Newbie "Where to Go" Question

[ntsaint]

I've been hanging out here on the forum for quite some time, reading posts, soaking up as much knowledge as I can, and admiring the photos and trips some of you guys have taken.

I grew up driving 4x4 trucks offroad, but here in Louisiana, it's more boggy terrain, mudding, etc. Nothing like the dirt roads, rock trails, great scenery, etc, that I see here on this forum.

It's caught my interest so much that I've decided to take a trip either this spring or in the fall (what time of year is best??). But I have absolutely no idea where i'm going, what to do, how to equip my truck (beyond basic camping gear), etc.

SO, long story short, I would love suggestions on where to plan for a trip next year. I'm in north Louisiana, but don't mind driving out West. I'll have 7-10 days total to make the trip.

Any suggestions as to where? Pics from Death valley road, titus canyon and lippincott mine were posted by paulbgardner lately, and those look great. Anywhere similar to that is what I'm looking for (I think)....AND, what time of year is best?

Any suggestions as to how to equip the truck? I've ordered sliders and will have BFG's by the time the trip comes around, but I know I need a ton more stuff...

Thanks in advance.

 

[LSUfj]

check out the alpine loop in colorado. I went there a few years back and it was a blast. Do some searching for cinnamon pass and engineer pass. These trails make up the alpine loop and are really fun. You definitely need to take Ophir pass over to telluride and then make a trip over imogene pass and if you are daring, take a shot at Black bear pass. There are some great books on the off road trails in colorado. If you are interested in this kind of trip, I'll get you some more info on these books. In the meantime, search here on mud for photos of the mountain passes I mentioned above. Trust me this area of the country is amazing.

 

[ntsaint]

check out the alpine loop in colorado. I went there a few years back and it was a blast. Do some searching for cinnamon pass and engineer pass. These trails make up the alpine loop and are really fun. You definitely need to take Ophir pass over to telluride and then make a trip over imogene pass and if you are daring, take a shot at Black bear pass. There are some great books on the off road trails in colorado. If you are interested in this kind of trip, I'll get you some more info on these books. In the meantime, search here on mud for photos of the mountain passes I mentioned above. Trust me this area of the country is amazing.

Thanks, and would love to know the titles of the books you're talking about...

 

[farinvail]

Peter Massey and Jane Wilson 4WD Trails. There are a few different ones for differnt parts of CO. I belong to an active club in CO you are welcome to tag along anytime. 4Wheeling and Event Staging Area - Rising Sun Member Forums

Also it might be helpful to read some of our trip reports. Traildamage.com is another good resource.

Snow at higher elevations can be difficult to judge. Some of our trails are closed until August due to snow and can close again as early as October.

Sliders and routine maintenance are really that are needed in most of CO and UT.

 

[FJ40 TOOLMAN]

The books Backcontry Adventures have a lot of good trails.I found the books on amazon or go to Adler Publishing : Travel Guides to America's Backroads and 4WD Trails - Four Wheel Drive Travel and Trail Guides or track and trail publications.I have several of the books.I went over Titus Canyon in Nov a little narrow for eight foot wide wheel base.The Colorado trails are good for summer and the Death Valley trails fall to spring.Some Death Valley trails can have snow in the winter .

 

[psfpilot]

Any suggestions as to how to equip the truck?

As far as the vehicle, I think you're good to go with what you have on the vast majority of the trails.


The Charles Wells books seem to be a pretty good starting point for trail research, and I like the DeLorme's Gazetteers and Benchmark Road & Rec atlases for macro planning.

If you go to CO, check out the Rising Sun club calendar; they're great folks who graciously let us tag along on one of their outings a couple of years ago. We had a great time with them, but their passes aren't passable until summer. A 2m radio and Technician amateur radio license would be great to have if you attend one of their club outings...after comparing the 2m and CB in action, I decided to take the basic Tech test.

 

[alkarich]

I'll second Ophir and Imogene Passes. Both offer incredible scenery, but aren't technically difficult, assuming there is no snow.

