Need info on the Colorado area! HELP!!!

[VoodooTitan]

Hey guys! I'm in the process of moving cross country and i'll be staying in the Denver area with my wife and her mom for about a month. While I'm here I would really like to take the 4Runner out to some trails for some light off-roading. It'll be my first time doing it, and it doesn't have heavy duty off road tires either, so nothing too extreme. Ideally what i'd like to do is go out somewhere off the beaten path and going hiking for a few hours. I'm a pretty experienced hiker, and I'll have one of my dogs with me. I don't want to travel too far but i'd be willing to do an over-nighter if need be. Any advice or suggestions will help a bunch, better yet a meet-up or group event would be great. I'll be here in Colorado the entire month of May and early July.

Secondly... I really NEED some running boards. Problem is I want something along the lines of the bud built style running boards/rock sliders. I'd like a cross functional... heavy duty for me but functional for the wife (able to easily and securely step up on to get into the truck as well as load the baby into the car seat). If anyone can recommend a local place in Colorado that is affordable I'd love it (budget is around $400 or just under the factory running boards price installed)

 

[theliman]

i live here but don't get out there enough in my 4R! so i also look forward to some replies

 

[Titanpat57]

Check out the sticky in the 5th gens section for mods. [MENTION=115953]HerT4R[/MENTION] was just kind enough to assemble an entire comprehensive list of manufacturers and types. Special kudos to that young lady!

 

[KeithMaine]

Hi,
Check out Rocky Mountain Overland. Their members have things going on most weekends. They also have a "meet and greet" night on the second Tuesday of each month near Denver. Good luck.

rockymountainoverland.com

 

[m85476585]

Trail Damage has a good list of roads you can drive on in Colorado.
TrailDamage.com - Map of Colorado Trailheads

On their rating system you can easily do a 2 in a stock 4runner without a lot of skill. 3 is still doable but takes some more experience, and depending on the trail I might not go alone. 4 would be a challenge. At least for my stock 4th gen. A 5th gen may be a bit more capable, but you are still likely limited by skill and not wanting to damage your shiny and really expensive vehicle.

Keep in mind that the mountains are full of snow, and we just got a bunch of snow on the eastern mountains this weekend. A lot of high trails won't be passable until the summer, and many of them have seasonal gates that stay closed until an arbitrary date (or longer).

The forest service motor vehicle use maps have information about seasonal roads, but I've seen some that are still closed after they are supposed to be open.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5165768.pdf
The map is huge, so it's helpful to pick up a free copy at the forest service office. Printing on 11x17 paper is not nearly big enough.

You might be able to find dry roads if you go west where it's dryer. Maybe around Grand Junction?

Boulder County usually plows 4th of July road around memorial day, so you could drive there and hike up there. But you might need snowshoes, and you should avoid travelling on or under steep terrain (>30 degree slopes) in the afternoon when the snow is soft since there could be loose wet avalanches. New snow is more dangerous, so it's best to avoid it for a few days.
Statewide Avalanche

Switzerland Trail doesn't close, and you can usually drive on it even when there's some snow. It's likely that someone will have already made tracks. I can't think of a lot of hiking there, though.

A good short winter hike is Mt Sniktau near Loveland Pass. The road to it is paved, but it's still a nice drive in the mountains. It's along a ridge that collects minimal snow, and as long as you stay on the ridge the avalanche danger is negligible.
Sniktau Mountain Trail - Colorado | AllTrails.com

Cell phones don't work most of the places in the mountains away from roads, so if you are going by yourself it's not a bad idea to get a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or a spot beacon. Or just be careful and let someone know where you are going and when you will get back.

 

[slapdappy]

Charles A Wells authored some excellent guide books for Colorado. These will have all the info you need. Get the spiral bound versions, as they are more user friendly.
https://www.funtreks.com

 

[tekzhicuh]

i live here but don't get out there enough in my 4R!

 

[Martinjmpr]

We just got a lot of snow so if you're coming here within the next week or so don't plan on going too far off the beaten path. Most of the high country trails don't open until June, sometimes July or August and there are some trails that never open, depending on how deep the snowpack is. Back in 1997 I tried to go over Mosquito Pass (13,180') between Leadville and Fairplay. The pass was closed because a snowdrift about 100' long blocked the trail.

This was in mid-August.

As far as running boards go, do you want a set of factory running boards? I have some for sale. EDIT: Just noticed you have a 5th gen, I don't think mine will fit as they are from a 4th gen.

