Quickie to Saline Valley to try the washed out South Pass

[generubin]

Anne and I suddenly found ourselves free for 3 days so we did a quick trip to Saline Valley. There was barely anyone at the springs, the weather was a perfect 80 in the day, 60 at night. Both North and South Passes have been heavily impacted by a storm so that is why the population level is very low.


For South Pass you need to be able to crawl at 2 to 3 mph with full torque to go up the Saline South Pass (heading out), you better have seriously low gears. I have a locker in the rear, without it I'd still be there. You have very steep uphills over boulder fields of which some boulders that you cannot go around, many so large you can not move them. So, if you're in a 1/2 ton or a rice burner your gears will likely be too high. Going in the South Pass (meaning downhill) any truck with good clearance and brakes will make it. You'll need good suspension articulation so if you are running airbags this may limit your control.

See this link for important Saline Pass washout condition (the pictures are not 3D so they don't nearly do justice to the conditions). Infinitely worse conditions than I have seen in my 29 years of Saline trips: http://forum.salinepreservation.org/post/South-Pass-100712-6040807

 

[Overland Hadley]

Link to photos is not working.

 

[generubin]

Link to photos is not working.


This should work:
http://forum.salinepreservation.org/post/South-Pass-100712-6040807

Again, the pictures don't tell the story. Read SilverBob's text.

 

[ntsqd]

Pictures don't look too bad, but they never do.
Does make me want to go see for myself.... via Steele Pass....

 

[generubin]

Pictures don't look too bad, but they never do.
Does make me want to go see for myself.... via Steele Pass....



Hello again ntsqd,

Steele Pass seems to not have any damage from the storm. A number of vehicles came in and out of Steele Pass over the weekend. I love that pass! But it's been some years since I went over it. Eureka Dunes pictured below.

I haven't heard but I imagine that Lippincott which is in close vicinity to South Pass must have been hammered quite hard.

 

[ETAV8R]

Great pics. We went about two weeks ago. North pass is not as bad as the south but it is also problematic compared to what we are used to. I'd also like some info on lippencott but haven't seen any reports.