I was there this past October and drove over Ophir, but was unable to reach the summit of Imogene because of the snow. Which is probably for the better because the drop offs were freaking out my girlfriend.

Also from this corner of Colorado it is a relatively short drive to Moab.

The top pic is from Ophir, the bottom from Imogene.

Alan

 

[ntsaint]

I'll second Ophir and Imogene Passes. Both offer incredible scenery, but aren't technically difficult, assuming there is no snow.

I was there this past October and drove over Ophir, but was unable to reach the summit of Imogene because of the snow. Which is probably for the better because the drop offs were freaking out my girlfriend.

Also from this corner of Colorado it is a relatively short drive to Moab.

The top pic is from Ophir, the bottom from Imogene.

Alan

Thanks for all the input guys....

 

[jonharis]

I think this is becoming a trend. I've seen a lot of Opher/Imogene/Black Bear/Engineer......San Juan Mountains posts lately. I'm definitely thinking this is where you want to go this summer. I'll be out and about most weekends and live about 1.5-2 Hr from these trails. I think we should try to do a group trip at some point. Snow sticks around into June most years. I would recommend July through September as an ideal time of year. As for staying, Ouray is the best way to go for hotels and atmosphere. It's as true a mountain town you are going to get without that resort feel. Ironton Park would be a great central place to camp if you are going that route.

As for Moab. Cruise Moab registration starts soon and fills fast. There are many trails in the area that are Stock 100 friendly and difficulty goes up to the moon. Moab gets really busy during the big events (CM, Easter Jeep) so if you are not a crowd fan you would be better off in spring/fall/summer. October-November are my favorite times of year there.

I have never been to the CA-NV desert and am joinsing to do a trip after looking at all of 1LoudLX's and others pics.

Canada would be another great option if looking for solitude. Check out the James Bay Road and Trans-Taiga road. I've wanted to do this trip forever. It wouldn't be for everyone. There are many hundreds of miles of straight gravel road will little as far as views go but it looks like a once in a lifetime that you would never forget.

Whatever you decide, I would highly recommend that you order some guidebooks now. I have found the ones from FunTrecks to be great for CO and Moab. 4x4 off-road guidebooks.

As far as equipment, For the Hundy I would say Sliders are a must. I've been all over mine. I have Slee's sliders and front Bumper (because I ripped mine off) and I'm planning on adding the rear before CM so I don't rip mine off there. Slee's quality and customer service are great and I like that it's a Colorado company. I end up picking something up every time I go over the hill. Sleeoffroad.com - Toyota SUV Off-Road Outfitters I think you will be able to have a lot of fun and go most places with just sliders. I see by your avitar that you have some kind of bully bar installed. Just an FYI, if you do get into wheelin it more, it might do more damage than it protects. Those are known to the insurance industry as "crash multipliers".

Always carry more water than you need, a matching sized spare to what is on the ground, tow straps, jumpers, highlift, CB radio if you are with a group, and a good attitude.

Good luck....see you out there.


Oh almost forgot....

 

[ntsaint]

I think this is becoming a trend. I've seen a lot of Opher/Imogene/Black Bear/Engineer......San Juan Mountains posts lately. I'm definitely thinking this is where you want to go this summer. I'll be out and about most weekends and live about 1.5-2 Hr from these trails. I think we should try to do a group trip at some point. Snow sticks around into June most years. I would recommend July through September as an ideal time of year. As for staying, Ouray is the best way to go for hotels and atmosphere. It's as true a mountain town you are going to get without that resort feel. Ironton Park would be a great central place to camp if you are going that route.

As for Moab. Cruise Moab registration starts soon and fills fast. There are many trails in the area that are Stock 100 friendly and difficulty goes up to the moon. Moab gets really busy during the big events (CM, Easter Jeep) so if you are not a crowd fan you would be better off in spring/fall/summer. October-November are my favorite times of year there.

I have never been to the CA-NV desert and am joinsing to do a trip after looking at all of 1LoudLX's and others pics.

