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Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 9th, 2019, 8:35 pm
by adamschneider
I'm pretty sure my tiny car can't handle the "normal" east-west road to the Breitenbush Lake Trailhead. But what about going via Ollalie Lake? How's the north-south segment of FR 4220?

[EDIT: I now see that the Field Guide says the road south from Ollalie is even worse. Is that still true? I thought I heard otherwise.]

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 9th, 2019, 8:51 pm
by justpeachy
I have driven the road as far as Monon Lake in my Outback and then it got too sketchy for me and I turned around. I've heard nothing but bad things about the road beyond there. In his Mt. Jefferson book Matt Reeder he says that the 2.5 miles from Horseshoe Lake to Breitenbush Lake "are the worst stretch of road I have ever seen." He calls it a "rocky, narrow, and severely rutted track."

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 9th, 2019, 8:58 pm
by adamschneider
OK then. I'll ask my friend (who said that road was fine) what the hell he's been smoking.

Fortunately, I see that the Whitewater Trailhead is finally open again...

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 10th, 2019, 5:24 am
by johnspeth
adamschneider wrote:
August 9th, 2019, 8:58 pm
OK then. I'll ask my friend (who said that road was fine) what the hell he's been smoking.
It's been 5 years since I've been on the stretch of road from Ollalie Lake to the Jeff Park TH (PCT crossing I believe). In the 20 years before that when I traveled on it 2 additional times, the condition of the road never seemed to have changed to me. I believe it's because the road surface is basically solid rock in most places and those are the places that gave me the most trouble. I was driving a 1998 VW Jetta. I vaguely remember it took me an hour or more to drive the stretch because you must drive extremely slowly or your entire car will fill with frothy foam and bubbles due to the shaking :) . I would not try my 2014 Jetta on that road because it's lower and the journey would be even longer. I decided it's no longer worth the trouble to get there. 4-5 hours on the road is longer than I would be willing to pay out. I do believe the road surface is so solid it can't change much.

So a "fine road" is a matter of interpretation. I would call it a slow road but probably passable with most cars.

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 10th, 2019, 5:29 am
by RobFromRedland
It has been several years since I drove that stretch, but I wouldn't consider it passable by a passenger car. There a LOT of VERY large rocks in that road. It is one of the worse stretches of road I've driven as well - I'd say it is worse than the dreaded 4.4 miles out to Frazier turnaround (Serene Lake).

I've seen a lot of cars in a lot of weird places, so I wouldn't say you COULDN'T do it in a car, but it would be quite an adventure. You would have to pick your line VERY carefully in spots.

I do agree it probably can't get too much worse unless the entire road washes out as it is down to bedrock in many spots.

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 10th, 2019, 6:37 am
by kelkev
The last time I drove the "road" between Olallie Lake and Breitenbush Lake, I swore I'd never do it again. It's really more of a dry, boulder infested riverbed than a road. My 4x4 full size truck did OK, but sturdy/LT rated tires, ground clearance, and patience are required to negotiate those miserably rough few miles. I'd surmise that anything less would lose an oil pan, exhaust system, or more than one tire on the adventure.

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 15th, 2019, 5:22 pm
by harrow.ing
I drove Olallie to Breitenbush in my lifted 4wd 4runner last July. That thing has beefy all-terrain tires and like 12" of ground clearance, which I was extremely thankful for. Super fun drive, but it got pretty technical and it took for. freaking. ever.

There was a sedan parked at Horseshoe lake, but I swear it must've been teleported there or something.

To be clear I am an overly cautious driver in remote parts, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it in anything that doesn't have a bunch of ground clearance and ideally 4wd. Busted oil pan in the woods is a real bad time.

Re: Driving to Breitenbush Lake via Ollalie?

Posted: August 16th, 2019, 6:51 am
by justpeachy
harrow.ing wrote:
August 15th, 2019, 5:22 pm
There was a sedan parked at Horseshoe lake, but I swear it must've been teleported there or something.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

The sedan must have come from the other way, not via Olallie Lake. Still rough, but not as bad as the route from Olallie.