Media GX460 / Prado150 pic thread (26 Viewers)

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Anyway after helping a stranded guy that had broken down, we were off to Black Bear. As we got on the trail a motorcyclist told us that there was a SxS broken down beneath the steps and had traffic backed up as far as you could see. I was determined to do this trail so I forged on hoping that it would be cleared up by the time we got there. Getting to the peak is the easy part here and it was a short climb.
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The drive down to the one way is beautiful.
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IMG_8480.webp


Once we got to the one way, it got more serious. We saw 3-4 vehicles coming back up the one way part because they gave up. I had a few moments where I almost decided to turn back because of the traffic but saw group in front of me that were still going so I decided to follow them.

Black Bear is only rated a 5 but it was much more challenging than Mineral Creek (also a 5) to my barely modded truck. People talk about the steps but there were a few other areas that were tough for a novice like me and my only spotter was my 16 year old.

Here is a video of my poor driving with my kid spotting me.

Black Bear Pass random:



Once I got to the steps, I watched a bronco lift a rear tire about 6 inches and look like it was going to tip. People were talking about the Jeep that rolled last week. So much of the obstacles are off camber that I asked the guy in front of me to spot me on the steps. Turns out he was an instructor and made the steps actually very easy.

Black Bear Pass Steps:



Steps out of the way and on to the visually scary part Here is a pic of that Bronco going around the corner at the waterfall. It is such an insane visual but that part is actually not bad at all.
bb4.webp



After we went around the corner we all stopped to take some pics and enjoy the view before the hitting the switchbacks.
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IMG_8501-EDIT.webp


The switchbacks weren't that bad. Maybe because the GX is a little smaller. What I had some issues with is the width in a few spots. Especially where there is a little climb on the inside and your truck tips out to the cliff.

Anyway finished up the pass and had a nice dinner in Telluride. We camped near Trout Lake that night. It was very muddy there so the GX got a little dirty.
IMG_8518.webp


Heading home and by the time we got back, We had driven a little over 1800 miles and was in the truck for 42 hours out of the 96 hours we were gone. My GX is the only vehicle that I have ever had that I could do that. My back never hurts and I feel like I could drive it forever. Only gripe is the lack of power at elevation. I am going to have to do gears at some point. The truck feels fine in Texas but it just has no power above 8000 feet.
 
@jeremy j love it!!!

Still have to do CO/UT mecca wheeling someday. Was supposed to in March 2020... guess how that went. (It didn't.)

Would LOVE to plan a GX wheeling weekend in the CO/UT area sometime down the line. Something a la SAS or FJ Summit etc. Would definitely take a few years to plan, but... it's going to take a few years for me to have the opportunity to get out there (have a 3 y/o and a 5 month old).
 
I was fortunate to do some trails in UT and CO over this summer as part of a family road trip. Seeing these photos and videos make me want to return ASAP and do some more! The off-camber moments you show above are the most puckering part of those trails and a spotter is always helpful.
Thanks for sharing.
 
Anyway after helping a stranded guy that had broken down, we were off to Black Bear. As we got on the trail a motorcyclist told us that there was a SxS broken down beneath the steps and had traffic backed up as far as you could see. I was determined to do this trail so I forged on hoping that it would be cleared up by the time we got there. Getting to the peak is the easy part here and it was a short climb.
View attachment 3984812

The drive down to the one way is beautiful.
View attachment 3984813
View attachment 3984815

Once we got to the one way, it got more serious. We saw 3-4 vehicles coming back up the one way part because they gave up. I had a few moments where I almost decided to turn back because of the traffic but saw group in front of me that were still going so I decided to follow them.

Black Bear is only rated a 5 but it was much more challenging than Mineral Creek (also a 5) to my barely modded truck. People talk about the steps but there were a few other areas that were tough for a novice like me and my only spotter was my 16 year old.

Here is a video of my poor driving with my kid spotting me.

Black Bear Pass random:



Once I got to the steps, I watched a bronco lift a rear tire about 6 inches and look like it was going to tip. People were talking about the Jeep that rolled last week. So much of the obstacles are off camber that I asked the guy in front of me to spot me on the steps. Turns out he was an instructor and made the steps actually very easy.

Black Bear Pass Steps:



Steps out of the way and on to the visually scary part Here is a pic of that Bronco going around the corner at the waterfall. It is such an insane visual but that part is actually not bad at all.
View attachment 3984816


After we went around the corner we all stopped to take some pics and enjoy the view before the hitting the switchbacks.
View attachment 3984817
View attachment 3984818

The switchbacks weren't that bad. Maybe because the GX is a little smaller. What I had some issues with is the width in a few spots. Especially where there is a little climb on the inside and your truck tips out to the cliff.

Anyway finished up the pass and had a nice dinner in Telluride. We camped near Trout Lake that night. It was very muddy there so the GX got a little dirty.
View attachment 3984819

Heading home and by the time we got back, We had driven a little over 1800 miles and was in the truck for 42 hours out of the 96 hours we were gone. My GX is the only vehicle that I have ever had that I could do that. My back never hurts and I feel like I could drive it forever. Only gripe is the lack of power at elevation. I am going to have to do gears at some point. The truck feels fine in Texas but it just has no power above 8000 feet.