Canada would be another great option if looking for solitude. Check out the James Bay Road and Trans-Taiga road. I've wanted to do this trip forever. It wouldn't be for everyone. There are many hundreds of miles of straight gravel road will little as far as views go but it looks like a once in a lifetime that you would never forget.

Whatever you decide, I would highly recommend that you order some guidebooks now. I have found the ones from FunTrecks to be great for CO and Moab. 4x4 off-road guidebooks.

As far as equipment, For the Hundy I would say Sliders are a must. I've been all over mine. I have Slee's sliders and front Bumper (because I ripped mine off) and I'm planning on adding the rear before CM so I don't rip mine off there. Slee's quality and customer service are great and I like that it's a Colorado company. I end up picking something up every time I go over the hill. Sleeoffroad.com - Toyota SUV Off-Road Outfitters I think you will be able to have a lot of fun and go most places with just sliders. I see by your avitar that you have some kind of bully bar installed. Just an FYI, if you do get into wheelin it more, it might do more damage than it protects. Those are known to the insurance industry as "crash multipliers".

Always carry more water than you need, a matching sized spare to what is on the ground, tow straps, jumpers, highlift, CB radio if you are with a group, and a good attitude.

Good luck....see you out there.


Oh almost forgot....

Awesome post, thanks!

I just did some looking, and Ouray looks awesome. I think this is where I'm going to target for my first trip. What are the temps like in September? And are the trails still good then?

I'm thinking I'll be mostly interested in light duty stuff. Tires and sliders will be installed by then. but no front/rear bumpers. I'm not going to go to that length until I'm not using this truck as my daily driver...

 

[jonharis]

Awesome post, thanks!

I just did some looking, and Ouray looks awesome. I think this is where I'm going to target for my first trip. What are the temps like in September? And are the trails still good then?

I'm thinking I'll be mostly interested in light duty stuff. Tires and sliders will be installed by then. but no front/rear bumpers. I'm not going to go to that length until I'm not using this truck as my daily driver...

Temps are in the 70s in town 50s up high durring day and 40s in town at night. Still pretty snow free till October but there are occasional flurries in Sept. Trails are great and not to crowded. Shoot for early September if possible.

You will be set with sliders and good tires. I would not be hesitant to do any of the following trails with that setup with no fear of body damage (as long as you don't drive like a jack ass).

Yankee Boy Basin (Then Climb Mt. Sneffels on foot.)
Imogene Pass
Ophir Pass
Engineer Pass
Cinnamon Pass
Corkscrew Gulch

There are many more but that will give you a couple of solid days. Let me know when you get closer to going and lets set up something as a group if you want.

 

[Corbet]

If you choose Ouray you will not be disappointed.

You can go most anywhere in Ouray with a stock truck. I ran my 80 series over Black Bear Pass bone stock with the HWY Michelin still on it. I would just stay away from Poughkeepsie Gulch. Everything else should be fair game with sliders.

As far as lodging I like the Box Canyon Lodge the best. They have some private hot springs that are nice at the end of the day. Otherwise the Victorian Inn is a good budget choice. There are also public hot springs run by the town.

August is probably the best month. Sept good too but little cooler. Snow is more likely the later you go into fall. (fall starts 9/1).

FJ at the Summit is a great organized event in Ouray. Held in July. Might check that out too. You don't have to drive an FJ Cruiser to attend.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I live about 80 miles from Ouray.

 

[jonharis]

Saint. You should go to Cruise Moab - Toyota 4x4 event in Moab, UT!!!!!

 

[DSRTRDR]

we could have a Louisiana get-together at Cruise Moab

 

[ntsaint]

we could have a Louisiana get-together at Cruise Moab

Would love to do that, but the dates don't work for me. I'm really busy that time of year. My trips will have to be late summer/fall...

 

[Corbet]

Our club always does a Labor Day weekend in Ouray. If your nervous about wheeling the area alone that would be a good weekend to look into. Later in the year there will be info on the Rising Sun trip planning forum.