[NA] Colorado 4x4 and camping?

CJones

CJones

Final Approach
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We have a wedding to attend in Allenspark, CO next weekend (Sept 18-20). We're considering taking a mini-vacation and doing some trail riding and camping after the wedding events Friday night. Basically, we'll do a hotel Friday night and then Saturday hit some trails in the Jeep and possible camp along the way Sat night before driving back on Sunday.

Does anyone have any tips on areas to visit or NOT to visit this time of year? We'll be in my 03 Jeep Wrangler - 4" lift / 33" Mud Terrain tires / front locker / rear limited-slip and I have had it almost on its side a few times, so off-roading isn't new. At the same time, we will be solo so I prefer to not attempt the more challenging trails this time. I'm really more interested in good scenery than in challenging trails this time. But if the 'really good' scenery is only accessible by utilizing my non-stock Jeep, that's an added bonus. ;)

Also, a couple of guys from our Jeep club went out there earlier this summer and it seems like they just camped wherever they found a good spot on the side of the trail - is that kosher in that area? I've been browsing through the Nat'l Forestry Service website, but I'm have a bit of information overload as far as what's OK or not.

I'll probably pick up a trail guide book from another guy in Jeep club, but I was just curious about weather up there this time of the year, camping situation, should I bring a gun, etc.

Any tips for this flatlander?
 
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I'm not familiar with the trails around Allenspark but if you want to spend some time out toward South Park (only an hour or so away) then I can point you toward some fun.

Camping is pretty open on BLM and forest lands. The usual rules apply about packing out everything and no unattended fires. There may be some fire bans up so cold camping may be required.
 
I lived in Denver for about three years and did a lot of off roading in my 03 Jeep Wrangler which is not nearly as modified as yours. As its my DD, I only have 31's on it with some other minor offroading mods. Eventually, it will be a second car and get the full treatment. There's lots of great trails up near Allenspark. The mountains are full of old mining trails, ghost towns, great scenery, waterfalls, drops and great off roading.

Get "Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4 Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles A. Wells. Either Vol 1 or Vol 2. I prefer VOl 2, but they both are great.

Also go here for more trail info:

http://www.4x4trails.net/

Click on "Trails" and put in the required info. You can see A LOT of easy to medium difficult trails that your Jeep will easily handle as mine did.

I am member here and there are GREAT folks on this board and great trail reviews in the trails section. I HIGHLY recommend them.

http://www.colorado4x4.org/

I've done lots of trails up near Ward, Nederland, Gold Hill, Switzerland Trail, Middle St. Vrain, etc. which is in that area.

Have fun and let me know if you have any questions.
 
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Here's info for checking fire bans: http://www.cofireban.info/

I have the first edition of Wells' book that Anthony mentioned if you'd like to borrow it. I'll be in Denver next weekend so I can be "Plan B" if you get in a bind. PM me for contact info if you'd like.
 
CJones said:
I was just curious about weather up there this time of the year
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I can't tell you much about off-roading but the weather that time of year can be extremely variable. You could have some warm days but the nights will be cold and there is definitely the possibility of snow in the mountains. Generally this is a very nice season in Colorado though.
 
Right now the fire danger is Very High (I was in Estes last weekend). Allenspark is directly south of Estes Park (15 miles) or about a 30 min drive. Both towns will have more than enough info for you. Estes also has a Park Service station at the entrance to Rocky Mtn National Park. Since you're driving, you must, and I mean MUST drive the Trail Ridge road - highest paved road in the US and only open during the summer. They can't keep the road plowed in the winter, there's too much snow.

Two websites - the first is the official one, the third is the local commercial one.

http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm

For roads:

http://www.nps.gov/romo/historyculture/historic_roads.htm

As a rule, you must stay on the designated roads. Off-roading in the park is frowned upon. Go look at the map, you'll probably be happy with those roads.

http://www.rmnp.com

Take a warm jacket, long pants and sturdy shoes. It's chilly at night, and pleasantly cool during the day up there. And sunscreen. And a camera. And if you can, do the road at night on a clear evening. Absolutely incredible sky.

If you want off-roading, you may be able to drive Fall River Road, it parallels Trail Ridge for part of the route, but check with the Park Service. As of today, it's open but welcome to Colorado weather.

You'll alsoget to see how devastating the pine beetle really is. Entire areas of trees, dead and brown. Depressing.
 
ditto on Anthony's post for http://www.colorado4x4.org and Tony's http://www.traildamage.com/ - both excellent resources.

It's deer and elk hunting season now (archery) and muzzleloading in a week or two, but there is some bird hunting now, I think - grouse, ptarmigan, etc perhaps? Check http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunting/ for seasons, areas, etc. Also be aware that due to seasons that are open, there may be more scrutiny on firearms. It's ok to shoot in the National Forest/BLM lands, but Game Wardens will be more watchful, so know the laws. You want to make sure you're not mistaken for hunting without a license.

