Forestdale Road

Road starts off smooth but rocky and rough and then stays that way. It is doable on a stock vehicle. It looks very intimidating but if you take it slow you should be fine. We took stock Nissan frontier pro4xr which is 2” lift from roush from factory which comes with 32” tires.(I think equivalent to and Tacoma trd pro). And a Nissan titan with 2” lift and 34”. They both did fine. Just got dusty.

Drove from red lakes to blue lakes with a Land Rover newDefender on 33”. Some sections are a little technical and there is one spot where road is washed out and off camber. Bit of a pucker factor for a novice like me! Met an ATV and two cars that were up just from Bluelakes.

Did just portion this trail down to lost Lakes and back starting at red Lake can confirm the washed out shelf section is definitely a solid for plenty of room and I would say the majority of stock 4x4 could do this, we even saw a Honda pilot. we only went down to lost Lake so can’t comment on anything further down into blue Lakes, but it was a good trail. The one shelf section is definitely a four.

Nice day on the trail. Pretty easy overall except for a section of shelf road that makes you pay attention to lines. The washout is pictured here with my mid size rig, still plenty of room but terrifying for passengers. 3 rigs coming back to & from Blue Lakes, all during that shelf stretch but we made room fairly easy. It’s also a great road to access backcountry sections of the PCT!

Started from Upper Blue Lake. Wash out near the top is narrow but the rest of the trail is it's normal bumpy self.

Started from the Red Lake side. Group of 3x 1st gen Sequoias and GX470 did the trail no problem. Some parts of the trail are a bit bumpy but nothing hard that required a spotter or lockers. Wash out section was a bit spooky but there was plenty of room for our rigs to pass through.

Took about an hour. Started at Red Lake and it’s a super mellow forest road until you turn right. Cliff side obstacles are a little terrifying and I’d definitely recommend having a spotter. Sketchy spot with the road washed out next to protruding cliff. Would not take anything larger than a small to midsized truck. No bigger than a Tacoma IMO

Started from Upper Blue Lake with my full size Ram 2500 with Four Wheel Camper in the back. Ran Forestdale with my cousin in a long bed F150. We are both on stock suspension with 35s. Trail is rough but overall wasn’t terrible, I’d give it a 4/10, the one deteriorated section with a big washed out part was maybe a 5 just for the pucker factor 🤣…just hug the mountainside close and once your front tire clears the washed out portion just go! I was able to get around it without issue in my big pig of a truck with a camper in the back. If I can make it anyone can, I’m not a beginner but I’m no pro either. If this is your first time taking your rig off-road go with someone for peace of mind but you’ll likely be fine if you take it slow. Ran in 4Lo all the way cuz my weight but probably not necessary in a smaller lighter vehicle. Get out there and do it!

This trail starts out as an easy forest road. The difficult section is only about half a mile long, but it has become noticeably rougher than in previous years. One washed-out section on the mountainside has become significantly worse and is now the most intimidating obstacle on the trail. It is still passable, but mistakes could have serious consequences. We drove the trail today in a stock 2026 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. We used 4LO with the sway bar disconnected, which allowed the Jeep to articulate easily over the obstacles. We never needed the lockers, but high clearance and good suspension travel definitely helped. Although we had no problems, I would not recommend this trail to beginners driving alone. An experienced spotter or another vehicle is a good idea. I completely understand why some people felt nervous here. Personally, I think the current condition deserves a 5–6/10 rating,

We entered Forestdale Road via Red Lakes (just left of the Red Lake Wildlife area signage), and, at first, this appears a modest forest road. However, it quickly ups the ante, with off camber cliffsides, some rocky obstacle management, steep climbs. High clearance is not a suggestion. The trail lets out above Upper Blue Lakes near the campground.

This was my first Norcal trail. (Moved here from socal). I did the trail solo with my gf. I’m looking for more offroad buddies add me on ig @elcaminocarcrash. okay so this trail was pretty rutted out, and i was VERY nervous doing this alone, but I got through the whole thing. I drive a tacoma on a 2.5in lift on 33’s. I was on 4lo the majority of the time, even locked the rear diff. Alot of spots I could have high centered or bottomed out, gf had to spot sometimes. I avoided some nasty ruts by going around em, but risked tipping over. I WAS SCARED AND NEXT TIME I WOULD GO WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE!

Went from 88 to the lakes. 2016 wk2 w/ 2.5” OME lift, front to back skid plates and rock sliders. Up to forestdale creek bridge it’s about a 1-2 and then there is a large turn off, once past this the trail turns up to the 4-5 rating, needed 4low for the majority of the trail till just past the summit and then it gets easier again till the last 1/2 mile at the lakes where it gets pretty rutted and I would have needed 4low going up. Hit the skid plates and rock rails a few times. The way up to the summit heading south is very rocky and rutted, not recommended without plates and rails. Very fun, great views.

Good trail, slow travel. Most of it was in 4lo around 1-2mph due to the rocky terrain. Views are worth it.

Snow has melted off the road at the top of the pass. Clear through to Upper Blue Lake from Hwy 88 (Red Lake)

Started from the 88 side by red lake, made it all the way to the top lakes of Lost lakes, not sure if it’s open on the blue lakes side but still a lot of fun. Had to move one tree out of the way on the way up and right at the summit of forest dale divide there was a couple hundred long of snow that cars on smaller tires had to winch up, we were able to air our tires down to 15 psi and get though the snow on 37’s.