As of 12/2025, this driveup requires a vehicle with lots of clearance, big tires and AWD or above capable rig. Ted (W6TED) and I were only successful because of his tricked out Land Cruiser.
The summit has a nice view into the valley and of Diamond lake. Park, setup, activate.
NOTE: The road conditions have worsened since last year but they could change if the FS road team goes in there to sort it out.
Ted and I first went to W6/CT-016 Thomas Mtn. The road to Thomas is worse than last year. From Thomas Mtn, we took 6S13 to Rouse Hill Road.
FS 6S13 from the Thomas Mtn turnoff is pretty rough and recommend good clearance. It's probably not for my Highlander.
Rouse Hill Road currently requires good clearance, big tires to get through the very large ruts, and probably AWD or 4X4 if you come up from the Thomas Mtn. side.
When we departed, we kept driving to the NW and the road was much better this direction. It may be possible to get up this side using something less capable than the overlanding rig we were in. We did see a Toyota Rav 4 at one point on the trail.
If you want to do this summit and someone else has done this one since 12/16/2025, I recommend reach out to them for a road condition report.