I run a lot of the trails with just my stock 95 Wrangler. Not too into the crawling scene - I much prefer ATVs for the rough stuff.

Have fun - it's gonna be gorgeous - trees should be starting to turn here real soon.
 
Chris,

Some friends and I have a trip planned for next weekend that you are welcome to join if you would like. It was orginally planned for this weekend, but got bumped at the last minute which is why I did not mention it before.

Actually the 4x4 trip is a backup plan for me as I have a plane reserved for some mt flying (BJC-GUC-BJC) with an overnight in Gunnison. It will be my first solo mt flying though, so the weather has to be CAVU or I am going to scrub the flight and go wheeling. Either way you would be welcome to join.

The trip is leaving Denver on Saturday AM and driving up to Glenwood Springs, then to Marble (paved roads). From Glenwood we would go over Scholfield Pass into the Crested Butte area, and then camp that night in that area. Sunday we would go over Pearl Pass, then probably Taylor Pass into Aspen, then back to Denver.

PM me if you are interested, and I can give you more info, etc.
 
Awesome, folks!!! Thanks for all the info. I had already found 4x4trails.net, but it wasn't really helpful because I didn't know which trails I really wanted to do. I borrowed a buddy's copy of Wells's "Northern Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" - it has helped tremendously by giving relative locations of the trailheads. Traildamage.com is exactly what I was looking for as far as trail descriptions, pics, etc.

Tony B - I'll keep your offer in mind. I'm having difficulty getting my Saturday PM shifts covered at work, so it might turn out to be a quick out-and-back trip in the Volkswagen instead of a weekend trip in the Jeep. :( If that changes I'll definitely keep the offer in mind - I would definitely feel more comfortable touring with a group of other off-roaders.

One question I still have - *should* I have some sort of weapon for defense against big furry animals out there? I'm not looking for target practice or hunting, just wondering if it's necessary to have a big-bore firearm handy for defense?

Thanks again for all the info - I'll be sure to post pics when we get back (if we actually get to do any of the trails).
 
CJones said:
One question I still have - *should* I have some sort of weapon for defense against big furry animals out there? I'm not looking for target practice or hunting, just wondering if it's necessary to have a big-bore firearm handy for defense?
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Most of the hippies just look and smell bad. Other than that, they're harmless.
 
CJones said:
Awesome, folks!!! Thanks for all the info. I had already found 4x4trails.net, but it wasn't really helpful because I didn't know which trails I really wanted to do. I borrowed a buddy's copy of Wells's "Northern Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" - it has helped tremendously by giving relative locations of the trailheads. Traildamage.com is exactly what I was looking for as far as trail descriptions, pics, etc.

Tony B - I'll keep your offer in mind. I'm having difficulty getting my Saturday PM shifts covered at work, so it might turn out to be a quick out-and-back trip in the Volkswagen instead of a weekend trip in the Jeep. :( If that changes I'll definitely keep the offer in mind - I would definitely feel more comfortable touring with a group of other off-roaders.

One question I still have - *should* I have some sort of weapon for defense against big furry animals out there? I'm not looking for target practice or hunting, just wondering if it's necessary to have a big-bore firearm handy for defense?

Thanks again for all the info - I'll be sure to post pics when we get back (if we actually get to do any of the trails).
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Usually not much of a problem (the furries), but this year the service berry (pronounced sarvice) crop has been hit by some sort of fungus. These berries are a major food source for bears this time of year. They use the berries they use to fatten up before winter. Because thier normal food source is more limited this year, there have been signifgantly more bear/human encounters. Probably the chance of an encounter is minimal, but if it makes you more comfortable, I wouldn't discourage against carrying a firearm. Just remember that in CO your firearm must be unloaded while in the car (unloaded meens no round in the chamber, although the magazine can be loaded and in the weapon).

Just let me know if you want to go with us. No problem if you don't know until the last minute.
 
CJones said:
One question I still have - *should* I have some sort of weapon for defense against big furry animals out there? I'm not looking for target practice or hunting, just wondering if it's necessary to have a big-bore firearm handy for defense?
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There are no Grizzlies in Colorado, or so they say. There have been some alleged sightings in the San Juan mountains, but you're nowhere near there. Mountain lions are thin skinned and typically are shy unless they're desperate. I'm more concerned with two legged predators than four legged. If you have a .357 mag revolver that is what I would pack. That will cover everything. I often just carried my 9MM in the mountains. I figured the noise would scare an animal away and it was fine for self defense from meth lab personnel. :)
 
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Thanks again for all the tips folks. We had a GREAT trip! We drove all night on Thursday to get to Estes Park around 10am Friday morning. Once we found out where we were staying - Alpine Trail Ridge Inn - we headed out for a nearby trail listed in Wells' guide book. We ended up doing Pole Hill Road - GREAT scenery and a good trail to use to get used to the new terrain for this flatlander. We went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and went down to the wedding in Allenspark. The wedding was outdoors at the base of the mountains with an amazing view of the peaks behind the bride & groom. Very picturesque setting.

