We did this exact route over the July 4th week, well part of you're planning on anyway. See our track logs below, the first one is Imogene and the second is Cinnamon.
I have a 100 series with zero "wheeling" mods, stock AHC suspension and good AT tires (not as good as your KO2's though). The vehicle was loaded heavily enough (close to GVWR) that it wouldn't go into AHC High mode, but we had zero issues with ground clearance. However, I do have a high degree of mechanical sympathy so I chose my line carefully and preferred to enjoy the scenery rather than choosing the most difficult side of the road like many people do. We aired down to 22 front and 25 psi rear keeping in mind the heavy loading. Low range all the way to keep trans temps down, with manual shifting into lower gears only during descent. Limit the use of brakes to prevent overheating.
You don't really need a compressor either for any of these routes. There are gas stations within 5 miles of the end-points of these trails. The paved roads are all 25-35mph speed limits so you'll be fine as long as you stay under that. If you do really want one, get the one that LandCruiserPhil suggested, no need to second-guess that choice. I have had mine for 4 years now and taken it literally across the world on international trips, and not had issues even in 120 degree Arabian desert heat. I have done some mods to it such as replacing the cylinder head air fitting, and improving cooling by removing all the unnecessary bits. I also stuffed the empty space next to the cylinder liner full of brake grease. I did these mods and also carry a spare valve plate after the original one failed because i used it to air up 3 vehicles at once (which it actually did successfully except for the last tire!!!). They sent me two new valve plates at no charge, that is what I call good service.
Good luck with your trip.
I have a 100 series with zero "wheeling" mods, stock AHC suspension and good AT tires (not as good as your KO2's though). The vehicle was loaded heavily enough (close to GVWR) that it wouldn't go into AHC High mode, but we had zero issues with ground clearance. However, I do have a high degree of mechanical sympathy so I chose my line carefully and preferred to enjoy the scenery rather than choosing the most difficult side of the road like many people do. We aired down to 22 front and 25 psi rear keeping in mind the heavy loading. Low range all the way to keep trans temps down, with manual shifting into lower gears only during descent. Limit the use of brakes to prevent overheating.
You don't really need a compressor either for any of these routes. There are gas stations within 5 miles of the end-points of these trails. The paved roads are all 25-35mph speed limits so you'll be fine as long as you stay under that. If you do really want one, get the one that LandCruiserPhil suggested, no need to second-guess that choice. I have had mine for 4 years now and taken it literally across the world on international trips, and not had issues even in 120 degree Arabian desert heat. I have done some mods to it such as replacing the cylinder head air fitting, and improving cooling by removing all the unnecessary bits. I also stuffed the empty space next to the cylinder liner full of brake grease. I did these mods and also carry a spare valve plate after the original one failed because i used it to air up 3 vehicles at once (which it actually did successfully except for the last tire!!!). They sent me two new valve plates at no charge, that is what I call good service.
Good luck with your trip.