 

[atalarico]

Everything posted so far has been good. I'll just add this because you said you're relatively new to wheeling, and haven't wheeled in these mountains before...

Do not mess around with snow drifts when you're solo. They're deeper than they look, tougher to get out of than they seem, and recovery is pretty difficult without cell phone reception and another vehicle.

Have fun!

 

[Jhalko]

If you are coming out in a few weeks things might be more melted and dry by then, assuming it stops raining soon. I would think some of the trails south may be available, towards co springs. There are some easier trails closer to Denver that you can do as well, all on traildamage and in wells books.

Feel free to hit me up, if I'm clear and conditions are good I'm up to meet.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

Thank you M85xxxxxxxx; The 60x36 map is really helpful. I find that I can take files like that; view them at 100% and then print them section by section; then just tape the pieces together.

 

[VoodooTitan]

Hey I just wanted to say thank you very much for your thorough and informative reply. I will look into everything you have suggested. Again I greatly appreciate this.

Trail Damage has a good list of roads you can drive on in Colorado.
TrailDamage.com - Map of Colorado Trailheads

On their rating system you can easily do a 2 in a stock 4runner without a lot of skill. 3 is still doable but takes some more experience, and depending on the trail I might not go alone. 4 would be a challenge. At least for my stock 4th gen. A 5th gen may be a bit more capable, but you are still likely limited by skill and not wanting to damage your shiny and really expensive vehicle.

Keep in mind that the mountains are full of snow, and we just got a bunch of snow on the eastern mountains this weekend. A lot of high trails won't be passable until the summer, and many of them have seasonal gates that stay closed until an arbitrary date (or longer).

The forest service motor vehicle use maps have information about seasonal roads, but I've seen some that are still closed after they are supposed to be open.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5165768.pdf
The map is huge, so it's helpful to pick up a free copy at the forest service office. Printing on 11x17 paper is not nearly big enough.

You might be able to find dry roads if you go west where it's dryer. Maybe around Grand Junction?

Boulder County usually plows 4th of July road around memorial day, so you could drive there and hike up there. But you might need snowshoes, and you should avoid travelling on or under steep terrain (>30 degree slopes) in the afternoon when the snow is soft since there could be loose wet avalanches. New snow is more dangerous, so it's best to avoid it for a few days.
Statewide Avalanche

Switzerland Trail doesn't close, and you can usually drive on it even when there's some snow. It's likely that someone will have already made tracks. I can't think of a lot of hiking there, though.

A good short winter hike is Mt Sniktau near Loveland Pass. The road to it is paved, but it's still a nice drive in the mountains. It's along a ridge that collects minimal snow, and as long as you stay on the ridge the avalanche danger is negligible.
Sniktau Mountain Trail - Colorado | AllTrails.com

Cell phones don't work most of the places in the mountains away from roads, so if you are going by yourself it's not a bad idea to get a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or a spot beacon. Or just be careful and let someone know where you are going and when you will get back.

 

[VoodooTitan]

Thank you for this advice. I won't chance or risk anything. Usually I'm a risk taker but in this "field" I doubt I will be taking any."

Everything posted so far has been good. I'll just add this because you said you're relatively new to wheeling, and haven't wheeled in these mountains before...

Do not mess around with snow drifts when you're solo. They're deeper than they look, tougher to get out of than they seem, and recovery is pretty difficult without cell phone reception and another vehicle.

Have fun!

 

[VoodooTitan]

Will do, may be looking to hit a trail this week if weather permits. I will send you a message later on, we can see what's up.

If you are coming out in a few weeks things might be more melted and dry by then, assuming it stops raining soon. I would think some of the trails south may be available, towards co springs. There are some easier trails closer to Denver that you can do as well, all on traildamage and in wells books.

Feel free to hit me up, if I'm clear and conditions are good I'm up to meet.

 

[Flyer]

Traildamage is excellent and there are some fun trails closeby in the Idaho Springs area. Argentine Pass is quite nice too, though it may still be snowed in. Check the colorado4x4 forum out. I don't really wheel in my 4R anymore but I do see a lot of Toyotas out having fun.

 

[MORK]

Check with the forest service stations too. They have some great free maps and can let you know how the other years flooding changed the trails. They are also "actively" repairing trails here and there, so everything changes. Trail damage is great, but got outdated with those floods. If you are going to anything west of Boulder, stop by the one on the way out of town just off 36/28th. It's on the right before you exit north Boulder.

In my opinion, if you are going this time of year, a winch is required. Even with buddies, two of you stuck in the snow with tow straps ain't going to be much help.