripes. Amazing trail, amazing views along the way. We did encounter a number of clearly abandoned vehicles along the first part which is always a disappointment. Once you push further in it seems to be better kept. All in all a great experience and will defiantly return again.

Took my friends Ford Escape up to the end of this trail, all went well until the last 1.5-2.0 Miles, road got tight and ground clearance required went up. Otherwise very passable, with a couple light technical sections.

Took my old S10 Blazer for its 1st off-road trip since getting it running again. Bone stock setup with 235 75/R15 tires which gives it about 10.5" of ground clearance at the moment. This was more than enough clearance for this trail right now. Roads were in very good shape for most of the way, with a few large holes that require you to slow down starting about 1/2 way and some more technical loose rocks and ruts for the last mile or so. The final climb to the overlook is fun and I used 4L for it, but it probably could be done in 4H. Most of this trail could be done in a 2WD with decent clearance (8 - 10") - as long as it's dry out. Passenger car would get torn up on the last section imho.

Wife and I are noobs to the Offroad/Overland thing. Took our 19 Ranger out today for a little shakedown. Trail in pretty good shape. Hit snow halfway between Waypoints 11 and 12, but made it through easy. We turned around at Waypoint 13 with the tire ruts in the snow deep enough I wasn't sure my 9" clearance would make it. Probably could have made it, but just didn’t wanna risk it alone. Not a big deal not making it all the way up. Visibility was garbage so we wouldn't have seen the lake anyhow.

snow past mile 10

We made it about 8 miles in could have gone further but we shot this awesome video. this is a great beginners trail and can't wait to do the whole trail and see the lake. not happy about the abandoned cars and garbage but next time we will bring garbage bags and help clean up

We used this trail to break in the new truck, and we got to it fairly early (09:00-ish). It was pretty dry for the first half. The back portion there were more puddles and mud which was welcome. We finally ran into some traffic about 4 miles from the end; this is where the rest of the trail was covered in a thick sheet of ice and none of us had the right gear to press on. If you have ice equipment you should be able to keep going. It was a really easygoing trail for the most part, could have done most of what we did in our Escape, but once the trail gets rougher you will appreciate a little more ground clearance and sure-footedness. We will definitely come back in the spring.

Great trail to go for an easy drive. There is snow closer to the lake, we were able to get up to the last way-point, but did have to air down quite a bit to up there. There were also a few deeper puddles along the way, in case someone is trying to get to it in a sedan of some sort.

Very nice, very pretty. Fun trail. About 1/4 way up there is an abandoned car in the middle of the road. You can squeeze by against the hill.

Went all the way up this morning with some friends. Easy trail. A bunch of potholes and rocks. Fun trail a few turnoffs that have dead ends but overall we had fun and definitely want to do it again

Only made it half way up. The road was blocked by down trees. I was able to clear the smaller stuff along the way, but I was not prepared for the bigger stuff.

Literally my 1st trail. I enjoyed it a lot though. Most of the trail is just winding through logging roads but neat the end the trail tightens up. Any stock SUV or truck can make it up, only concern is the trail width near the end. The bushes were pretty thick so if you're worried about brush rash then you might want to stop when it tightens up. Otherwise if you get to the very end theres an awesome view with a nice camping spot as well.

This is a very great trail for people just starting off there off road career, lots of pot holes to splash in after rainy days. Unfortunately, there was a white van blocking the ending of the trail before i reached the lake.

Ran this today all the way through, small section received a good bit of washout covering most of the road. Vehicles with lower clearance should take caution and pick carefully a line best suited for them. Snow has cleared out and you can run this all the way. Amazing views and rabbits everywhere. Was a nice little run.

