Dry Run 2017 Edition: COLORADO

[SqWADoosh]

Well its that time of the year again. The summer is coming to a close and I'm looking forward to next year's big trip. I have had my eyes set on Colorado for some time now. Having lived there for a few years, I know the beauty and splendor it holds. It's reputation as a treasure trove of some of the best wheeling in the world calls to me. The plan is to head there next August. We will be attending Addicted Offroad's Colorado Jamboree for 2-3 days of the trip and filling in the rest of the time with trails not run in the Jamboree. My plan right now is for 11 days total including travel time. 

This is a rather daunting undertaking. The first hurdle is the distance from our beloved Washington state to the middle of Colorado where the trails I plan to take us on our located. The drive will be 19-20 hours each way or 24 hours if we are going at bestgen's pace  This will have to be split into 2 road days each way for a total of 4 days purely dedicated to getting there and back again. That is a tough pill to swallow for those of us with limited time off per year however I aim to make it very much worth our while. The second hurdle is how spread out the different trails I wish to run are in the state itself. Colorado is well known for having around 7 hubs of trail systems spread throughout the state. Initially I had it in my head that we could do it Ultimate Adventure style doing road days between the trails. However reality has stepped in and gave me a good whack and made me realize that is just far too much pavement time and will extend the already very lengthy trip too much. Because of this gut check I'm going to have to sacrifice some bucket list trails it would seem. The biggest two being Black Bear Pass and Immogene Pass. These are not technical trails for the level of wheelers coming on this trip however they are well known as two of the most beautiful and fun trails in the country. The sad fact is that they are 4 hours out of the way from the other trails and are just going to have to be put in the back pocket for a future trip.

The plan going forward is to head into Leadville, CO and establish a camp in that area. Where specifically I have not ascertained yet however it is very central to the trails that we will be running. The furthest trail away from it is 3 hours and that trail is on the edge of the yay/nay column. The rest are within less than 2 hours. This is still going to be a bummer to have to pound pavement every day in order to get to and back from the trails every day but unfortunately it is the name of the game in an extended trip to Colorado. Initially I thought about breaking down camp every day and camping at the base of each trail however I think that would take more time than driving from base camp and back and would be very tedious. I am considering half the trip based in Leadville and the other half in and around Buena Vista as there are about 2-3 days worth of trails in each city and swapping the campsite location may save us some time. This is to be determined, but looks likely as the aforementioned 3 hour away trail would be much closer as would some of the other further away trails from Leadville.

This is going to be a living breathing thread with the turtles who are attending being able to weigh in and discuss. I will be posting the planned trails one at a time in the future with pictures, videos, and information. That way we can all weigh in on what we think about each one and whether or not it should be on the itinerary. I am creating a custom Google Map with all the trail heads marked, eventually the planned camping locations, local points of interest, restaurants, etc. Expect that in the thread in the future as well. 

[:)bestgen4runner]

Sounds like an epic adventure. Last years Moab trip was one of my most beloved vacations of all time.
Count me in. If this trip is 1/2 of what Moab was I cant wait to go.
I'm stoked that we will be camping instead of hotels. Save some cash and boost the comrodery. 
My hope it that we can get as many shout box turtles to come with as possible. 
Come on homies you know who you are!
YOLO!
You are truly living when you get out of your normal surrounding and have a remember for ever adventure.
Trust Me last year was one of those for me and my son. A heart felt Thank you to Andrew for inviting me and words can not express the feelings for Jon and rob for taking such good care of Carson and I. Forever grateful 

[mudmaster]

I'd definitely want to go, but I don't know that I can fully commit this far out 

[SqWADoosh]

Trail #1: Holy Cross

Trail description: "Many consider this the best hard-core trail in Colorado, replete with stunning scenery, historical points of interest and thrilling obstacles."

Rating: "Difficult. One of the most difficult in the state, offering non-stop challenges. Minimum 33 inch tires, differential lockers, and winch are basic neccessities for the entire trail. Bring spare parts and don't go alone."

Famous Obstacles: Cleveland Rock & French Creek

Stats: Length: 3.8 miles one way to Holy Cross City; 4.2 miles to end.
               Time: 5 to 7 hours or more
               High Point: 11,500 ft.

[blackdiamond]

Holy Cross is definitely a trail to have on the list.

You could easily spend an entire vacation in the mountains around Black Bear Pass.  Plenty of beautiful passes to check out.  It would be a perfect destination for a vacation in the future.  I'm actually considering going with a more all terrain tire on the Sequoia which might allow me to run a lot of the passes there and make the highway trip much better than in the 4Runner.  I would probably skip Black Bear (I think it could be done) and Poughkeepsie (for sure not an option).  Rob in his LC and me in the Sequoia could be a fun trip.

I think you're on the right track for this trip.  I would suggest you keep limit the group to no more than 6 capable and reliable rigs or the odds of completing your planned itinerary is low.  As you know, my preference is traveling in small groups and for a trip like this I'd shoot for 3 or 4.  Vacation time is a huge investment for you so I'd hate to see this trip not going perfectly for you!

I'll follow the thread and be happy to resource some people in Colorado that I know if you want/need any specific info.  The next big trip for my family will be Alaska.

[blackdiamond]

I think I'd rate Mt Blanca over Holy Cross for difficulty, though I have only been as a passenger, but I think Holy Cross is better for scenery.  I think a lot of the other hard core type trails are located more in washes and tight canyons where the wheeling may be more extreme but it's more ORV Park style wheeling.  Probably a similar comparison to Golden Spike/Moab Rim/Hell's Revenge vs. Area BFE.

