With a considerable avalanche forecast, I decided to drive up Foss River Road and see how far I could get without getting stuck (been there, done that).
Snow started in earnest after passing the trestle but I was able to make it to the junction with FR 6830 (Tonga Ridge) before turning around and parking about .2 miles before. Ruts were mostly gravel with the berms around 6-7 inches. 4-wheel drive helped deal with the snow but I knew it would be a sloppy mess on my out so I erred on the side of caution. Plus, I never did like the sound of scraping the undercarriage.
Since I have a Tonga Ridge Snowshoe on my bucket list, I hiked back up the road and turned up on FR 6830. From here I probably could have made it a little further in the car but by the first switchback the ruts in the snow would have been more than my Element could have managed.
The first mile the ruts were exposed gravel but by that first switchback the ruts were mostly snow and continued to get deeper the further I went. There were so many waterfalls!
It wasn't long until there were some branches/trees across the road with the first significant one being about 2 miles up. The tracks continued so I am guessing only those with serious off-road clearance are making it past this point unless like me they are on foot. There was a good size tree down at 3.3 miles that I can't imagine anyone in a vehicle going over but who knows because the tracks continued. Maybe the tree came down after?
I made it about 4.4 miles up Tonga Ridge Road before opting for lunch and soaking up the views at a spot where the trees were sparse enough to see the surrounding peaks. Malachite, Bald Eagle and Sobieski were the most prominent along my trek. The tracks continued past here, maybe they go at least to the junction with Mount Sawyer Road?
I had my snowshoes but didn't need them because of the compact snow of tire marks. I did put them on for a while on the way down since I had them but eventually the ruts were too annoying so I took them back off. If I wanted to do a lot more "breaking trail" there was plenty of snow on the sides of the road if so inclined.
All-in-all I did about 9 miles car-to-car and could not have asked for a better day. I only saw one other group, 4 people in a jeep who turned around and parked where the first set of trees were down. And of course, I passed some monster trucks headed up as I was driving down.
Looking towards the trailheads to East/West Fork, the road conditions looked to be about the same. Higher clearance and 4-wheel drive a must.
Link below with more pics.
Comments
thebrink on Tonga Ridge Snowshoe, East Fork Foss River Snowshoe, West Fork Foss River and Lakes
I enjoyed your blog. It's a very detailed description with great photos of the hike. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by:
thebrink on Jan 10, 2026 11:53 AM