JDailey

I did an epic road trip and hike today -- and my Macan is simply stellar.

First, the road trip: 320 miles with lots of mountain roads, switchbacks, and highway driving. The Macan handled incredibly well through all of the twisties. I went over Chinook, Cayuse, Umtanum, and Snoqualmie passes and I made the absolute most of the Macan's handling. As much as I might like a 911 or Boxster, it just doesn't fit my lifestyle. Because in the middle of the epic road trip, we went off roading too! We took about 10 miles of rough, potholed, rutted, Forest Service roads to get to the trailhead. I intentionally chose the 19" rims knowing that my Macan would be going off-road regularly. For me it's the perfect compromise in terms of road handling and enough sidewall to protect the rims on dirt tracks. There were only three other cars at the trailhead, but the folks I did see all complimented me on the Macan. I guess they're surprised to see that Porsche owners actually use their SUVs as SUVs!

The hike was ~14 miles up to Mount Aix and the Nelson Ridge and back. Elevation gain was 4,650 by the books, but I added on a side peak along Nelson Ridge for fun. The weather could not have been more perfect!

-James
Seattle, WA



Lots of switchbacks and 5 different mountain passes. Seriously fun!


I was in good company at the trailhead.

I had great views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, the Goat Rocks Wilderness, and even Mount Stuart in the Enchantments to the north.


Mount Adams and the Goat Rocks in the distance

fsts2k

Super cool and great pictures from top of hike

JDailey

Early morning photo with Mount Rainier in the background

Coming over Cayuse Pass and down the valley toward Yakima, WA

Typical of Forest Service roads in Washington State. You don't need a Land Rover for this stuff, but you do need some ground clearance and AWD.

From near the summit. It was HOT!

The trail up to Mount Aix at 7,760 feet.

tk-porsche

Looks like it was a fabulous trip - amazing scenery. I'm sure some of the dirt roads were way worse than that, after al, you have something close to an 8" ground clearance. I went with 19" rims on my '19, for similar reasons, wanting some off-road capabilities. Great to see it's working out well for you and thanks for sharing the trip details and great photos.