My wife would be absolutely freaking out on those shelf roads! Unless the trail is wide, a berm, trees, or something to prevent a long hard tumble, she'd almost prefer to walk the trail.
 
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My wife would be absolutely freaking out on those shelf roads! Unless there the trail is wide, a berm, trees, or something to prevent a long hard tumble, she'd almost prefer to walk the trail.
my wife will make me run some type of anchor. which as a though experiment i initially thourunnijg a winch would be okay but don’t think my 12k line can support a dynamic fall. using a kinetic rope may be better.
 
@jeremy j love it!!!

Still have to do CO/UT mecca wheeling someday. Was supposed to in March 2020... guess how that went. (It didn't.)

Would LOVE to plan a GX wheeling weekend in the CO/UT area sometime down the line. Something a la SAS or FJ Summit etc. Would definitely take a few years to plan, but... it's going to take a few years for me to have the opportunity to get out there (have a 3 y/o and a 5 month old).
It really is a can't miss. I haven't made it out to Utah yet but everytime I go to Colorado, I am blown away by the beauty and how many trails there are. Lucky for me my kid is about grown so I am starting to have more time to get away now. It would be awesome if we could get a mud meetup out that way in the next few years.
I was fortunate to do some trails in UT and CO over this summer as part of a family road trip. Seeing these photos and videos make me want to return ASAP and do some more! The off-camber moments you show above are the most puckering part of those trails and a spotter is always helpful.
Thanks for sharing.
That's how I feel every time I go. I keep looking at pics and thinking about when I'll get to go back.
My wife would be absolutely freaking out on those shelf roads! Unless there the trail is wide, a berm, trees, or something to prevent a long hard tumble, she'd almost prefer to walk the trail.
I hear that. My wife was a little nervous last time but she missed out on Black Bear. It's probably a good thing since from my perspective, those shelf roads are barely wide enough to get my truck through. It was such an unsettling feeling but man it got the adrenaline flowing. :D
 
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Only gripe is the lack of power at elevation. I am going to have to do gears at some point. The truck feels fine in Texas but it just has no power above 8000 feet.
I hear this. I took the GX to Pagosa Springs and Durango last year. It felt very heavy in the 9k-10k ft range. I used the manual/sport shift mode a LOT.
 
I hear this. I took the GX to Pagosa Springs and Durango last year. It felt very heavy in the 9k-10k ft range. I used the manual/sport shift mode a LOT.
I use the manual mode almost exclusively when I get to elevation. Rarely ever go to 6 even on flats but spend most of the time in 4th.
 
Its definitely down in power, but dont have any issues at altitude here, because most of the vehicles I have had in my past were gutless s*** boxes. At 12k feet the GX is still faster, on 34s with stock gears.
 
Anyway after helping a stranded guy that had broken down, we were off to Black Bear. As we got on the trail a motorcyclist told us that there was a SxS broken down beneath the steps and had traffic backed up as far as you could see. I was determined to do this trail so I forged on hoping that it would be cleared up by the time we got there. Getting to the peak is the easy part here and it was a short climb.
View attachment 3984812

The drive down to the one way is beautiful.
View attachment 3984813
View attachment 3984815

Once we got to the one way, it got more serious. We saw 3-4 vehicles coming back up the one way part because they gave up. I had a few moments where I almost decided to turn back because of the traffic but saw group in front of me that were still going so I decided to follow them.

Black Bear is only rated a 5 but it was much more challenging than Mineral Creek (also a 5) to my barely modded truck. People talk about the steps but there were a few other areas that were tough for a novice like me and my only spotter was my 16 year old.

Here is a video of my poor driving with my kid spotting me.

Black Bear Pass random:



Once I got to the steps, I watched a bronco lift a rear tire about 6 inches and look like it was going to tip. People were talking about the Jeep that rolled last week. So much of the obstacles are off camber that I asked the guy in front of me to spot me on the steps. Turns out he was an instructor and made the steps actually very easy.

Black Bear Pass Steps:



Steps out of the way and on to the visually scary part Here is a pic of that Bronco going around the corner at the waterfall. It is such an insane visual but that part is actually not bad at all.
View attachment 3984816


After we went around the corner we all stopped to take some pics and enjoy the view before the hitting the switchbacks.
View attachment 3984817
View attachment 3984818

The switchbacks weren't that bad. Maybe because the GX is a little smaller. What I had some issues with is the width in a few spots. Especially where there is a little climb on the inside and your truck tips out to the cliff.

Anyway finished up the pass and had a nice dinner in Telluride. We camped near Trout Lake that night. It was very muddy there so the GX got a little dirty.
View attachment 3984819

Heading home and by the time we got back, We had driven a little over 1800 miles and was in the truck for 42 hours out of the 96 hours we were gone. My GX is the only vehicle that I have ever had that I could do that. My back never hurts and I feel like I could drive it forever. Only gripe is the lack of power at elevation. I am going to have to do gears at some point. The truck feels fine in Texas but it just has no power above 8000 feet.

Wish I have seen your wire up and video before I went. The truck is very capable as is. The only problem I’m having with my barely modded (1.5” lift in the front and 31” tires) is after the steps. I kept hearing bangs and scraping sounds from the skip plates on the way down where the road is too narrow to pick a line.
 

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