You may be able to get by with a regular highway vehicle but it's unpredictable. Blue Hills Road is a graded dirt road suitable for highway vehicles that gets you to within 5 miles (8 km) of the trailhead. The tricky part is the last stretch on 10 Mile Road which is also graded but seems less frequently maintained.

In the last 2 miles (3 km) of 10 Mile Road there are flat, sandy sections that can be challenging for 2WD and may be impassable if it has rained recently. There are also a couple spots where a small wash may cut a foot-wide (30cm) notch across the roadbed. It all depends how recently the road has been maintained and whether it has rained since then. We made it to the trailhead twice in small rental cars with some careful driving, but on another occasion a jeep was required.

If you want to try to make it in a highway vehicle, pay close attention to the road conditions along 10 Mile Road and use your judgment. Keep in mind that you're a long way from the highway out here and there may not be anyone else passing by all day. Also remember that if you get stuck in dry sand you can partially deflate your drive tires to increase traction. A good option would be to park before the tricky section which would add roughly 4 miles (6 km) of roundtrip distance to the hike.