[SqWADoosh]

Trail #2: Grizzly Lake

Trail description: "Take your camera. The lake, with surrounding mountains, is pure Colorado beauty. Fish early in the day before the wind picks up"

Rating: "Difficult. The toughest part of this trail is at the beginning where a very difficult rock obstacle follows a stream crossing."

Stats: Length: 2.6 miles one way
          Time: 1 hour
          High Point: 11,200 ft.

Trail #3: Iron Chest Mine

Trail description: "Classic hard-core trail with historic structures and Ghost House."

Rating: "Difficult. A quarter-mile stretch of boulders at the beginning of the trail is brutal. After that, the trail is narrow in places, often with small washouts. Snow can block trail late in the season."

Stats: Length: 2.9 miles one way
          Time: 3 to 4 hours round trip.
          High Point: nearly 12,000 ft.

These two shorter trails would be run back to back one day.

[blackdiamond]

I don't know anything about Grizzly Lake, but the people I have wheeled with from Colorado absolutely hated Iron Chest. I think the description was essentially that it was pointlessly rough making it impossible to cover any ground while not really having a fun factor. It always looked interesting to me before their experience, but wouldn't be on my list of things to do now.  If you have other options in the area you may consider them. 

[blackdiamond]

I don't know anything about Grizzly Lake, but the people I have wheeled with from Colorado absolutely hated Iron Chest. I think the description was essentially that it was pointlessly rough making it impossible to cover any ground while not really having a fun factor. It always looked interesting to me before their experience, but wouldn't be on my list of things to do now.  If you have other options in the area you may consider them. 

Correction. I texted both of them to confirm my memory. Here is the response from Beno (got my tires):

"No we liked it, Lane just did it and said it is like a highway now...too many people moving rocks out of the way. Text him and ask him."

[SqWADoosh]

Correction. I texted both of them to confirm my memory. Here is the response from Beno (got my tires):

"No we liked it, Lane just did it and said it is like a highway now...too many people moving rocks out of the way. Text him and ask him."

Is that to mean that it is always too busy or that it has been gimped?

[blackdiamond]

Is that to mean that it is always too busy or that it has been gimped?

I'll probably get a text back from him eventually, but I assume he means people have been moving rocks to make it easier.  I'm sure it's still not easy, just not what it was in the past.

[SqWADoosh]

Trail #4: Chinaman Gulch

Trail description: "One of the most popular motorized recreation spots in Colorado for both licensed and unlicensed vehicles. A showcase area for extreme but responsible 4-wheeling."

Rating: "Difficult. Narrow and sandy with isolated rock obstacles, some with bypasses. Best suited for modified vehicles with larger tires, lockers and skid plates"

Stats: Length: 7.1 miles round trip
          Time: 2 to 4 hours
          High Point: 8,900 ft.

[SqWADoosh]

Trail #5: Blanca Peak

Trail description: "Also known as Lake Como Road, this is one of the best hard-core trails in Colorado. A mix of dangerous obstacles and incredible beauty. Take a fishing pole. At 14,335 feet, Blanca Peak is the highest mountain in the Sangre De Cristo Range and the 7th highest in the contiguous United States."

Rating: "Difficult. Breakdowns and use of winch are common. Passing very difficult when downhill traffic meets uphill traffic."

Stats: Length: 5.1 miles one way.
          Time: 4 to 6 hours.
          High Point: 12,200 ft.

Famous Obstacles: Jaws 1, 2, 3, and 4

[blackdiamond]

Any local support for Blanca?  That is a very rugged trail with several excellent rollover opportunities if the wrong line is taken. On my bucket list as a driver for sure.

[SqWADoosh]

Any local support for Blanca?  That is a very rugged trail with several excellent rollover opportunities if the wrong line is taken. On my bucket list as a driver for sure.

I've reached out to Rob about the trip. Also reached out to Volcom.

[BigBluePile]

Whoa.  Sounds intense. 

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[grant426]

Sounds like quite the trip 

[SqWADoosh]

Some new videos I've found of the trails:

[SqWADoosh]

Hits keep coming:

[SqWADoosh]

This is probably the best footage of Carnage I've found so far. Really shows you the gnarly obstacles you have to overcome to make it through this trail.

[SqWADoosh]

Great POV of carnage

[BigBluePile]

Easy enough.....lolz

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[SqWADoosh]

So after thinking hard on some factors involving this trip I have decided to push it out to 2018. We have decided to do a week in Moab this year in the spring as well as a week in California in September.

[Volcom]

So after thinking hard on some factors involving this trip I have decided to push it out to 2018. We have decided to do a week in Moab this year in the spring as well as a week in California in September.

Sorry I didn't call you back.  When you start getting closer to your 2018 Colorado trip, get ahold of me and I'll try to answer all your questions.  Looking at this thread, you've got a pretty good idea of what CO has to offer.

[SqWADoosh]

Sorry I didn't call you back.  When you start getting closer to your 2018 Colorado trip, get ahold of me and I'll try to answer all your questions.  Looking at this thread, you've got a pretty good idea of what CO has to offer.

No worries. I really want to plan around going to the Addicted Jamboree but they don't release the dates until just a few months before. 

[SqWADoosh]

[Volcom]

You making it out this summer?

[:)bestgen4runner]

I would like to do this next year
2020! Anyone interested?

[OVRAROK]

I would like to do this next year
2020! Anyone interested?

[blackdiamond]

I would like to do this next year
2020! Anyone interested?

Rick wants to do a Colorado trip.