2026 Trail Ride Planning (5 Viewers)

[COS80]

There's been discussion about putting more effort into our trail planning for next year, so I'm opening that conversation with the following trails list by region. They are compiled from the Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails by Wells & Peterson, and The Colorado Pass Book by Koch - you'll need to go to those sources (or your favorite trail guide) for all the details.
I attempted to merge the trail ratings into Wells & Peterson's red/blue/green format (hard/medium/easy). I left out most of the easy trails and those that are too far west, so this is far from a comprehensive list - the idea being I, for one, am not especially interested in driving hours on the highway for a leisurely drive on a dirt road. I have also marked trails done in recent memory with a strikethrough, but I left them on the list in case there's any interest in discussing their merits.

Crested Butte/Aspen/Marble Gunnison

• Lead King Basin
• Devil’s Punchbowl
• Montezuma Basin
• Pearl Pass
• Taylor Pass
• Italian Creek/Reno Divide
• Tellurium Creek
• Schofield Pass
• Paradise Divide
• Aspen Mtn/Richmond Hill
• Lincoln Creek Rd.

Buena Vista/Tin Cup/Sargents/Salida

• Napoleon Pass
• Tin Cup Pass
• Hancock Pass
• Grizzly Lake
• Williams Pass
• Iron Chest Mine
• Pomeroy Lakes
• Antero
• Baldwin Lakes/Boulder Mtn
• Chinaman Gulch/Carnage Canyon
• Tomichi Pass (full length)
• Princeton
• Rawley Mine/Bonanza

Vail/Leadville/Fairplay

• McAllister Gulch
• Holy Cross
• Birdseye Gulch
• Wheeler Lake
• Slide Lake/Wurtz Ditch
• Hagerman Pass
• Mt. Zion
• Chalk Mtn
• Mosquito Pass/Weston Pass
• Halfmoon Gulch
• Lost Canyon

Idaho Springs/Bailey/Breckenridge/Montezuma

• Spring Creek
• Cascade Creek
• Saxon Mtn
• Chihuaha Gulch
• Saints John
• North/Middle Forks of Swan River
• Radical Hill
• Red Cone
• Slaughterhouse Gulch
• Georgia Pass
• Peak 10 Breckenridge
• Geneva Creek
• Devil’s Canyon
• Argentine Pass/McClellan Mtn.
• Santa Fe Peak
• Deer Creek
• Jones Pass
• Webster Pass/Handcart Gulch

Pike’s Peak

• The Gulches
• China Wall
• Eagle Rock/Saran Wrap
• Independence
• Rainbow Falls
• Rule Ridge
• Balanced Rock
• Schubarth Loop
• Rampart X-over
• Phantom Creek/Signal Butte
• La Salle Pass
• Mt. Herman Rd.
• Mt. Baldy
• Shelf/Phantom

Sangre/Sand Dunes

• Blanca Peak
• Music Pass
• Hayden Pass
• Medano Pass
• Mosca Pass
• Hermit Pass
• Cordova Pass/Whiskey Creek (has a cool tunnel)

DISCUSS

 

[raisinhell2]

Schofield Pass is in crested butte.

 

[Manitou Decline]

I would probably cross off Carnage. Vic's bumper has already been put through the field test.

 

[raisinhell2]

I don't think anyone in our group would even make it to the sign on trail on carnage haha.

 

[Goslow]

I would probably cross off Carnage. Vic's bumper has already been put through the field test.

No fair! I ran Williams pass with hardly any scrapes!

 

[Goslow]

Thanks for putting this list together. I look forward to running some new trails with the club next year.