Trail Overview
Tower Road North begins at a small, convenient staging area capable of accommodating roughly 4 to 6 vehicles, featuring an inviting, shaded campsite complete with a fire ring situated immediately off the entrance. The journey starts with relatively minor ruts and modest ledges, but quickly plunges into a deeply rugged, dramatically steep canyon. Throughout the descent and subsequent climbs, explorers will encounter a variety of secluded, dispersed campsites, including a remarkably tranquil canyon site offering ample shade and its own small, natural cave to explore. As the trail progresses, it rapidly becomes a highly technical, single-track corridor demanding significant driver focus. The path is littered with aggressive challenges, including loose, rocky ascents, steep, intimidating descents, and massive ruts reaching up to 24 inches in depth. Many of these difficult, off-camber sections are precariously located on steep grades and exposed cliff ledges, making careful line choice critical. While the route often parallels large powerlines, the sprawling, panoramic views of the surrounding rugged canyons and distant mountains remain exceptionally striking. Drivers should remain highly vigilant regarding navigation, as numerous unmarked side roads and mapping discrepancies can easily lead travelers off course. After passing through a solitary open gate, this intense trail connects to several other backcountry routes in the broader network.
Difficulty
Tower Road North earns a solid Level 5 Difficult rating due to the relentless, rugged nature of its steep canyon terrain over its 4.8-mile length. Averaging a slow, methodical 4.3 mph over 1.1 hours, drivers are forced to carefully navigate deeply eroded ruts reaching up to 24 inches, loose, shifting rock gardens, and significant, intimidating obstacles frequently exceeding 20 inches in height. The severity of the route is significantly amplified by the fact that many of these intense challenges are situated directly on steep, off-camber grades and highly exposed cliff ledges where the margin for error is essentially zero. To safely and completely traverse this demanding trail without sustaining major vehicle damage, explorers strictly require a dedicated 4x4 rig equipped with significant ground clearance, aggressive off-road tires, a low-range transfer case, and ideally, locking differentials to maintain forward traction on the steepest, loosest climbs.
