Help with VA - CO trip

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MagicBeans

MagicBeans

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
May 22, 2007
Threads
32
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Location
Virginia Beach, VA
Hello! My wife and I will be taking a trip from Virginia to Colorado in about one week for an expedition style trip. It's going to be a sightseeing style trip but we do want to spend most of our time offroad and wilderness camping with the truck. The Ouray/Telluride area is a must, but we would like to see more of the state. I don't have a winch or sliders, so nothing too hardcore (picture of the truck below). I'm thinking about driving up to Pikes Peak, Great Sand Dunes NP... Any help with planning the trip someone could provide us would be greatly appreciated.
:cheers:

Ray
tomud.webp
 
Find this book and get it in your hands before your trip. It's the most complete Colorado trails book you will find and is what we in the state use to plan our trail runs. Not only is there great descriptions of the trail, but waypoints, points of interest, and where the camping spots are. You can get it from the Funtreks.com site, Amazon, or Books a Million and Barnes and Noble can order it for you. Should be able to get one or two day shipping. It only covers the area south of I-70, there is a "Guide to Northern Colorado trails" book too--so if you go north, you may want to get both books


Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails (2nd Edition) [0-9664976-6-X] - $14.97



http://www.funtreks.com/index.php?m...s_id=2&zenid=20d07d2fe2be61d018807f8ea73fd576


Also go to Traildamage.com and click the trails tab in the heading, this will give you a good idea of what is out there, but for me, not as good as having the Charles A. Wells book in your hand.

Be careful, a lot of the trials that go above 10,000 feet still have a lot of snow on them, some are completely snowed in, and getting stuck out here can be a matter of life and death. I assume you'll have sleeping bags with you, also carry lots of water, (it helps with elevation sickness as well as being a life saver) a box of granola bars or something similar, and always have something to start a fire with. I recommend you at least have a hand winch or come-a-long with you if you don't have a winch, a come-a-long has saved my skin numerous times.

Hope this helps, have fun.
 
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Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison are a couple more sites to add to your list.

For your trip to Pikes Peak see if you can book a camp site at Mueller State park on one of the sites 1-5 Peak View camp sites. You will be amazed at the view. I think the only chance of getting one of these sites will be book the site online in advance and it will have to be a Monday through Thursday to have a chance.

Great looking 60 by the way.
 
This is a HUGE help guys. I ordered the book as soon as I found it online yesterday. I'm glad the book I ordered is the one you recommended! On another site someone posted a trip for another vistor to the state an recommended these trails:

"Red Cone to Radical Hill to Middle Fork of the Swan down into Breck - then hwy to Mosquito Pass over to Leadville - then hwy to Buena Vista area, do Grizzly Lake or something else - drive home.
Hayden Pass - hwy to Blanca - Mt Blanca trail - check out the Sand Dunes - Medano Pass
Buena Vista area - do a loop of some of the passes like Hancock, Tincup"

I haven't found much info on these yet. Are they good recommendations? Is there any sort of a linear route I could take while in the state, i.e. 'these trails near denver, then go to these trails in Gunnison, then drive from Ouray to Durango...?' Also are there any don't miss sites? :cheers:
 
Red cone and Mt. Blanca are a no go until later in the year. Again, most of the higher elevation trails are still snowed in. Some trails are doable in the snow because you are not in danger of sliding off a mountain to your death, Mt. Blanca and Red Cone are two of the trails you can slide off of. A check the trail descriptions closely, some trails you can run up until you hit snow and turn around, others are too narrow.
 
Have fun out here. I second Mesa Verde as a place to check out. Like others have told you most of the higher elevation stuff is still snowed in for another month or two.
 
Hello. I don't recommend Hayden Pass early in the season because there is a shaded off-camber stretch that remains icy late into the season. It is dangerous if there is ice on it. Ask the forest ranger listed below if the trail is open. I prefer Medano Pass from a scenic and interest standpoint over Hayden Pass.

Call this number to find out if Medano Pass is open - Jeff Outhier, Forest Ranger in Canon City or Westcliffe, 719-783-2079. If Jeff is not available, someone else in the office can help you. Medano takes you into the upper end of the Sand Dunes and is a very scenic trail with fun creek crossings.

If you are going to Ouray, consider doing Cottonwood Pass (west of Buena Vista). It is a good road that goes above 12,000 feet and is very scenic. After going around Taylor Reservoir you can drive into Gunnison from the north side, then continue to Montrose and Ouray. Black Canyon is on the way to Montrose. I recommend calling the forest service office to see if Cottonwood is open. I would think that they would plow it so that people can get over it to Taylor Reservoir but I don't know that for sure.

Radical Hill and the Swan River drainage will be snowed in. If you call any forest service office, they can give you the phone number for any other forest service office. Call them and they can usually tell you if a pass trail is open. Victor
 
Many of the higher roads and trails will not be open due to snow so that will make a big difference on your route if you are planning on making a path over the top of mountains to get to the other side. Many of the high trails are only open July and August.

Here is a link to Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

http://www.cotrip.org/home.htm
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm contemplating pushing the trip back a week or so if I can - if it will make a difference. I'm also thinking of trying to do the touristy on road stuff first, and save 4 wheeling around Ouray for last. Winter out there must really suck! Thanks again,
Ray
 
black95 said:
:)

Not really, we get big snows here but they melt pretty fast until you get above 10,000 feet. It's actually fun to go snow busting if you have tire chains, lockers in the axles, and a winch. Adds another dimension so you never get bored!
Click to expand...

Ah yes the dimention of "being bent over half the time and shoveling snow from your axles" while your feet get cold and your friends all look at you like "Why the hell don´t you get lockers for that thing...we know you can afford it!!" :flipoff2:
 
Hey Rui......get a damn locker......I know you can afford it!!! Lol, I have never had the chance to see you stuck in the snow, so you must be doing some damn fine driving. :cool:
 
black95 said:
Hey Rui......get a **** locker......I know you can afford it!!! Lol, I have never had the chance to see you stuck in the snow, so you must be doing some **** fine driving. :cool:
Click to expand...

Well, the time you didn´t go on a trip with us...it was me and another guy with an FJ40 and tow strap...he would get stuck...I would back up and pull him out, then I would get stuck and he would pull me forward...we just kept the strap on until one of us got stuck...worked pretty slick...

To get my lockers on, I need to find a way to get the York compressor on my 2F engine...which I don´t think anybody makes any brackets for...:frown:
 
York alternative...

Or, Rui, you could do an alternative, something like this:

It works just fine - can't air up tires, (well you can, just takes a long time) but sure works good on the lockers!


Darryl
FJ40L - "stock"
TLCA 3911
ars N7EBS
DSC00095.webp
 
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