Help me prep for my trip to Colorado!

[alexb]

Well after dreaming and talking about it for the past year I've finally planned a trip out to Colorado next month. Leaving on the 7th or 8th of August so I've only got 3 weeks to get ready

We will be staying just about half way between Durango and Silverton CO and from what I gather this is quite the off road paradise with Imogene and several other big trails in the area. Now the entire trip won't be dedicated to wheeling (I wish it was). My girlfriend and my parents are tagging along so they are wanting to do other things as well. I do plan on spending at least one full day hitting some trails and if I could do Imogene Pass that would be one off the bucket list.

My goal of this thread is to plan out what I need to do to prep my vehicle, along with supplies I should take along and planning out other fun things to do for the 7 days we are there. I'll start a list of what I have thought of so far and hope to have people add to it or give me insight as the trip approaches. I can't wait!!

I don't plan on doing any extreme wheeling but would give the truck a good workout and be completely safe at the same time. I'm not completely new to wheeling but CO is whole new territory for me and I want to be as prepared as possible. So with that in mind I'll begin. General wheeling tips are great as well.

4Runner prep items I think I'll need on top of my current mods:

Full size Cooper ST Maxx 255/80/17 spare
Portable air compressor
Better jack other than the factory bottle jack. Hi-lift or other options??
Any recovery gear needed?? Already have tow straps
Rear diff breather extension
Tie downs for hauling cargo on the roof
Anything else recommended


Outdoor things We shouldn't miss while in SW CO. Here's what I want to do so far:

Wheeling of course! (Imogene and a few other trails in mind)
Fly fishing
Zip lining
Kayaking or other river rafting
Maybe mountain biking

Places to go. This is where I need help. What are the best spots to eat, shop, do other touristy things (mainly for the mom and GF)

Durango Silverton Railroad
............

Let me know what I am missing for the vehicle prep or other things to do! I want to make this trip one to remember!


Mods if you want to move this to the offroading or other general discussion that's fine I just thought to put it here since I need some specific 5th gen info as well for prepping my truck.

 

[LandCruiser]

Go to the Great Sand Dunes.

 

[alexb]

Go to the Great Sand Dunes.

That might be a little out of our reach but I'll keep them in mind!

 

[sooperedd]

Not very familiar with the Durango area, haven't been over there in an long time.

But get something for altitude sickness and drink plenty of water, it will help with the headaches and nausea.

If you manage to get up on any high trails, especially above timberline and you see a thunderstorm moving in, get down quick because the thunderstorms move in FAST.

 

[alexb]

Not very familiar with the Durango area, haven't been over there in an long time.

But get something for altitude sickness and drink plenty of water, it will help with the headaches and nausea.

If you manage to get up on any high trails, especially above timberline and you see a thunderstorm moving in, get down quick because the thunderstorms move in FAST.

Noted. Good reminder on the altitude sickness. Last time I went to Breckenridge it hit me pretty hard on the drive in.

 

[LandCruiser]

Not very familiar with the Durango area, haven't been over there in an long time.

But get something for altitude sickness and drink plenty of water, it will help with the headaches and nausea.

If you manage to get up on any high trails, especially above timberline and you see a thunderstorm moving in, get down quick because the thunderstorms move in FAST.

You should probably be fine if you stay below 10k feet, but most people who aren't used to it will "feel" it in places like Durango that are 6.5-7k.

 

[Taco04]

Camera, ice chest & beer! & maybe more beer.... if you have kids more beer....
beer + altitude sickness even better!

 

[alexb]

Camera, ice chest & beer! & maybe more beer.... if you have kids more beer....
beer + altitude sickness even better!

Picked up a new GoPro Hero 4 Black on Amazon Prime Day. Will also be taking my Nikon D7100 with several lenses. Oh and there will be many beers. I'm only 25, no kids for me yet thank goodness. That won't keep my from knocking them back though :beer:

 

[sooperedd]

That might be a little out of our reach but I'll keep them in mind!

Sand Dunes are cool but a long, albeit a beautiful, drive from Durango.

You could hit the hot springs in Pagosa Springs, that's not too far from Durango and it is a beautiful drive. You will also be close to Mesa Verde National Park.

 

[sooperedd]

Camera, ice chest & beer! & maybe more beer.... if you have kids more beer....
beer + altitude sickness even better!

