Trail Overview

This section is the final half of Ruby Jewel Road and requires 4WD. A parking area at the beginning fits up to 15 vehicles. The trail immediately climbs into the mountains with 8–12 inch ruts and rocks ranging from 4–22 inches. Low gearing and all-terrain tires are recommended, with up to 18 inches of clearance needed. This is a narrow single-lane trail with limited passing areas. The route climbs along the mountainside with incredible views throughout. At the end, there is parking for up to eight vehicles and access to Ruby Jewel Trail, which leads to Ruby Jewel Lake and Kelli Lake on foot. Overall, this is a challenging and scenic trail with large rocks, steep climbs, and incredible mountain views.

Photos of Ruby Jewel Road North

Want to see more?
View All Photos

Difficulty

This trail has large rock obstacles, steep mountain climbs, and narrow single-lane sections. Rocks up to 22 inches and deep ruts require high clearance, low gearing, and careful line selection. Limited passing areas and challenging terrain make 4WD and experienced driving essential.

Technical Rating

Kris C

Sep 27, 2026

2000 Nissan Xterra

Open

NormalDusty

Yes, the actual start of the trail is on a 4x4 trail (I’d give it a 3.5/10 difficulty) BUT what I didn’t see in my research is that only the last 1/4 or so is tough and there is a set of parking spots that are about 3 cars wide literally right before the trail gets tricky. In fact, there are lots of single parking spots once you past the corral that says 4x4 only, so if you have AWD and 8+ inches of clearance. Just don’t park in a pull out made for passing, it does get narrow. It’s not technical, just has pumpkin sized rocks that you can navigate around until that last short bit. The Xterra did it no problem and there was a full sized Tundra up there.

Matt

Aug 13, 2026

1994 GMC Sonoma

Open

Made it in my '94 Sonoma, but it was pushing it 😂. Definitely uncomfortable at times. Very slow going. Some basketball side boulders or bigger to navigate around. Even with careful line choice I scraped a few times. Still worth it to not have to hike the road 😂. I wouldn't rate it a 5 however. The description says up to 18 inches of clearance needed? That's not true, I only have 7.5 but I would have loved to have 10. Overall, and because the Sonoma made it, slowly, I would say this trail is a 4 not a five.