Bennett Pass

Bennett Pass, Part 1 Difficulty Rating: 3-4 Conditions: Dry, rutted, and rocky Dry conditions overall with a lot of established rutting and some rocky sections, though nothing a capable rig in 4H can’t easily manage. Be aware that brush overgrowth is creeping into the trail; a full-size truck or SUV will definitely take home some pinstriping. Cleared two downed branches today, leaving the path clear. Great run overall.

Some ruts and water crossings. No snow

Open. Some snow on higher elevation. Wouldn’t go on the slick ice if you’re solo.

Snow drifts still pretty abundant and deep. No one has gone through to make tracks. First 4 drifts weren’t bad. Gets bad after that. Didn’t see trees down but with no vehicle tracks, I would imagine there are further in than I made it.

Trails still got a good amount of snow on it. Maybe a few weeks it’ll be passable in my rig but if you’ve got 37s it’ll be no big deal. Recovered 2 Tacomas on trail the following day at about 2 miles in from the west side. Cleared a few trees but have a feeling there a lot more further down I couldn’t get to

Snowmobilers and Groomer

I wanted to scope the lower end of Bennet pass by way of Bonney meadows. I could see this run being sketchy with snow pack, but as a bare trail, I didn't think it was all that crazy.

We started on the OR-35 trailhead and headed North. This was our first time on the trail, and we took our 3rd gen Tacoma. Went down the whole trail, as well as the Badger Lake fork. The road down to Badger lake was very slow going due to how rough it was, but definitely worth the views! Plenty of sharp rocks and dust along Bennett Pass this time of year. I would definitely recommend to air down your tires. I went down to 25 from my normal 37 in my AT Geolanders. I was in 2wd the entire time and didn’t struggle at all with traction. There are some sections with high exposure, but as long as you take it slow, you’ll be plenty fine. Saw vehicles ranging from Subarus, to full size pickups along the trail.

I started at the hwy 35 entrance and made it down to the fork heading to badger lake before turning around. The trail starts out as gravel but turns more gnarly as you hit dirt. Ruts and narrow spots through the trees. There were only two dicey sections. The first is a climb up a narrow shelf road where one spot leaves very little margin for error or you're toast. The second is two back to back sections of very narrow and loose rock. Right before you get to the badger lake fork, there is an extremely steep and narrow climb that goes to a forest road to get you off the trail. I opted to stay on the trail and back track my way back to hwy 35. I went slow mostly in 4lo but I'm sure 2wd would have been fine. I do not recommend for full size trucks due to narrow shelf driving in one section. I almost chickened out in my mid size. Lots of fun though and next time I plan on going all the way to the lake and out Bennet pass 2.

This one was on my “bucket list” for the year. Great trail. My wrangler is on 35’s and I did it in 2wd. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult but there are a couple of small shelf road sections that are a bit hair raising for sure. After we finished the trail we grabbed a burger and a beer at Government Camp. Highly recommended.

Started southeast at Bennet Pass Sno-parking to air-down. Went 4Lo a at first hill. Simple and beautiful to the rock gap which is about 2.5mi in. Single track with a few passing spots and camping sites. No one but us on the road all the way to Badger Lake . Just don't be fooled 4860 is slower going with even more rocks than this early stage of 3550.

The first part of this pass coming from south heading north was pretty easy. Views are fantastic! One small section of exposed road. Overall bumpy, small off-camber but nothing crazy. Some nice camping areas. Did have to trim 2 tree stems and had some brushing on the paint. Easily did this with a 2500 Silverado with a fully loaded full time truck camper.