Talley Rd

[slsutton]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows if 4wd/high clearance vehicle is really necessary on this road?  I was going to do the Mariscal Canyon trail and just wanted to make sure before cancelling that trip since I have a small standard car w low clearance.   thanks for any feedback.

[jeffblaylock]

The road to Talley is typically pretty rough, and it's one of the furthest campsites from a paved road in the park. The last time I drove there, it took me at least 3 hours to reach it from Castolon. I would not recommend it without at least high clearance. With as much rain as the park has seen lately, I would expect it to be badly washboarded and rutted in places.

There are several outfitters in Terlingua who can offer you a ride or a guided trip through the canyon.

[Casa Grande]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows if 4wd/high clearance vehicle is really necessary on this road?  I was going to do the Mariscal Canyon trail and just wanted to make sure before cancelling that trip since I have a small standard car w low clearance.   thanks for any feedback.

High Clearance, yes.
4wd, probably, depending on the current road conditions.  RRWest is usually a mess.  RREast is sometimes a little bit better during dry times.  Anyway you go, high clearance is a must, 4wd is a recommendation.  The thing that people tend to forget is the fact that the weather changes so drastically.  Consider this: you go down RRWest.  The road condition is dry and you slowly and methodically make it to Talley with no problem.  Do your thing and suddenly a thunderstorm rolls in.  Well, since you barely made it there in the dry, you're going to have a heck of a time making it out when it's wet without a 4wd/high clearance vehicle.

[badknees]

RRWest to Talley is currently closed, due to effects of the flooding. Even when it reopens it may not be readily passable without 4WD. High clearance is a necessity and probably 4WD is required.

RREast may be better, but certainly high clearance is recommended.

You hear stories all the time about people taking sedan cars on the unimproved roads. In certain cases an experienced driver with patience and time can travel some these roads, however I can't even guess what the cost of a tow would be from the river road to Ft. Stockton to fix the gutted oil pan, or transmission. (Oh yeah, and make sure you have a shovel, spare tires, tire patch kit, air compressor and plenty of water.)

This past year the National Guard/DHS had graded some of the roads and apparently they were pretty smooth (for a while). With the amount of rain this summer and the recent flooding, it would be poor judgement to attempt these roads without an appropriate vehicle. (IMO)