Saturday morning, we got up and decided to go into Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. We saw some elk about a mile into the park, but they were laying less than 50yds from the edge of the road - I know they're 'technically' wild elk, but we were hoping to see some more 'wild' than that. We drove Old Fall River Road up to the Apline Ridge Visitor Center - once again, the scenery was amazing. We took Trail Ridge Road back down west/south toward Grand Lake. It just so happened that Grand Lake was hosting a Bluegrass Festival, so we took the opportunity to eat a sandwich while listening to some bluegrass.

After lunch, we took out the handy dandy trail guide book and found 'North Supply Creek Trail' just north of Grand Lake. We took a jaunt through that area and took a slight detour onto FS205 into the Bowen Gulch Protection Area. Luckily, we were there before they close the area for hunting season in a week or two. On FS205, we saw our first 'wild' game - a moose walked onto the road about 50yds ahead of us. We immediately stopped, but Rachel was so giddy, that we fumbled trying to get the camera handy and missed the 'good' pics. It went back into the timber, so I crept out to try to get another peek. I could hear it stombing through the underbrush and could even hear it grunting to another moose that was in the area. Very cool! The rest of the trail was a lot of backtracking. The water crossing that I had been looking forward to on the trail had been replaced with a drain tile. :( The interesting thing about that trail was that a lot of it was through areas that had apparently been clear-cut within the past several months. It didin't appear to be logging, as the trees weren't large enough to be of much use, and they were still laying in mangled piles on the ground. Not sure if it was fire prevention, beetle erradication, or ???

After North Supply Creek Trail, we decided to start heading back towards Iowa. I hit the equivalent of D-> on the car GPS and it took us back through RMNP on Trail Ridge Road. We went back UP the mountain. Around 11k', a rain cloud was coming over a ridge and into the valley next to us. I stopped to take pics and someone else was stopped as well. We thought they were looking at the clouds as well, but then they mentioned elk in the area. We looked down into the valley about 100yds and sure enough, 3-4 cows were grazing in the area. Then we heard a couple of bulls bugling back and forth to each other. I had heard this several times on hunting shows, but hearing it in the wild made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. While we were maneuvering to get a shot at the bulls, it started snowing. So there I was, at 11k' on the side of a mountain, taking pics of bull elk, in snow showers. Very cool! ;)

We continued the trek through the park and into Estes Park. A stop for fuel and travel food and we were on our way back to Iowa. We drove throughout the night again, arriving in Ames around 10:30am Sunday.

It was an insane amount of driving (1650 miles) in a little over 60 hours, but it was completely worth it. The scenery out there is awesome! Being able to take the Jeep off of the beaten path to areas that not a lot of people get to see is even better. Rachel and I both agreed - we could get used to that area, even getting involved with hiking and backcountry camping. Looks like I'll be adding Colorado area to areas of interest while job-hunting this fall. ;)

Oh yeah, here are our pics of the trip. We got a new dSLR before making the trip, so I was a bit trigger happy. ;)
http://gallery.lookatthejoneses.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=5022
 
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nice trip report! yeah, all the cutting/logging/clearing that's going on out here is because of the horrible pine beetle kill. It's a huge disaster, one that's not getting much press, sadly.

You should have stuck around one more day - we're getting snow today, all the way down to 7000' or lower.
 
I love how your housing altitudes are the same as my cruising altitudes. :)

Chris, awesome pictures! Looks like a great trip! Those mountain roads in Colorado are absolutely gorgeous. I want to take a motorcycle on them someday.
 
Great report. I will be moving back to Colorado once I can swing it on the job front. Not that I don't LOVE were I live now, but Colorado just offers the lifestyle I want.
 
gkainz said:
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You should have stuck around one more day - we're getting snow today, all the way down to 7000' or lower.
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It is dumping (as in, almost zero visibility) here right now, and has been for most of the day. Of course, none of it's sticking until you get up around 10K-ish. And, as I type at 4:28 in the p.m., it's a balmy 34 degrees.

See you in hell, summer. :)
 
awe crap! I still have 1 snowmobile in pieces, a restoration that was supposed to be done LAST fall, and another that was ready for tear-down and restore this spring ...
 
flyingcheesehead said:
What'd ya get?
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Ended up with a Canon Rebel XSi. I already had a Canon Rebel film camera and a couple of lenses, so it made sense to stick with Canon so I could reuse my old lenses. Now I have a 18-35mm with IS that came with the new camera, 35-80 that came with my old camera, and 80-200 that I got for Christmas for my old camera several years ago - all of them 'Canon' branded, which I hope means 'decent quality'.

I'm still learning the ins-and-out of it. I'll have to start looking for a 'photography for dummies' pretty soon so I can really get some use out of its features. So far, I'm impressed with it though!
 
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