Last year we went to Teluride and discovered the thrill of taking my 4Runner on mountain trails. Please help us plan out next trip to the Rockies. Keep in mind that we are novices. Thanks in advance for your advice. I have a 2014 limited and it will have Schrockworks rock sliders and all 5 skid plates by the time we depart for Colorado.
Colorado Trails Recommendations
- Thread starter rox.n.ben
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
danoT4R
New member
I've been using TrailDamage.com to make a list of the spots I want to hit this summer. It's got lots of great details and pictures. Hope it helps.
Desert Fox
New member
It depends on when you are coming to Colorado. Some trails are closed due to snow or are more challenging due to snow. And that could last until late summer. Also what part of the state are you going to?
There are several areas that have enough good trails you could spend a week in the area.
Funtreks has pretty good books to give you some help planning a trip.
I think their ratings are a little conservative but better safe.
The FJ Summit is in July down in Ouray.
There are several areas that have enough good trails you could spend a week in the area.
Funtreks has pretty good books to give you some help planning a trip.
I think their ratings are a little conservative but better safe.
The FJ Summit is in July down in Ouray.
Martinjmpr
New member
Too many variables....
When will you be here and what is it you want to do?
CO is a big state. Where will you be going? Are you camping or staying in a city/town? Fishing? Other activities?
Trail Damage is a good place to start. The Charles Wells books are also good guides.
For someone who is relatively inexperienced and looking for great scenic trails, I could recommend quite a few (you can find links to all of these at Traildamage):
Near Denver, I would recommende these for a relative beginner:
* Mosquito Pass (between Leadville and Alma)
* Saints John/Deer Creek (summit County area)
* North or Middle Fork of the Swan River (Saints John connects with these trails.) (Summit County area)
* Kingston Peak (Northwest of Blackhawk/Central City)
In the San Juans, SW corner of the state, I'd go with
* Cinnamon Pass
* Engineer Pass (these two trails run parallell to each other, both run between Silverton and Lake City, so a typical run is to do the "Alpine Loop", starting at either end and running both trails, ending up back where you started.)
Keep in mind that the "4 wheeling season" in Colorado starts much later than you might think. Many trails are still closed in late June so if you are planning on hitting some of the higher trails (all of the ones I named above) figure on early July at the soonest. FWIW, there are some years when Mosquito Pass, for example, NEVER opens because of snow (I've been blocked by snow on Mosquito Pass in mid-August.)
When will you be here and what is it you want to do?
CO is a big state. Where will you be going? Are you camping or staying in a city/town? Fishing? Other activities?
Trail Damage is a good place to start. The Charles Wells books are also good guides.
For someone who is relatively inexperienced and looking for great scenic trails, I could recommend quite a few (you can find links to all of these at Traildamage):
Near Denver, I would recommende these for a relative beginner:
* Mosquito Pass (between Leadville and Alma)
* Saints John/Deer Creek (summit County area)
* North or Middle Fork of the Swan River (Saints John connects with these trails.) (Summit County area)
* Kingston Peak (Northwest of Blackhawk/Central City)
In the San Juans, SW corner of the state, I'd go with
* Cinnamon Pass
* Engineer Pass (these two trails run parallell to each other, both run between Silverton and Lake City, so a typical run is to do the "Alpine Loop", starting at either end and running both trails, ending up back where you started.)
Keep in mind that the "4 wheeling season" in Colorado starts much later than you might think. Many trails are still closed in late June so if you are planning on hitting some of the higher trails (all of the ones I named above) figure on early July at the soonest. FWIW, there are some years when Mosquito Pass, for example, NEVER opens because of snow (I've been blocked by snow on Mosquito Pass in mid-August.)
EHNWI
Member
How has snowfall been out there this season?
JB.
New member
The passes status page on the site below is a must for planning. Keep an eye on the Colorado High Country Pass page for 2014 when it goes up.
Bushducks Back Country Adventure
You can see how past years went here.
http://bushducks.com/tripreps/passopen.htm
Last edited:
Martinjmpr
New member
Every basin except the San Juan is running well above normal and there is more predicted this week. Looks like a lot of the higher trails may not open until late, or may never open at all this year.
The good news about that is that if the high country stays wet, we'll have a much better fire season. The last two years the fire seasons were awful. 2012 saw three or four major fires that burned over 300 houses and last year there was one that burned more than 500.
Fingers crossed for a lot of snow, even if it means some passes stay closed. Don't worry, there are always places to go!
