2024-01-12, 06:00 PM
Maybe not the best info to put on the internet .... when was the last time you drove a sedan to the big flat area? Was it in the last month? To me it doesn't seem like great stewardship to rag on the Park for making HC / 4WD either. Weren't you just sharing another story about a road you've driven a sedan on (20 years ago) that someone attempted in 2009 and their kid ended up dying?
God, I sound like my parents now. Getting old is a bitch.
I'm always cautious when recommending backcountry roads to people that don't seem experienced & somewhat confident. What are they supposed to do if they hit deep sand and bury their vehicle up to the axle? I mean, you don't know whether or not it's actually questionable until it's too late ... because up to that point everything was seemingly going fine.
In the case of Cottonwood if you get stuck you've now blocked a rather popular one-lane road with your vehicle. Hopefully the first people coming across you can help get you out somehow, because otherwise they're going to have to get around you by driving over a berm into protected desert – risking more stuck vehicles and needlessly impacting the land.
I'm also not personally familiar with any shuttle or help from the hotel getting back to the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon or the big, flat area before. If they've got extra time it wouldn't be the worst hike in & out, plus there's always a chance they can hitch a ride with someone on the road.
God, I sound like my parents now. Getting old is a bitch.
I'm always cautious when recommending backcountry roads to people that don't seem experienced & somewhat confident. What are they supposed to do if they hit deep sand and bury their vehicle up to the axle? I mean, you don't know whether or not it's actually questionable until it's too late ... because up to that point everything was seemingly going fine.
In the case of Cottonwood if you get stuck you've now blocked a rather popular one-lane road with your vehicle. Hopefully the first people coming across you can help get you out somehow, because otherwise they're going to have to get around you by driving over a berm into protected desert – risking more stuck vehicles and needlessly impacting the land.
I'm also not personally familiar with any shuttle or help from the hotel getting back to the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon or the big, flat area before. If they've got extra time it wouldn't be the worst hike in & out, plus there's always a chance they can hitch a ride with someone on the road.