I've actually been driven to the top of White Mountain then hiked it. I helped work on upgrading the microwave back haul on the summit so that instead of 500 kbps, it now runs 50 Mbps for the Barcroft and Crooked Creek facilities. The reason the road is all beat to hell is because the USFS hasn't really been interested in spending money on it (funds are limited and the research lab is low on the list of priorities). I knew the admin who ran the place, and would ping them every few months for funds. With that bill that passed the House this week...YMMV.
The "farm" is a Loma Linda study of pregnant sheep at high elevations.
I even took my '76 Fiat four door 1.3 Liter to the gate (not the summit) back in the 80's (although I had to kick out my passengers to get it up past Patriarch Grove).
Just a reminder that you better have a good tow policy coverage if your vehicle breaks down on the dirt road between the main gate and the asphalt road. $700 to $1000 towing charge. So take it easy on the road, especially with low ground clearance.
It's definitely more popular now then 40 years ago. You'd be lucky if you'd see anyone going to and from the summit even over a holiday weekend. Nowadays, if the weather is good, you can see as many as 30 people on the summit. It's not a zoo like Whitney, but I miss the quieter days. If your lucky, you'll see a golden eagle, maybe Campo, a wild horse that been running around there for 20+ years, and if conditions are right, bighorn sheep. One morning on a drive to the summit, I counted 23 in a herd traversing below us on the east side of White Mountain.
Also, before Covid, they opened up the gate twice a year and allowed folks to park at the Barcroft facility (12,500'). Saves four miles which is a lot more draining at that elevation. Just be sure to check the website
wmrc.edu next year to see if that'll happen.