Bushducks is a good resource for knowing what's open.
Thanks for the insight
We are willing to go anywhere in Colorado. We love summit county and steamboat is another area that is awesome. We will probably go there for a week in July or August when the heat in KC is unbearable. We are not campers so we will probably rent a condo at a ski lodge for a week. Thanks again!
We are willing to go anywhere in Colorado. We love summit county and steamboat is another area that is awesome. We will probably go there for a week in July or August when the heat in KC is unbearable. We are not campers so we will probably rent a condo at a ski lodge for a week. Thanks again!
Jimmy_D
Member
We have a 4-wheeling group that goes out every Monday during the summer/fall months in Crested Butte. As previously mentioned, with as much snow as they've had to date I would expect the higher trails to be unnavigable until at least mid to late July; maybe even sometime into August. You're more than welcome to join us though.
EHNWI
Member
All this talk has got me worried about my timing of a trip in May. Should I wait until at least June? I want to hit up Engineer Pass and areas around there. Going for photography mainly.
I would hit the SW corner in the San Juans in August if it was me. We have been the last 5 years in a row, just can't get enough.
Imogene Pass
Black Bear Pass
Mineral Creek
Alpine Loop (pretty much any trails in the Animas Forks area are a blast, nothing extreme but great scenery and lots of fun)
Just a few of my favorites.
Imogene Pass
Black Bear Pass
Mineral Creek
Alpine Loop (pretty much any trails in the Animas Forks area are a blast, nothing extreme but great scenery and lots of fun)
Just a few of my favorites.
Jeremy556
New member
Yes, at least June, if not July.
Martinjmpr
New member
None of the high passes are open in May, unless it's a really bad season for snow.
Wildflowers tend to peak in mid-late July. That's the time to be in the San Juans.
Jimmy_D
Member
The San Juan's haven't received as much snow as a lot of the other mountainous areas of Colorado but going in May could still result in very limited offloading options; at least for the more popular trails. The Summit (used to be called the FJ Summit) in mid-July (in Ouray) seems to prompt the powers-to-be to make sure all the trails are open. I've been there on several occasions when they were still working feverishly to open the trails right up to the day before everybody showed up. We arrived a day early one year and ran Black Bear (with several of the Toyota Trail Team guys) right after they'd opened it up. We were the very first of the season to go down it. What I'm getting at is if you want to make sure you'll be able to do all the trails then wait till after the Summit; or sign up and go then.
Here are a couple of pictures of me from '08 that will give you an idea of what I'm talking about (the first one's on Black Bear):
Jeremy556
New member
Yep, this. Keep in mind those pictures are from July. The snowplow they use is a bulldozer.The San Juan's haven't received as much snow as a lot of the other mountainous areas of Colorado but going in May could still result in very limited offloading options; at least for the more popular trails. The Summit (used to be called the FJ Summit) in mid-July (in Ouray) seems to prompt the powers-to-be to make sure all the trails are open. I've been there on several occasions when they were still working feverishly to open the trails right up to the day before everybody showed up. We arrived a day early one year and ran Black Bear (with several of the Toyota Trail Team guys) right after they'd opened it up. We were the very first of the season to go down it. What I'm getting at is if you want to make sure you'll be able to do all the trails then wait till after the Summit; or sign up and go then.
Here are a couple of pictures of me from '08 that will give you an idea of what I'm talking about (the first one's on Black Bear):
Right now there isn't much snowfall, but one or two storms, that can hit as late as May, can change that, and extend closures for many weeks.
The San Juan's haven't received as much snow as a lot of the other mountainous areas of Colorado but going in May could still result in very limited offloading options; at least for the more popular trails. The Summit (used to be called the FJ Summit) in mid-July (in Ouray) seems to prompt the powers-to-be to make sure all the trails are open. I've been there on several occasions when they were still working feverishly to open the trails right up to the day before everybody showed up. We arrived a day early one year and ran Black Bear (with several of the Toyota Trail Team guys) right after they'd opened it up. We were the very first of the season to go down it. What I'm getting at is if you want to make sure you'll be able to do all the trails then wait till after the Summit; or sign up and go then.
Here are a couple of pictures of me from '08 that will give you an idea of what I'm talking about (the first one's on Black Bear):
Friends in Telluride tell me they have gotten more snow than the last couple of years. Not above average snowpack but more than the last 3 or 4 years.
