alia176
SILVER Star
I'd like to take the family up to CO and visit the Great Sand Dunes Nat'l park and Medano Creek and camp somewhere up there.
Due to that weekend being Labor Day holiday weekend, all CG spots are taken according to the online res system. My plan is to leave our home at 0800 hrs on Friday, 9/2/11 and aim for a spot or two on the Medano Creek road. According to NPS, there are several creek crossings on this road so a 4x4 vehicle is required with the ability to air up/down. I spoke to an employee at the Visitor Center and he said that the second crossing can be deep if the beavers have been dutiful with their construction
Anyway, this is going to be a fly by the seat of your pants kind of a trip so if this interest you, feel free to join us. We'll be taking the Kamparoo on this trip as well. This will be high elevation camping primitive style so we need to be totally self sufficient.
We'll be taking trips to the Dunes park and drive around the area daily is my guess but not sure yet. We'll make it up as we go along. Isabelle will be missing Friday from school unless I'm ordered otherwise.
copy/paste:
General Information on the Medano Pass Primitive Road
Part of the mountain watershed of the Great Sand Dunes, Medano Pass (pronounced MED-ah-no; in the original Spanish the accent is over the e) is a scenic backcountry route. The rugged road takes you through soft sand around the eastern side of the dunefield, up through a forested mountain canyon, then over 10,000' Medano Pass, eventually joining Highway 69 in the Wet Mountain Valley. There are numerous places to turn around on the road if a shorter trip is desired. A high-clearance 4-wheel drive, full-size SUV, truck, or Jeep is required. Low wagons, mini-SUVs, or all-wheel drive vehicles will get stuck in sand. All vehicles and drivers must be street-licensed to drive in Colorado; off-road vehicles and motorcycles are not permitted.
The road includes soft sand for about 2 miles, 9 creek crossings that may be deep in late spring, and a rocky roadbed near the summit of the pass. If sand becomes soft during dry times, dropping tire air pressure to about 20 pounds may be necessary. Full tire pressure is required to drive over rocks higher on the pass, so if you do drop pressure, you will need to either 1) have your own air compressor to refill before going higher on the pass, or 2) drive the road from east to west, and reduce pressure after going over the pass but before driving through the soft sand. A free air compressor is available at the western entrance to the road in the national park.
The Medano Pass Road is not a shortcut to save time. Driving speed averages 5-10 mph. Plan on 2 1/2 to 3 hours to drive the entire 22 mile road. The road's eastern entrance is in Custer County; the closest town to the eastern entrance is Westcliffe.
Due to that weekend being Labor Day holiday weekend, all CG spots are taken according to the online res system. My plan is to leave our home at 0800 hrs on Friday, 9/2/11 and aim for a spot or two on the Medano Creek road. According to NPS, there are several creek crossings on this road so a 4x4 vehicle is required with the ability to air up/down. I spoke to an employee at the Visitor Center and he said that the second crossing can be deep if the beavers have been dutiful with their construction
Anyway, this is going to be a fly by the seat of your pants kind of a trip so if this interest you, feel free to join us. We'll be taking the Kamparoo on this trip as well. This will be high elevation camping primitive style so we need to be totally self sufficient.
We'll be taking trips to the Dunes park and drive around the area daily is my guess but not sure yet. We'll make it up as we go along. Isabelle will be missing Friday from school unless I'm ordered otherwise.
copy/paste:
General Information on the Medano Pass Primitive Road
Part of the mountain watershed of the Great Sand Dunes, Medano Pass (pronounced MED-ah-no; in the original Spanish the accent is over the e) is a scenic backcountry route. The rugged road takes you through soft sand around the eastern side of the dunefield, up through a forested mountain canyon, then over 10,000' Medano Pass, eventually joining Highway 69 in the Wet Mountain Valley. There are numerous places to turn around on the road if a shorter trip is desired. A high-clearance 4-wheel drive, full-size SUV, truck, or Jeep is required. Low wagons, mini-SUVs, or all-wheel drive vehicles will get stuck in sand. All vehicles and drivers must be street-licensed to drive in Colorado; off-road vehicles and motorcycles are not permitted.
The road includes soft sand for about 2 miles, 9 creek crossings that may be deep in late spring, and a rocky roadbed near the summit of the pass. If sand becomes soft during dry times, dropping tire air pressure to about 20 pounds may be necessary. Full tire pressure is required to drive over rocks higher on the pass, so if you do drop pressure, you will need to either 1) have your own air compressor to refill before going higher on the pass, or 2) drive the road from east to west, and reduce pressure after going over the pass but before driving through the soft sand. A free air compressor is available at the western entrance to the road in the national park.
The Medano Pass Road is not a shortcut to save time. Driving speed averages 5-10 mph. Plan on 2 1/2 to 3 hours to drive the entire 22 mile road. The road's eastern entrance is in Custer County; the closest town to the eastern entrance is Westcliffe.
OINK! 
