Gunsight Butte and the road from Hell

[Limey]

We've been wanting to do the Gunsight Butte trail for a while and thought we might finally be in good enough shape for a 9 mile rt. Having sworn off the "Terrible Traverse" a couple of years ago we went down 3550 from High Prairie. The road is just as bad as it ever was and worse in some places. By the time we got to Camp Windy my upper back was already toast. An old Isuzu Trooper is not a very gentle ride. We were stopped at Camp Windy by a full size pickup in the middle of the road, it's owner was picking huckleberries. He came to move his truck, surprised that anyone else would be on this road. Already plotting an alternate way out I asked if he came in via 48 and 4891, he said no, he came from Bennett Pass. So, I didn't know what we would be dealing with going out via 48. Anyway, we got to the trailhead at the 4891/3550 junction and set off on our hike.

It was pretty windy at times and it was a very fall feeling wind - cold -. I knew there wasn't going to be many picture ops till we got to the butte but that was okay with me. I was there for the exercise. Unfortunately my back completely gave out before we reached Gunsight. We were so close but I was having doubts as to whether I would be able to make it back to the rig so we called it quits. I did catch these girls watching us cross the scree slope.

They decided we were not a threat and just watched us go by. Back at the rig it was decision time. I knew I couldn't go back up to high prairie and the 48 route seemed really long. Knowing the huckleberry picker came from Bennett Pass in a full size pickup and was still in the land of the living I decided that the Terrible Traverse was looking pretty damn good right about now. I needed the shortest route out. Obviously we made it out alive but the road is still hideous and the bottom end on Bennett Pass side is really gouged out, almost like someone sat there spinning their tires. It was a good day though and we did hike further than we have been doing so I call it a success. Sorry this is so long but I thought people might be interested in the road conditions.

[forestkeeper]

Sorry that you didn't have the best of days! Some of the back mountain roads can really tear people up. Thanks for the report!

[Splintercat]

Ha! Well, I do agree that there is no good way to drive those roads, Marilyn -- they're all quite "exciting"..!

Personally, I wouldn't take a unibody vehicle on any of them, which is why I'm kinda sentimental about this photo:



That's my old 1999 Suzuki SUV that we sold in March -- took it on a couple of retirement tours of Bennett Pass Road last fall, knowing I wouldn't be doing that in our namby-pamby Toyota Highlanders. Not only did the Suzuki have a truck frame (one of the few SUVs ever built that way), but it was also a manual transmission -- which made navigating those roads SOOO much better... even fun! By comparison, our Toyotas are just big station wagons waiting to get torqued out permanently on roads like that... sigh...

...now I'll have to hike a very loooong ways to have views like this (Boulder Creek Valley from Camp Windy):



...or this (Badger Lake from the shoulder of Badger Butte):



...but at least I can still hoof it to this (Bennett Pass Road above the Gumjuwac Trail):



But on the flip side, I definitely don't want to see it improved -- the rough ride is part of what makes the area so remote! I'd hate to see it turn into a Suburu freeway, ala Top Spur, etc.

Thanks for posting... and surviving!

-Tom

[Limey]

Thanks FK, I still regard it as a good day.

Tom, our Isuzu is our go to for back road driving. With low range four wheel drive it will go anywhere we're brave enough to go. It has over 300,000 miles on it. I also love that Boulder Creek view from Camp Windy, makes me dream of living in a cabin there.

[sprengers4jc]

Wow, another Isuzu owner! We are as rare as a people-free day at Paradise on Mt Rainier . Seriously, though, this one has been on our list for awhile and here's hoping our Isuzu Rodeo Sport with zero suspension can make it . Glad you are feeling better overall.

[raftingdog]

any rental will do fine.... no sweat

[woodswalker]

Yeah I always wondered how that road was. it sounds every bit as bad as I thought it might be.
Thanks, I'm always curious about road descriptions.
Woodswalker