I really enjoyed this trail in my rig . I use a full size 05 2500hd with just a leveling kit and was able to fit . We sadly didn't see much wildlife but at night we saw an owl and a deer . This trail is super easy and enjoyable for first times such as my self and the overlsnding community out here is great to go with . We had to come once during day and night since we loved the lookouts

Great trail for a shakedown trip. I ended up meeting up with Michael, the author of this trail's information, at the bottom of the trail. He's a super nice guy who doesn't mind showing a greenhorn like myself the ropes. With his help, I got my sway bars disconnected and my tires aired down (while practicing social distancing of course) and we were ready to head up the mountain. It was a gorgeous drive and a nice way to get acquainted with my new-to-me Jeep. The trail starts off as a well maintained forest road that gets more and more narrow and primitive as you go along. There are a ton of side trails with some nice obstacles, although we didn't come across anything too challenging. Michael is a great steward of the trail. He brought a big burlap trash bag and we spent some time cleaning up the trail hoping to leave it a little better than we found it. There was quite a bit of traffic but it wasn't too bad. Lot's of people enjoying the weather. We turned off the main trail about 2/3rds of the way up figuring we'd hit some snow soon. We found some really cool looking campsites along those side roads and some pretty narrow spots with plenty of pinstriping. All in all it was a great day and a nice place to get acquainted with my new Jeep and with offroading in general. Shout out to Michael for showing me the ropes!

Wife and I made it 14.5 miles before we decided to turn around. No winch and wheeling by ourselves just didn't instil a ton of confidence when the directions say there is a steep climb at the end. Even with F&R lockers, our factory rubber was struggling (we didn't air down). They weren't lying when they said pinstriper!! From 13.5 miles in it was brutal. Guess a new Jeep doesn't stay new forever. Wish we could have made the lake.....maybe we will try again in a month (or sooner if she lets me buy a new Warn!). Also....be careful up there. Lots of traffic and the Razors etc will come flying around a corner when you least expect them. UPDATE!!! 5/16/20 We attempted to make it to the top again today. We made it further than last time, but the trail proved to be too much. Tight trails, what seemed like strategically placed firm/slick snow drifts, trees, and mud were just too much. I wanted to keep trying, but still without a winch and the boss riding co-pilot.......we backed out. We figure we made it 14.7-14.75 miles. We didn't see ANY tracks further than we made it, but we didn't make it to the last T in the trail. We did do some exploring up the road at the bottom (main asphalt road (Railroad St?))taking the 1st right where the sign said quarry and drove that road and explored the many campsites along the way. All in all it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday!! Lost exploring the woods in our Jeep! Last 4 pics were from May trip. Wish there was a way to add a new review without changing or removing old one. It would be beneficial to keep others updated.

Was able to drive up to about 14 miles before we decided we didn't want to worry about getting stuck. Was driving a 4wd Ford Ranger with KO2's so if conditions are similar should be acomplishable for most people.

Went up early with wheeling companion to see how far we could get before the snow was too deep. Just after the second bridge we found two guys in a 2-wheel drive truck that slide off the road the night before and was buried up to the axles in mud. They ended up spending the night in the cab with no food or water. Took almost an hour to dig and winch them out. The rest of the drive was amazing, first tracks in the snow. We made it to the 12.8 mile mark which is usually where snow gets too deep to pass but turned around mainly due to the sheet of ice underneath the snow. It was skate city, we were sliding backwards when stopped and one recovery was enough for me. If you're going out, please be prepared. Cell service is spotty but the Quary uses radios (channel 3 I think, it's posted on the way in) so I keep a walkie in my gear for emergencies. Still leaving off one star, there is so much garbage being left everywhere (mostly shell casings, targets and beer cans) We've done a few clean ups but everyone has to do their part.

While the road to the lake might be impassible this road is still a popular road used for "Snow-Wheeling". Some of the serious Snow-Wheelers have been able to make it to the lake, but expect to be pushing snow with your bumper all the way to the top. Remember NEVER snow-wheel alone and be prepared to spend the night if recovery becomes an issue. There is no cellphone service in this area so be prepared for some other form of communication and tell someone at home where you are going and when you will return.

Not a bad little drive. Some neat places to see for sure. It was super foggy the day we decided to go, so wasn't able to see the lake. Will go back again.

This was a fun trail to do with a friend that had a lifted Subaru Crosstrek. The trail is easy for the most part but near the end it starts getting a little fun. Bring MaxTrax for anything that isn't a real 4x4. My stock 2018 Tacoma had no problems.

This is an awesome family drive to an awe-inspiring hidden lake. I haven't done the hike down to the water but I'll bet it would be very private......Some skinny dipping maybe?.......