Will a stock 200 with KO2s and a 190 lbs Rooftop tent be Ok through most of these trails? TiA.
My guess is yes, you just run a higher risk for damage. Someone else who knows the area better might say differently though. In the email where it listed lift, sliders, at/mt for certain trails maybe avoid those ones unless you’re fine with battle scars!
Agreed, the short answer is yes.
The long answer is that there are a lot of factors at play in the San Juans when determining a good fit among driver, vehicle, and trail. Compared to a location like Moab, where there are named obstacles with no bypass that are physically impossible for unmodified vehicles, the trails in the San Juan don't really work that way. Weather, congestion/oncoming traffic, the amount of erosion from snow in a particular year, etc. can make an "easy" trail "difficult" and vice versa. All of the trails we run
can be dangerous. All the trails we run
can be run in a stock 200 without a scratch (most likely by a driver with lots of experience in the area but anyone can get lucky!). All the trails are fun and incredibly scenic.
What's best for you? I'd consider the following:
*
Damage Tolerance: What's your tolerance for minor bumps and bruises to your vehicle? Here's what I consider minor: scraped side steps (assuming you don't have sliders), wheel abrasions, scraping your skid plates, pinstripes, light rear bumper cover damage, cosmetic scrapes to tow hooks / front LCAs / rear LCA / rear diff?
*
Experience Level: What's your current level of experience/skill with San Juan trails (rocky terrain, narrow shelf roads, steep switchbacks, minor rock ledges, loose rock)?
*
Your Attitude/Approach: How do you envision your ideal day of wheeling? For instance, are you seeking out challenges and trying to improve your skills? Do you want to focus on relaxing and/or keeping a vehicle full of family members comfortable and happy? Are you indifferent and just looking to ride some trails and have fun?
I'm sure there are more factors at play but those are some of the dimensions we've seen in prior events.
This by no means exhaustive, but if you distill everything down two dimensions there are some trails we'd recommend and others we wouldn't: 1.) Tolerance for potential damage (or ability of offset via mods) vs. 2.) desire to seek out challenging trails (by experience/skill or simply wanting a challenge).
| | Tolerance for potential damage / ability to offset potential damage due to mods | |
| | Low | High |
Desire to seek out challenging trails either / level of experience/skill | Low | Last Dollar Road
Rimrocker
Clear Lake
Owl Creek
Corkscrew (when dry)
Stony Pass
Ophir | Poughkeepsie (bypass wall)
Alpine Loop (via Mineral Creek) |
| High | Alpine Loop (without Mineral Creek)
Governor
Yankee Boy
Corkscrew (when wet) | Imogene
Black Bear
Poughkeepsie
Alpine Loop (via Mineral Creek)
|
This is merely illustrative but probably a good reference point for folks unfamiliar with the area.