He won't need beer, Colorado is the Micro brew capital of the world. We're also the the capital for another, just legalized substance too.:first:

 

[LandCruiser]

He won't need beer, Colorado is the Micro brew capital of the world. We're also the the capital for another, just legalized substance too.:first:

Yeah, waste of time to BYOB to Colorado

 

[Taco04]

He won't need beer, Colorado is the Micro brew capital of the world. We're also the the capital for another, just legalized substance too.:first:

Try telling that to your out of state employer..:ballchain:

 

[Bevo]

Durango is a great town. Lots of bars and restaurants in the downtown area that can entertain your whole crew.

There are plenty of trails(Alpine Loop) just outside of Silverton that can be a lot of fun and safe if you use your head. I was up there a couple of years ago with a buddy of mine in my stock FJ and we had no problems.

Have fun and take pics!

 

[alexb]

He won't need beer, Colorado is the Micro brew capital of the world. We're also the the capital for another, just legalized substance too.:first:

Try telling that to your out of state employer..:ballchain:

hahaha. I won't lie that it's something I considered earlier. In all honesty my mom has suffered severe migraines and chronic neck pain from an injury about 10 years ago. The green stuff is about the only thing she hasn't tried for the pain. We may just be making a stop at the local shop.....

Durango is a great town. Lots of bars and restaurants in the downtown area that can entertain your whole crew.

There are plenty of trails(Alpine Loop) just outside of Silverton that can be a lot of fun and safe if you use your head. I was up there a couple of years ago with a buddy of mine in my stock FJ and we had no problems.

Have fun and take pics!

I'll add it to the list!

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I did this trail several years ago. Ophir Pass Trail Report It is very scenic and not that difficult. I highly recommend it. Just remember a section on the west side is one lane, 2 vehicles can not pass each other from the narrow road and there are zero places to pull over to the side. If you see a vehicle coming the other way wait till he gets by you or one of you is backing all the way up to the wider part of the trail.

 

[Jeremy556]

Brown Bear Cafe in Silverton is great. There aren't any hard trails in the San Juans, so go wherever. A stock 4runner will have no problems with anything but maybe the wall at P Gulch, but there is a bypass for that now, unfortunately.

 

[fla904]

Marijuana.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Brown Bear Cafe in Silverton is great. There aren't any hard trails in the San Juans, so go wherever. A stock 4runner will have no problems with anything but maybe the wall at P Gulch, but there is a bypass for that now, unfortunately.

Agreed. I have lived in Colorado my whole life and my box stock 4Runners have always taken me anywhere I want to go.

The whole oxygen thing - I guess its a low elevation thing. I hike and go up mountains all the time without breaking a sweat.

Odd's are wherever you go this time of year there will be other people around. We have one rule on the mountain - we help each other out. If you have an issue you will not be stranded for long.

It's the Rocky Mountain way. Hydration is vital. Colorado is a high desert climate and you can get into into trouble there before you even realize it. Drink water. Lots of water.

And watch out for ATV's. they will be all over the place, are fast and sometime driven by people that have never driven one before.

Other than that have fun and as is usual I will greet you to Colorado with breakfast or lunch depending on when/where you are coming in from.

We roll that way here.

 

[wfo9]

You should take along some type of self recovery gear if you are going to be out alone. Most likely, you will see other friendly folks out on the trails, but when weather comes in it is easy to end up alone in many areas (it happened to me last year). The weather got bad and all the jeeps scattered, I kept going up. Did not have any issues... though.

You don't need a powered winch. There are several manual options including a high lift winching kit.

The main thing you will definitely need is a way to air back up quickly. Don't skimp on the compressor or you will find yourself trying to get by without airing down (which leads to many issues).

You will also probably want a waterproof bag for the roof if you plan to carry anything that can't get wet up there. You will encounter rain.

 

[Jeremy556]

I hear that Ibuprofen helps with altitude sickness. Many of the trails in the area are 9-10K at the bottom and go up to over 13K.

If you do have any problem, you'll not have to wait long for someone to come along, anywhere from 10 seconds to 90 minutes, tops. The traffic can be aggravating, to say the least.

"OK, I'll back 2.5 miles down this shelf road, even though I have the right of way, so your group of 39475638946582376458276582374583745683745683746583475683745683746583746583746587346583746583745682736418736481276340982735492856398374569387456012364502837568276 side by sides can take the next 3.5 hours getting by. :rant:

I really hate those damn things, well, most of their operators anyway.