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The USFS has a road grader and front end loader reworking FS road 172 and 172A. The road grader started from the beginning of 172 at Hewitt Station road and had made it approximately four miles when we passed by him on Tuesday afternoon. The front end loader had been filling in crosswise channels made by running water from the beginning of 172 to almost the top of 172A. When we passed him they were reworking the ruts just below the extremely sharp curve just before 172A tops out before the turn to Rogers Trough Trailhead. My experience with rework on this road is that they will be up there all week. Queen Creek is not flowing and relative easy to cross at this time. Someone traveling this road after this post please give us an update on the grading project and how far they have reworked the road.

General rules for driving this road is as follows. High clearence with rear wheel drive is recommended for 172. High clearence with four wheel drive is recommended for 172A. Front wheel drive vehicles can drive this road but it is not recommended that they tackle the steeper portions of either road as it is very easy to tear up the front tires on the embedded rocks. Vehicles without high clearence should drive only as far as the embedded rocks are low enough in reference to the road surface to allow safe travel. My experience when the road has been recently reworked is that drivers have a tendency to drive to fast and have accidents. There are numerous sharp curves and high spots where you cannot see oncoming traffic. This includes cars, trucks, ATV's and motorcycles. Head on crashes are a real threat under these conditions. Please drive at a safe speed and also be aware of cattle that may be on the road and unwilling to get out of your way.

As of right now you don't need a 4WD but definitely a HC vehicle. The freeway like road that was there after they graded it several months ago are gone as the monsoon rains have beaten it up but not enough yet to require a 4WD.

Update 3/13/23:

Did an overnight to the ranch on 3/12/23. Took the wife's (she drove) '19 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. Road was very recently graded all the way to the TH. Didn't go to Woodbury so don't know the condition for that last mile. By recently I mean within a few days. It's as good as it gets and honestly in really good shape.

It's still somewhat slow going as it's just rough and rocky but I think I could get a minivan to the TH. Granted it wouldn't make it back out. Never once did we come close to scraping or rubbing on anything. Commence with the Subies, or is it Soobies? and KIAs.

Edit to add: meehhhhhhh.....not impressed with Reavis Ranch, guess it's not really my thing but it was for her 62 B'day and she's wanted to do it for years.

@herdbull
Thank you for offering this. That opens up a lot of possibilities for me...

@SJFL After it rains tomorrow, all bets are off!

@herdbull
The main attraction of Reavis Ranch is the apple blossom time which occurs in early to late April and in the fall when the apples are available between late September and October. The Ranch and it's orchard is at 4,800 feet and to visit it this time of year there won't even be any flowers in bloom. Also there are no remaining Ranch buildings and even the corral's are virtually non-existence.

chumley wrote: ↑Mar 14 2023 8:43 am @SJFL After it rains tomorrow, all bets are off!

Give it a day or 2 and I'm sure it will be fine. They actually did a pretty bang up job on widening, removing big rocks and scraping it down to a hard surface where they could. I was really surprised at how well it was cleaned up. Even the last 2 miles all the way to the parking lot.

@herdbull
to the parking lot of the TH for Reavis Ranch, right? I did that drive a couple years ago, in my subaru, and there were a couple spots that were super dicey. I got past those couple spots and then decided to park on the top of a hill and walk the last ~1/4 mile to the TH. I just didnt' have it in me to down that last stretch.

PLEASE give it at least 4 to 5 days to dry out!!
We do not want this road to be torn up by a bunch of morons making it a mud bogging road like it has been in he past.

@SJFL
Yes, all the way to the TH.

Superstitionguy...... the people turning the road into poo mess are the UTV'ers. More than a dozen came from the east on the trail that connects in about 1/3 of a mile from the TH. Just those 12 or 13 that passed us tore it up already.

I just did this road on 3/12. My buddy in a 2 wheel drive newer f150 kept spinning the tires in the mud on that last one mile stretch and parked at the last turn before you get to the TH. They also struggled lower on the road on the way out on a loose gravelly rock climb and kept spinning the tires. Took a good 15 minutes of attempts and a lot of tire tread to get up that part. Based on my recent experience I would recommend 4x4 with some decent ground clearance at this time IMHO. Could you do it in a less rugged vehicle…I’m sure it’s possible…but it’s the age old question could you vs. would you. One thing I know for sure is I’m not getting my 25ft RV to the TH.

herdbull wrote:the people turning the road into poo mess are the UTV'ers

louie wrote:My buddy in a 2 wheel drive newer f150 kept spinning the tires in the mud

A story in two posts!

louie wrote:One thing I know for sure is I’m not getting my 25ft RV to the TH.

Come on, where's your sense of adventure....

The_Eagle wrote:One thing I know for sure is I’m not getting my 25ft RV to the TH.

I could..... lol

Absolutely no reason why a 2 wheel drive pickup shouldn't have made it to the TH. This road is as good as it gets right now.

A crew was blading at least the first couple miles of Hewitt Station Rd this morning. Not sure how far they’re going, as that was too obvious a question for me to have asked while I was talking with them But the first couple miles are nice and smooth now!

Has anyone been up to Rogers Trough trailhead in the last few weeks? Hoping to head up there this Sunday in my stock 4Runner 4x4.

@PrestonSands
You're good

@PrestonSands
Just was up there Sunday in a stock 4runner.

@pseudalpine
Thank you!

Has anyone been on this road recently? Is it still passable in high clearance 2wd when dry?

John10s just posted a trip up this road - why don't you PM him.....