NOV "Run of the Month" - Harquahala Observatory, Sat-Nov16

[GWcruiser]

Hey - A GREAT thank you to Longduck for organizing. It was a fun trip! The road has changed quite a bit since I last ran it. Lots more ruts and rocky spots. Must have really rained up there this past monsoon.

As for info about the place, here's a good starting point:

BLM - Harquahala

And photos from my last run:
The first is no wind sock ...
The second is the old weather observatory ...
The third image is a portion of the road up ...

 

[LongDuck]

Sorry I missed this, have wanted to drive up there for years and never made the time.

I'm amazed that after 2 years, I've finally found a place that this LandCruiser has gone that you have NOT!

We can always make the run again at some point - it was cool enough to see on more than one occasion, and low clouds yesterday made it interesting.

 

[Chuy]

Those are some great views and amazing pictures!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Bummed I missed this run
The views and history make it a one of kind trip.

On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the road?

 

[GWcruiser]

I think you could do the trip without 4wd ... barely. But higher clearance was required this trip than last - berms of solid rock and such where moving slow was important to keep from inadvertant contact. I'd give it 3-4 out of ten for roughness. With 7-8 probably beyond my stock FJ abilities.

Or 2 on the 1-5 scale I've seen other trails rated.

But my experience is pretty limited.

 

[LongDuck]

I'd agree with the ratings by GWcruiser, as the trail wasn't very challenging, but did require attention to the rocks and picking a good line to not slide on loose rock. It was a bit over an hour to get up, about the same to get down, and it wasn't a race, so we took our time.

For the record, this is Stocker Friendly, and a great trail for someone with a new rig or looking to build confidence.

 

[inkpot]

I think you could do the trip without 4wd ... barely. But higher clearance was required this trip than last - berms of solid rock and such where moving slow was important to keep from inadvertant contact. I'd give it 3-4 out of ten for roughness. With 7-8 probably beyond my stock FJ abilities.

Or 2 on the 1-5 scale I've seen other trails rated.

But my experience is pretty limited.

Sounds pretty normal for that trail. I am pretty sure it was planned to be passable by a 2 wheel drive truck with granny low range. John

 

[DSRTRDR]

yeah, I didn't mention in my previous posts that way back when I did this in the minivan (Mitsubishi Expo clone)

still, great views from up there