baja-chris - 1-1-2018 at 12:11 PM
A couple days ago (Dec 30, 2017), we drove the route from Rancho El Coyote to Mikes Sky Ranch. My Spot tracker shows it took us 1 hr, 40 minutes.
There were some sections of big rocks where you had to pick your line to avoid damage. I'd consider it a difficult route but certainly nowhere near
impassible. I was in a totally stock 2018 Ford Raptor crewcab, not a small rig. The running boards and receiver hitch dragged a few times but
nothing I'd call damage and we did not get stuck or have any real problems. Curt LeDuc was along in his modified Jeep on 37's and had zero issues. I
will say it was rougher than last time I drove that route. My stock 35" tires were marginal, I would not suggest this trail with less than 35's and a
rear locker.
del mar - 1-1-2018 at 01:12 PM
sounds like a fun way to end the year
.....was it an open Jeep? I imagine it was
pretty chilly up there!
David K - 1-1-2018 at 01:18 PM
Thank you for the report! An hour and 40 min. is a quite a deal for the 12 miles!!! If you took any photos along that road, please share (if you need
help, I can post them for you).
I was on the road in October even though Michael Diogo (at Rancho El Coyote) said it was probably impassable to (stock) 4WDs and even motorcycles
would have a challenge.
I got about 4 miles from El Coyote (on that first boulder climb, before the new bypass road rejoins the older road) when my rear brake froze and I
turned back as the seal eventually blew. My first Toyota fail, but I still could drive it home, but sadly missed getting to Mike's and beyond.
In my new guide, this is what I wrote... I think it is better to say it this way and not have non-lifted 4x4s get damage. Michael says there is nobody
doing any road upkeep between El Coyote and Mike's:
>>>
Km. 49 Road north to Rancho El Coyote, 4.9 miles. A guest ranch popular with dirt bike riders. Rooms include dinner and breakfast
($65/pp). A large grass camping area is here, with toilets and showers, $10/ night. An auto road from Rancho El Coyote to Mike’s Sky Rancho (12
miles) was badly damaged by heavy rains and reported impassable to most 4x4s in 2017. <<<
[Edited on 1-1-2018 by David K]
TMW - 1-1-2018 at 02:38 PM
Sounds like a challenge for the Squarecircle and me.
JZ - 1-1-2018 at 03:00 PM
Sounds pretty rough.
WideAngleWandering - 1-7-2018 at 01:58 PM
Last time I drove that route was around 2012 when I did it in a 60 series land cruiser wagon with a 2.5" lift riding on 33s with an autolocker in
front and factory LSD in the rear. Busted a front birfield the first time. After the repairs I tried again and got through pretty easily (learned my
lesson after the first time).
Is it worse now than it was a then? I may drive it again in a few weeks on 33s.
David K - 1-8-2018 at 03:59 AM
Nobody is running a dozer over it anymore... Most of the tourist arrive by motorcycle or the good north road to Mike's.
When I first went to Mike's past El Coyote in 1972, that was the main road in... as they had only recently made the north road.
The next time through Mike's to El Coyote and on up to the observatory was in 1978, in my Subaru 4WD wagon. I had one bad place I think I had to use
the jack to get over a rock... the Subaru only had 13" tires!
The last time was in 2005, in my new Tacoma... a piece of cake with that truck. I made a web page trip report of that one: http://vivabaja.com/905/
So, last October I tried... and almost immediately after leaving El Coyote for Mike's, the road was awful. Deep dips that almost wanted to grab my
bumper and a 4-low boulder climb about 3.5 miles from El Coyote... after that my rear brake failed so I limped back to El Coyote... There, Michael
Diogo said I hadn't even gotten to the "bad" part yet. Earlier he warned me that the road was almost too bad for motorcycles and he wasn't
recommending any stock or near stock 4WDs go.