MaddBaggins said:
So IMO, depending on the line the trail can be a mild 3 or you can make it a 4.
Alvin, I don't think I would rate it that difficult. Taking the easiest line through the trail (which is how trails are generally rated), I would give it a 2.0, maybe a 2.5 tops. Certainly there are optional obstacles on the trail which can increase the difficulty significantly. To qualify that, several years ago I led a friend in a stock 85 toyota pickup back to the falls. After crossing tanque verde canyon ("the groves") we discovered one of the hubs was not working...thus he was in 2wd the whole time. He finished the trail in 2wd. The only places he had trouble was the hill at the start of 4405A (leading down to the falls--we were concerned about how loose the hill was, so he parked at the top), and when we left, 3 feathers gave him some trouble. The light was fading, so we didn't try very hard...just hooked up a strap and pulled him over the last ledge (easiest route up).
No matter how you look at it, it is a fun trail, close to home. A great rookie trail because it has so many optional lines for people to experiment on, yet a pretty easy primary route so people aren't committed to the harder lines.
