Lead King Basin

300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/25/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this trail on 9/25/2022 in a Colorado ZR2 and a stock Silverado, in the clockwise direction looping with crystal river trail. No real difficulty until after the switchbacks. Plenty of rollers on the western half of the trail up to the bottom of the switchbacks that gave this trail a "roller coaster" feel. The silverado did scrape it's belly on a few of these and a short wheelbase vehicle with better approach, breakover, and departure angles will find these very easy. After the switchbacks the trail gets much rockier and careful line choice becomes more important. Engine, transmission, and differential skid plates were all used. The silverado did need spotting throughout this rockier portion of the trail. Plenty of dispersed campsites (~10) were spotted throughout the trail. Saturday and Sunday on these trails are CROWDED with many people in rental jeeps practicing poor trail etiquette. Please remember that ascending drivers have the right of way and it is important to back up to a spot where it is safe to pass, not pull as far as you can to the side of the shelf road and throw your hands up as if to say "that's the best I can do".

This trail guide's difficulty was changed on 09/24/2022

Roger P.

3600

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/24/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We ran this loop counter clockwise on Saturday, September 24. This trail is now a diversion dam roller coaster. There must be a hundred of them. Some of them have a steep angle of approach and departure which caused my trailer hitch to drag several times. Very scenic at the top. Nice stream and waterfalls. Aspen starting to turn yellow and gold. As others have mentioned there are some rough rocky sections with no pullouts. We're glad we didn't meet any other vehicles. I see they changed the rating to a 4, which is accurate in my opinion.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

29250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/18/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I drove Lead King on Sunday, September 18, 2022. Drove clockwise direction. I found the avalanche debris field remarkably dry and relatively a clear path. On the eastern portion, the USFS has been using a dozer to modify the surface. Exposed rocks on three segments of the "switchbacks" exceed 12" (but less than 18") and justify a difficulty rating change to "4".

Rhonnie J Vesco

100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/08/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Agree with many reviews. This is much harder than a 3. My father has been wheeling for 50 years and he said this is one of the more difficult trails he has been on. He was in an FJ and I was in a stock Xterra Pro4X. I know that this area recently had a lot of rain and flooding, but even without that, many sections are very rocky. The end of the trail heading to Crystal mill has some very large drop boulders that hit the bottom of the FJ! Really wish this site would update the rating. As well as add concerns: None No Full Size Width Short Wheelbase Only Narrow Shelf Road Mild Off Camber Impassable When Wet (due to shale) Pinstriping

Steven W Bao

100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/03/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Agree with Ryan below. Pretty easy to waypoint 6, but forest service has put in tons of rollers for what I would assume drainage purposes - you have to watch your speed on them if you have a low hanging front or rear bumper. Long wheelbase may have some issues. Girl at the general store says forest service are experimenting with the size. It gets pretty spicy from 6-7 though and the first part of crystal mill road going west. Definitely scraped a bit in a stock GX460.

Ryan McSweeney

200

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 08/13/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Did the entire loop clockwise this weekend. I thought from waypoint 1 to 6 shown above was pretty easy. Crews were working on repairing damage in 3 places. Got a bit sideways on some of the switchbacks which can be puckery when on the side of the mountain but my friend made it in a stock 4x4 1994 Chevy truck with road tires with almost no issues other than some multipoint turns on some of the tighter switchbacks. There are 3 or 4 substantial obstacles from waypoint 6 to 7 and then a big exposed rock section between 7 and the crystal mill that are much more intense. Might get dicey for a stock 4x4 in 4 low unless you are very experienced. Probably to be safe you'd want 33" plus tires and a lift plus off road traction control and or a locking diff which is what I have on my FJ. As everyone else has said there are long sections with no pullouts so my group had to back up a few times a few hundred feet. I would say from waypoint 1-6 is a 3+ and from 6-7 is around a 5+ out of 10.

Bill Bachrach

1100

Open

Rated 2/5

Visited: 08/07/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

There is no universe in which this trail is a 3. Prior to the switchbacks it's easy. However, the switchbacks are deeply rutted making it difficult to find a good line. We were loaded up both inside and on the cargo rack raising our center of gravity and making it fairly treacherous. We were on two wheels on fully three occasions. We only went up to a little before waypoint 4 before we found camping and didn't go beyond that. Down was vastly worse than up. 97 XJ, 4.5" lift, 30" K02s, front locker, rear LSD, full stiffeners

Tim Colby

100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/17/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Ran the loop clockwise, camped up near the top, (not a ton of options) and it was spectacular. Great rugged trail in forest, waterfalls, and above tree line. Wild flowers were overwhelming. I want to emphasize the other comments here. This is more like some of the easier 4s I’ve done. A couple of the switchbacks are steeper and tighter than they look, don’t take them for granted. My main take away is that In no way is this on par with the lower road Crystal. That would be a hard 2 at best. Coming down that last section into Crystal made the rest of the trail past the mill all the way into town feel like a paved road. BTW The BBQ ***** in marble is awesome.

