3 Day Colorado Trip

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HWY22

HWY22

Joined
Oct 11, 2008
Threads
55
Messages
345
Location
Jackson, WY
Wanted to take a 4 day trip to Colorado this upcoming weekend.

Need beta on a good loop to take. Not too difficult (traveling with spouse and 5 yr old), car camping (not in developed camp grounds), want to see some high passes, mines, ghost towns, alpine lakes, etc.

Thanks for the beta!
 
Coming from JHole?

Colorado has a lot of of awesome places...not sure how much driving you want to do...

Option...drive from JHole to Basalt, CO...drive east from Basalt and camp up by Rueidi Res (sp); there are tons of other places too...Lilly Lake is a great place as well
go up and over Herrman (sp) Pass and down to Leadville...take Mosquito Pass east...Head North once you get to the highway...pass Dillion, Breakenridge area and head up towards Steamboat Springs and camp around Rabbit Ear's Pass...drive home the next day...

Very rough idea...PM me if you want some more precise details...I have been all over CO. However, you are looking at a good 7 hour drive to just get down in the heart of some good stuff...
 
Lots of Options

Pick up Wells' book, go to Colorado4x4.org or traildamage.com to do some pre-planning. Check out the Bushducks website for trail status though most listed below are open for the summer.

I would suggest staying a bit more east than mpho suggests...come down to Leadville/Buena Vista/Salida. Explore Halfmoon Creek, Tincup, Mt Antero, etc...lots of high country and good backwoods camping with limited rain down in the Arkansas Valley.

You can then head east via South Park (definitely go over Mosquito Pass - it's a State Law that every 4x4 expedition has to cross it) and explore Twin Cone, Red Cone, Georgia Pass, Geneva Creek, etc along the 285 corridor. Or go over the divide and hit up the Montezuma area trails like Deer Creek, Peru Creek, Santa Fe Peak. Great places to explore some old mining operations.

Btw, it's Hagerman Pass between Basalt and Leadville. Very pretty road...was over it last Tuesday...
 
Be sure of your route, though...I am sure some passes are still closed due to snow. Tincup, Hancock, Webster, and I imagine Mosquito are probably likely to have snow on them, and maybe even still closed due to snow. Check with the local ranger districts (that area will mostly be San Isabel and White River National Forests).

But both those guys have good suggestions. The Arkansas River Valley/Leadville/Camp Hale area(s) have a lot to offer.
 
I was just up hiking a couple of weeks ago not too far from mosquito pass and there was still some snow on the trail.
 
HWY22 you live in Jackson so you are no stranger to the highcountry and snow existing into July....
I live in western Colorado (Glenwood Springs), and have been in the elks range (Aspen) and FlatTops recently. This time of year snow will still exist in the high country, but now will be very dependant on aspect. Northern aspect trails sitting in the shadows of higher peaks above 12.5 K will still have some snow (like on Pearl & Taylor pass) while trails through dense tree's around 10-11K can have snow (like on the Flat Tops). I'm on Garfield County's SAR team and we always get calls this time of year where low landers don't have snow in their back yard so they think there is no snow up high and rely on their GPS or gazette to take them off the beaten path, and wind up stuck in snow and/or mud on the family day trip. Like some other folks said, definately do some homework on the route you are taking, and do not rely on a GPS or Gazette there are tons of Forest service roads in this state that are on the map, but can be impassable or really burly and misleading.

If you come through the Glenwood Springs/Basalt/Aspen area send me a PM. I'm always up for a beer with fellow Cruiserheads.

If you decide to come through the Roaring Fork Valley shoot me a PM.
 
mpho said:
Coming from JHole?

Colorado has a lot of of awesome places...not sure how much driving you want to do...

Option...drive from JHole to Basalt, CO...drive east from Basalt and camp up by Rueidi Res (sp); there are tons of other places too...Lilly Lake is a great place as well
go up and over Herrman (sp) Pass and down to Leadville...take Mosquito Pass east...Head North once you get to the highway...pass Dillion, Breakenridge area and head up towards Steamboat Springs and camp around Rabbit Ear's Pass...drive home the next day...

Very rough idea...PM me if you want some more precise details...I have been all over CO. However, you are looking at a good 7 hour drive to just get down in the heart of some good stuff...
Click to expand...
I think you meant Hagerman Pass.......right?
 
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