High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Trip recommendations, current conditions, and other trail related Q&A
Rashad_Goes_Oustside
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High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by Rashad_Goes_Oustside » March 2nd, 2023, 5:46 pm

Hello Everyone!

I'm in the market for a new car, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts about car requirements that will get me to most trail heads. I'm trying to get into hiking more but am not super seasoned, so I'm not looking to get into any dicey situations with road conditions etc.

Generally, if I had a FWD car, what percentage of trailheads in the region could I access comfortably? If an AWD with clearance will help considerably, I'm all for it, but if the vast majority are accessible with a normal car, then that's cool too.

I'm considering a FWD with just under 7 inches and an AWD with just under 8 inches, and I'm trying to see if that difference will play out in my outdoor adventures.

Thanks so much for your help, and hopefully see you outside!

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teachpdx
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by teachpdx » March 2nd, 2023, 6:07 pm

I'd say most semi-popular trails are accessible with FWD without a ton of clearance. AWD may be better in a couple situations (mud), but the 1" clearance difference you stated isn't much. You can get in trouble with a longer wheelbase even with a decent amount of vertical clearance.

You may have to start lower, or road hike a mile or so... it's usually only the last mile that sucks. And most trail systems have at least one pretty accessible trailhead, with other accesses that may get a few more miles in but require 4WD and high clearance.

I currently drive a GTI and previously had a Mini and they've brought me to some surprisingly remote trailheads. Just a matter of how slow and careful you want to be. And not attempting the road in a rainstorm.

So yeah, maybe 50% of local trailheads can be accessed with lower clearance FWD, but closer to 80 or 90% when you consider use/popularity/etc.
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Webfoot
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by Webfoot » March 3rd, 2023, 6:08 pm

Useful information here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29622

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adamschneider
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by adamschneider » March 3rd, 2023, 6:18 pm

I drove a tiny Toyota Yaris (5.8" of ground clearance) around the PNW for 15 years and very rarely felt like I was missing out. You can go to a lot of trailheads in an ordinary car if you take it slow.

A few notable exceptions for me have been the north Silver Star Mountain trailhead (after about 2012); the Breitenbush Lake Trailhead (which is probably beyond a Subaru's reach); Vinegar Hill in Grant County; and the Twin Lakes Trail on the SW side of the Elkhorns.

If I lived in the "real" West — Colorado or Wyoming — I might consider getting something bigger. Their mountains have some really nasty roads, and no one minds because EVERYONE has a truck.


(I now have a Kia Niro hybrid. I only gained about 0.5" of ground clearance over the Yaris, but I'm not willing to sacrifice fuel efficiency. But I'm pleased to find that having 16" wheels instead of 14" makes the bumps easier to take.)

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Charley
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by Charley » March 3rd, 2023, 9:41 pm

I have had three Honda Civics. I did have to park on the downhill side of a few awful roads over the years, but that's been less than 5% of my hikes around Western Oregon and Washington.

I have an old Tacoma, too, and for Eastern Oregon, I now take the truck on vacations. It only has rear wheel drive, so muddy or snowy roads are out of the question. But, in addition to camping in the bed, I appreciate the extra ground clearance on dry roads. I travel on some very rough roads out there, to very remote trailheads, or simply on never-maintained doubletrack BLM roads. I've done that in the Civic, but it's less nerve-wracking in the truck.

There are only a few hikes around here that I take the truck for: Ed's Trail on Silver Star is the only one I can think of right now!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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teachpdx
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by teachpdx » March 4th, 2023, 11:16 pm

adamschneider wrote:
March 3rd, 2023, 6:18 pm
I drove a tiny Toyota Yaris (5.8" of ground clearance) around the PNW for 15 years and very rarely felt like I was missing out. You can go to a lot of trailheads in an ordinary car if you take it slow.

A few notable exceptions for me have been the north Silver Star Mountain trailhead (after about 2012); the Breitenbush Lake Trailhead (which is probably beyond a Subaru's reach); Vinegar Hill in Grant County; and the Twin Lakes Trail on the SW side of the Elkhorns.

If I lived in the "real" West — Colorado or Wyoming — I might consider getting something bigger. Their mountains have some really nasty roads, and no one minds because EVERYONE has a truck.


(I now have a Kia Niro hybrid. I only gained about 0.5" of ground clearance over the Yaris, but I'm not willing to sacrifice fuel efficiency. But I'm pleased to find that having 16" wheels instead of 14" makes the bumps easier to take.)
I took my GTI to the Twin Lakes trailhead a couple summers ago. It’s probably the only trailhead I’ve visited that I wouldn’t take it back to again. No scrapes, but my partner had to get out multiple times to guide me through and it was such slow going. And about as steep as FWD could handle at a few spots.

I also saw a Passat coming down from the Breitenbush trailhead a few years back (I was with a friend in an SUV) and was shocked they were on that road.
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drm
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by drm » March 5th, 2023, 12:09 pm

I would agree that for the great majority of cases, AWD is not a requirement to get to most trailheads. But do take season into account. Many of those roads get damaged in the winter, and it takes all summer to fix the ones that will get fixed. So I would say that the strongest case for getting an AWD is if you really want to get out in the spring right as an area is melting out. The odd section of road damage, new ruts, a mud puddle or leftover snow is more manageable with AWD and clearance. But if you are okay waiting for the route to fully dry out, that helps a lot with FWD.

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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by justpeachy » March 7th, 2023, 7:23 am

drm wrote:
March 5th, 2023, 12:09 pm
Many of those roads get damaged in the winter, and it takes all summer to fix the ones that will get fixed.
IF they get fixed. The Forest Service doesn't have the resources to properly maintain their road network and a lot of road damage goes unfixed for many seasons, or never. Road 4109 on Silver Star Mountain comes to mind, and it's an extreme example, but far from the only one. I think as time goes along the percentage of roads leading to trailheads that require AWD and high clearance is only going to increase.

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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by Aimless » March 7th, 2023, 10:57 am

justpeachy wrote:
March 7th, 2023, 7:23 am
I think as time goes along the percentage of roads leading to trailheads that require AWD and high clearance is only going to increase.
That trend seems well-established by now. There are just too many roads and too little money to maintain them. Most National Forests in the PNW have been conducting surveys to figure out how many roads they can close permanently, which is a good thing, but even decommissioning roads takes money. It's a mess.

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teachpdx
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Re: High Clearance/AWD Necessary for Trail Access?

Post by teachpdx » March 7th, 2023, 1:54 pm

Aimless wrote:
March 7th, 2023, 10:57 am
That trend seems well-established by now. There are just too many roads and too little money to maintain them. Most National Forests in the PNW have been conducting surveys to figure out how many roads they can close permanently, which is a good thing, but even decommissioning roads takes money. It's a mess.
This reminds me specifically of Summit Lake in the Elkhorns... it's a gorgeous spot to camp, 10 stellar hiking miles from the paved Anthony Lakes trailhead but just over a mile from a rutted jeep track access. Both times I have been to Summit Lake I have seen a super lifted monster truck at that nearby trailhead with its occupants camped at Summit Lake and shooting guns constantly. Kinda ruins it. And it scares the mountain goats. I'm generally in favor of decommissioning roads to enhance the wilderness experience (official wilderness or not), especially roads that aren't routinely/officially maintained anyway when there are other more accessible trailheads in the vicinity.
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