Dehru Cromer

400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/14/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

We took this route to go camping in the basin for 2 nights. I think it’s harder than a 3, simply because if the narrow sections with steep drop offs, as well as the washed out switch backs ( especially the first switchbacks climbing out of Marble ). But WOW the beautiful payoff once you reach the top, surrounded by wild flowers with views of the Maroon Bells / Snowmass Wilderness. We couldn’t stop taking pictures. Additionally the camping across the bridge after the switchbacks along the creek was amazing. The hike to Geneva Lake was the highlight of the entire camping trip.

John

Official Crew

35450

Open

Visited: 06/22/2022

According to reports from some of the members here, Lead King is open and passable.

John

1100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/21/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Great drive today. Lead King is open and beautiful. There are a few water crossings, one that is running swiftly but no issue. There is a bit 9f mud here and there but otherwise it's in great shape.

Jake

100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/19/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Lead King is amazing. Ran it from Crystal through to the very spicy sign.

Jameson

300

Impassable

Visited: 05/29/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Drifts still across top of road- between Crystal and Lead King.

Ryan Larson

500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/18/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

We drove this trail east to west as a loop after seeing Crystal Mill. The trail is narrow and taller rocks climbing out of the Crystal Mill valley into Lead King Basin. We were on the trail early and traffic was light until we got closer to the west end around noon. The trail changed from rocky to sand and dust near the top of the basin and stays that way for most of the route on the upper portions. We will definitely revisit this place.

Todd

Official Crew

106950

Open

Visited: 07/16/2021

Technically open for the season!

Tim Palmer

Official Crew

39450

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/08/2020

I did not have high expectations about driving this trail but decided to complete the loop (Marble to Crystal City then Lead King Basin back to Marble). I highly recommend this trail. The views along the trail are spectacular and iconic. Much of the trail is a shelf road that is narrow, especially between waypoints 6 and 7. We ran the trail backwards from this guide. We went through the avalanche debris with no difficulty but were surprised to find snow still mixed with the downed trees.

Spencer Ford

400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/20/2020

Trail was gorgeous. We came from the crystal mill side. Avalanche debris was sketchy. My Tacoma drove right through but it had a serious pucker factor. Do not go alone if you plan on driving through. I wouldn’t take anything larger than a Tacoma or Jeep.

Justin G

200

Impassable

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/13/2020

There is a sign at the base of the Lead King/Crystal City trails saying avalanche is impassable at the 2.5mi mark. We thought it was outdated due to the 2 recent reviews! We took the trail from the west, and the avalanche debris is impassable. Recent rain has made the snow underneath melt quite a bit, making the holes seen in the previous review larger and empty underneath. It would be very dangerous coming down from the top at the moment. The short drive up was still fun!

Patrick

1200

Open

Visited: 07/04/2020

Fun Trail. Great Views. We came East to West and finished at the avalanche site. We were able to pass through the avalanche relatively easily, going up it would be more difficult with the snow.

Josh Spring

13350

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/21/2020

Trail is open. Beware the avalanche debris pile is a little more challenging to get through if climbing it. There's actually a lot of snow underneath the debris, and the logs are wet and loose. Climbing up this debris pile I needed 4L with my rear locker engaged at a point where tires were spinning on snow in between/underneath the logs. If you're going down the debris you wont have any problem. It's also very narrow. The rest of the trail is pretty narrow, lots of shelf driving, and I'd say most of the trail has very limited spots to pull over for opposing traffic. Only a few places had rocks that you need to look out for. At one point my front diff did hit a rock that looked totally unsuspecting. I'd rate this trail a solid 3 and not a 2 at all. If you plan on camping, be careful because there are several spots around the bottom of the switchbacks in that area that have fire rings and look like good camp sites, but a guy approached us and told us it was his private property.

