Running Swamp lake for the first time.

[sparkys83yota]

Ok guys... me and a buddy are gonna run swamp lake for the first time this weekend. We are both relative newbies. Ive only been into the sport for a year. Any words of advice???

[Joey88RUNR]

Just take it slow, and use low gearing as much as possible, and lockers front and rear i hope, Its not that bad, Rooster rock might scare you, but its not bad, a steep granite climb. saw a lot of rigs not aired down enough, i ran 7 psi all weekend never had a problem.     awesome country back there bring your camera!

[sparkys83yota]

can it be done with only a rear locker. i do have a dual ultimate crawler set up so that should help i hope.

[88_Pathy]

Yeah you will be OK.  Stack rocks where you need to and air down.  Don't take it too fast because you are likely to break something.  It is tough but so nice.  What size tires and what trucks?  Have fun there is awesome scenery.

[Rocksurfer]

Awesome trail, Rooster is my favorite part feels like you are going straight up. As others have mentioned take your time and don't break anything. I have run it in 3 hours with two trucks, including lunch.

[Rocksurfer]

Oh, and the last time I went I did it in my 80 with only limited-slips.

[sparkys83yota]

I'm gonna be running a 1983 shortbase pickup. 4.88 gears Detroit in the rear. Lifted 5" with a complete Marlin trailflex lift kit. L52hd transmission. Dual ultimate Crawler cases. And 35" bfg MT km2 wheel. My buddy is wheeling a 99 taco all stock except 4.88 gears and ARB front and rear. He has 33" tires.

[Joey88RUNR]

You will be fine without a front locker.  Hope the taco has rock sliders

[82juguete]

3 hrs?  in and out?   I thought it was like a 6-7 hour trail.   

[sparkys83yota]

I got sliders and a budbuilt crossmember. He has no armor. Its gonna be an interesting trip. I will let you guys know how it went. Thanx for the help

[madhunt]

can it be done with only a rear locker. i do have a dual ultimate crawler set up so that should help i hope.

i have done  it  no problem with only a rear locker and duels w/o a 4.7, no sweat.  they say it is a hard trail i think it is on the easy side.

[LD]

No front locker no problem i only locked in ounce, took use longer than 3 hrs, took use 3 1/2 hrs from the bottom side to swamp

[Rocksurfer]

I've never hit anything on Swamp, I've taken several vehicles through including my 80 lwb and 86 IFS 4Runner. Never even got close to hurting the body on them.

[88_Pathy]

I don't know how fast you guys wheel but.... It took me and some friends pretty much ALL day to wheel the trail.  We ate and all but it was still a long trail. 

[LD]

I dont wheel fast 3 and a half or so from the gate to swamp from the bottom and 4 from swamp to the snow park.

[88_Pathy]

OK thats what I'm sayin.. The whole trail takes all day and some.. But I wanna see the pics now.

[Rocksurfer]

I'm not including the drive time to the trailhead but just the trail itself, it would be longer if I included the dirt roads in and out. I wouldn't call us speed wheelers but we have been known to be able to move quickly through sections. On the day I was refering to it was just myself and one other rig and both of us are very experienced drivers. The last time we went there were about 6 rigs and it did require more time to do. When we do the Rubicon we generally take 3 to 4 days two of which are just kicking back doing nothing. We have always wondered how long it would actually take us if we tried it in a single day but since we drive all that way there and want to relax have never attempted a single day. We have also on a regular basis started at Silverwood Lake in SBNF and gone all the way to the end of Gold Mtn. including all the tough stuff along the way, that is a long day.

[LD]

I put a few up from last weekend. There in the swamp lake thread just under this one.

[sparkys83yota]

well... sat morning when it was time to go. my friend in the taco decided he didn't want to do swamp lake because he heard it was "too hard". we ended up doing ershim for the first time. Two of our rigs did fine. my friend with the taco came out with a broken axle and looking like a raisin. we only wheeled to ershim lake, camped then came home.

[IMMUDDY]

We were at Voyager rock campground on the back side of courtright over the weekend. right below the fireworks show.. 

[Rocksurfer]

You did Dusy-Ersham over Swamp because why?

He'd have not made a raisan on Swamp.

[sparkys83yota]

didn't matter to me. i just wanted to wheel. i'm not sure his reasoning. it was a fun trip. I am still wanting to do swamp lake sometime next month.

[Rocksurfer]

Swamp is much easier.

[Jaysen]

I will be running swamp this coming up weekend! Welcome to join!

[BigMike]

I don't know how fast you guys wheel but.... It took me and some friends pretty much ALL day to wheel the trail.  We ate and all but it was still a long trail.

X2 on this. It's a great trail, but plan to take your time, relax, take it easy or this trail will seriously burn you out. It's no Dusy, but it's length will surprise you.

[yotatough]

Let's see pics of the raisin!

[LD]

Did anyone that came in from the bottom get passed by a yellow nissan truck on the forest road? Two older guys that were hauling wood to build there cabin at mud lakes. Now that guy wheels fast  . We saw him at the gate and he passed us twice before we got to the split between mud and swamp.  He invited us up to his property and he gave us permission to camp on his property. Pretty cool guy.