Crystal Mill

I'm counting the days to may annual fall trip to Colorado...will be my 4th, now. Unfortunatly I'm still driving my old work Dodge Caravan so will be restricted in my travels. I have a real itch to visit Crystal Mill and in many past posts it seems unclear to me if one can make this 4 miles in a non4x4 vehicle. I know high clearance is a problem...My question is, if the road is dry and I move cautiously can I make the trip? If not, during fall is it possible to hitch a ride by waiting at the road or is that considered in bad form to ask a driver.I do not want to hire a jeep tour because I want to be allowed more time. Advise me oh wise ones.
Joe Rogers

No, you would not be able to make it in that vehicle. I can't speak to hitching - I've had people offer me rides while hiking 4x4 roads and I've offered the same, but I can't ever recall a non-emergency situation where one party made a request (rather than an offer).

You might consider renting a jeep, and alternatively I don't know in how much detail you've looked at the jeep tours, but when I was there I saw a few single jeeps that were obviously giving tours. It may be more of a charter kind of thing where you contract a driver and they'll spend as much time wherever you want to be.

Or your trip might coincide with someone else on here...

You would ruin your vehicle for sure. I went over it last year and you definitely need a high clearance vehicle or ATV type.

Joe, It's been a few years since I visited the Crystal Mill. So I don't know it's current condition but I bet it hasn't improved since I was there.

I'd recommend setting up a private tour with Smitty at Crystal Jeeps. http://www.crystalriverjeeptour.smithfamilycolorado.com/
Well worth the price, he will quote you a price depending how long you want to stay.
You can reserve in advance or take a chance he will be around and just show when you want to go.

I thought the road was way to rough to take the 4WD SUV that I rented for my trip. I didn't want to risk damage and I'm glad I did.

Hi,

I'm planning to rent a full size 4WD vehicle (Chevy Tahoe or Jeep Commander) for my upcoming trip in late Sept. Do you guys think any of these vehicles are consider "high clearance" and capable to drive there?

Thank you in advance!

You can also hike the road almost as fast as you can drive it if you are up for that. I hiked in from the Crested Butte side last year and on the way out, I passed 4x4's that were driving the road.

I was in at the mill last weekend. The road in is drivable (no washouts) the whole way but it is rough and a slow drive. You definitely need 4wd and high clearance. A stock 4wd should do fine. You probably need moderate 4wd driving skills. There are two narrow shelf sections with few areas to pass. So you need to be comfortable on narrow roads and able to back up on them if needed. The lower shelf is pretty rocky and bounces you around a little which can be unnerving for passengers looking over the edge (my wife ). But overall, I'd rate this section of the road as easy to moderate. Be aware of the weather. When we went in it had obviously rained heavily in previous days. There were plenty of large and small puddles on the road and you could tell the river had flooded recently. There were some very large areas along CO133 where the road had been closed due to land/mudslides due to the heavy rains this summer. I don't know if I'd drive that road when it's soaked.
The mill is in good shape and there are people living/staying in the town of Crystal just past the mill.

Just as important as the clearance, this road is really rough---be sure to check the tires on any rental 4X4. My buddy from South Carolina driving a major rental company jeep out of Denver had two flats and had to replace one tire during a week in the San Juans last year.

Another option to hiking in would be a mountain bike!

Definitely don't try using your van unless of course you are looking for a reason to replace it and don't mind being billed a few dollars to have it helicoptered out once you destroy the undercarriage. Of course helicopter time to carry a van out from about the 50 yards or so you made it in shouldn't be too pricey.

Dog!! That sounds like one piece of mean road.....think I'll just ride with old Smitty.
Thanks guys for the heads up.
Joe Rogers

Would the road be passable in a 4WD pickup (Chevy, no lift)?

Yes Doug, you should be fine. You can read a little more in this thread.

In a lot of cases it basically comes down to the driver's comfort and experience level. A good driver can get a very limited vehicle across the same terrain that a completely unexperienced driver would have trouble on with a fully built rig. That said, I personally would consider this road one full step up from a graded forest road, with a slight bonus for narrowness (far more passing spots than any description I've yet read would lead one to believe though) and lots of puddles.

Thank you Chris for the reply and link.