what are the best moderate CO trails??

i need a list of the most fun/popular/coolest/scenic moderate trails in CO! there’s so many i don’t know which ones are actually worth driving from tx to do, help me out!

(not lookin for hard ones or a trail where i need 35s just to make it)


thanks

 

Depends where in CO you are, but for start :

Alpine Loop is great that includes bunch of trails (Hurrah Pass, Engineer Pass, few others)
Imogene pass
Medano Pass
Old Fall Road (mostly scenery nothing tech about it)
Tin Cup (area has bunch of cool offroad trails there)

 

Also when u coming over is important too. If you are going to be here june, most passes will still be impassible, so highly recommend end of july or august, i usually go first week of October or last two weeks of September.

 

impassible in the summer??? why’s that?

 

well... some of these passes are 12,000+ feet up so last snow usually melts around end june or later, depending how much snow we had. others can chime in, but with all snow we getting now i wont be surprised that passes will only open up sometime in mid july or later.

 

I agree with urchim.

Plan your trip based out of Ouray and/or Lake City and you will have a blast. Alpine Loop is a must do, as is Imogene Pass.

 

We've had some serious snow here this year. I think there's a possibility that some of these trails may not open until late July or August. There is a possibility that some may not even open this year.
Hell, one of the main highways, paved and everything is closed for the forseeable future. Highway 550 has been seriously damaged by severe avalanches and may take significant repairs according to cdot.

 

where would i go to tell what trials would be closed do to the conditions for CO?

i was lookin at the webster and red cone pass trail. (feel free to recommend other good trials in that area too)

 

This website has links which should help.
http://www.staythetrail.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=266593&module_id=234131

 

well now that i know all the passes will have to wait until late summer, i’m planing to go to denver in a few weeks on a weekend trip so what are some good snow trails to hit in that area?

 

That depends. Are you a regular Texan that has no snow experience or a non-regular Texan that can handle some real snow?

You can always keep an eye on this thread and when you know the dates you'll be here post up in there or join up. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/upcoming-colorado-events.187907/

 

You can order Colorado 4x4 trail books on Amazon, they're a great tool to have. They're full of useful info, maps, trail ratings and history. Like others have said, July is when most trails are passable (no guarantee). As a fellow Texan it seems odd, but at 12,000' the weather is different. Last year 4th of July we experienced snow flurries on Webster Pass followed by hail the next day on Red Cone. Have fun.

 

FYI Fourth edition is coming out. Get that one. https://funtreks.com/product/colorado-combo-4th-edition/
Or with GPS data: https://funtreks.com/product/colorado-combo-gps-4th-edition/

 

definitely one of the texans who’s going to drive 12hrs for some real snow! lol on my last trip i unexpectedly ran into snow on trails around xmas and it was a good foot and a half on the ground off of the actual trail and it was BADASS as my first snow trail experience! so i’m lookin for more of it... but obviously not the impossible ones

i’ll be out there in 2 weeks on the weekend

 

Yep, no joke.
Saw a shot on the local news of the avalanche chute on 550, it was filled (inside) and surrounded with snow. August typically gets the "least" amount of snowfall. Just love to say that.

The chute in a really lean snowfall year.

 

FYI @xGRIMEYx - bookmark this site: https://www.cotrip.org/map.htm#/roadConditions

Get to know it before you leave for your trip. It will tell you what roads are closed/icy/etc. Do you have chains? You may want to consider a set for the rear.

 

So CDOT got 550 open today. They had been working 24-7 in 12 hour shifts. They are supposed to get another storm down there tonight. I'm beginning to worry alot about mudslides now that the avalanches have ripped out a lot trees and such.

 

Take Ophir pass west from 550, go through Telluride and then up and over Imogene into Ouray. Engineer pass is fun from 550 east into Lake City. Ophir seems good to do first so you get a little taste of shelf road prior to doing Imogene.