Brandon Howard

100

Impassable

Visited: 05/31/2020

As mentioned by Ryan, the Lost Trail Road section is blocked by snow about 1.9 miles from the split off of CR3. The other side of the road, coming from the CR3 / CR317 junction, is blocked roughly 1 mile(ish) below the Lead King Basin trailhead parking by a large tree across the road. 10 minutes with a chainsaw will clear the road, and there is a spot to turn around / park right at the downed tree.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

97850

Impassable

Visited: 05/26/2020

Trail is now open, but snow packed and impassable all the way around.

Justin Hurlburt

800

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/02/2019

Trail is Open just drove a tacoma and 4runner through. did the whole loop. you do drive over avalanche debris but it is stable and safe. have fun.

steve

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/29/2019

Trail is open all the way though. Someone cleared a path through the avalanche debris using a chainsaw, making it possible to get through without having to leave the trail. Definitely possible to drive through the debris with a full size vehicle. I drove my Colorado ZR2 through no problem.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

29250

Impassable

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/12/2019

The road is blocked by avalanche debris at coordinates 39.07723 -107.11922 I entered Lead King Basin from the west and drove to the point of blockage and recorded the GPS coordinates above. There is a narrow track cut through the debris, possibly sufficient to drive an ATV through (personally, I would discourage it) but not adequate to drive a Jeep/truck through without significant additional work. PLEASE do not use any unauthorized bypass (Stay The Trail, Colorado!)

Stacey palombo

100

Open

Visited: 07/15/2019

I did not drive lead king basin as I was in an AWD. The staff in the amazing town of Crystal told us that the Lead King Basin Road had just opened that day though!

Michael Logoyda

300

Impassable

Visited: 07/06/2019

Still impassable. Started from Crystal side just to check.

Dennis Mapes

1300

Impassable

Visited: 06/10/2019

East side has a section that is impassable due to snow and rocks.

DEVIN

1300

Open

Visited: 05/27/2018

Good trail and amazing views. A lot less traffic than the trail to Crystal, which is nice. Be prepared for snow on the Meadow Mountain switchbacks earlier in the season. Also the road is sometimes washed out at Lost Trail Creek. Be sure to set aside a few hours for the hike up to Geneva Lake. The trail head is near way point 6.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

29250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/21/2018

White River National Forest indicates seasonal closures ended as schedule (May 21, 2018) but state further that snow still remains in spots above 9,500' elevation so be aware of runoff and muddy conditions. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd554376.pdf

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

29250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/29/2017

Tuesday morning drive was gorgeous on Lead King Basin. Relatively clear skies and mild temperature. The surface conditions are dusty, and traffic was moderate. I saw three pairs of hikers on the road, and a handful of ATV/UTVs and Jeeps/trucks. Panoramic views on Lead King Basin are hard to beat!

John West

300

Open

Visited: 08/26/2017

We did this from the Marble side and are glad we did. Gorgeous route, with few problems all the way up to the last section going down to the Schofield/Crystal road. It was definitely one vehicle wide most of the way across the ridge and down the switchbacks. At about 7.5 miles the road goes up a bit into the last jog before it goes down to the Crystal road. At that point, the road was definitely one vehicle wide and was covered with loose rock chunks about 3-6". No problem going up, but an ATV coming down that had to back up couldn't get traction and another guy and I had to drag the back end around so she could go forward back to the east corner of that jog so I could pass. I asked how far it stayed rocky, and they said it got worse. True. The loose rock was replaced by embedded rock up to about 8" with some 5-8" ledges across the road. My skid plates took a couple of hits. I was glad to see the Crystal road. We continued on to Crystal City, and the Crystal road back to Marble was much easier than the last mile or so of Lead King.

Cody

200

Partially Open

Visited: 06/16/2017

The loop is blocked off due to snow. We tried to go up the Crystal side but ended up turning around almost at the top of the loop. It was still an amazing ride!

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1. Trailhead (0 mi)

2. Dead End Spur - Veer Left (2.1 mi)

3. Switchback (2.8 mi)

4. Ridge (3.7 mi)

5. View (4.5 mi)

6. Waterfall (7.6 mi)

7. Trail Ends - Lead King Basin (8.1 mi)

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Tracy Barker

Lead King Basin

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1. Trailhead (0 mi)

2. Dead End Spur - Veer Left (2.1 mi)

3. Switchback (2.8 mi)

4. Ridge (3.7 mi)

5. View (4.5 mi)

6. Waterfall (7.6 mi)

7. Trail Ends - Lead King Basin (8.1 mi)

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Tracy Barker

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