hypocrisy ?? this the new normal
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Folks, the "trails" here in Colorado are NO JOKE. These trails are generally not hard or difficult from a traction perspective, but they have SERIOUS consequences for those not paying attention to what they are doing.
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PLEASE be careful if you come to Colorado!! Even just a moment of inattention can result in some very serious injuries, or even death on many trails here.
That's for letting me get this PSA out. Please return to planning your next trip!!
Granted the scenery is amazing up there on the top of any of our trails/passes but it's not worth the risk to keep watching the scenery vs paying attention to avoid rolling. Stop where you can safely park and take in the view. Have somebody else take pics/video. Once the vehicle is moving the only focus should be driving.
This thread has been interesting, as my wife and I are planning a last minute trip to Mesa Verde and up to Ouray this weekend. We have not driven many shelf roads, my wife does not like them at all, but we would like to see some of the scenery and mining history in the area. In the interest of not becoming fodder for internet discussions I've been trying to do some research. We just bought the Wells book (Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4 Wheel Drive Trails) and have been looking through that. Last Dollar Road looks like a good mellow option when we head from Mesa Verde to Ouray. The Red Mountain mining area looks really cool. Ophir Pass is a maybe.
You guys seem really knowledgeable about the area, so can you suggest any other off pavement drives that are high on views but lower on exposure and risk? We have a lightly modified Xterra so the vehicle is pretty capable, it's mainly the passenger and the driver not wanting to get murdered by the passenger that limits where we go.
One of my favorite roads out there was the Red Arrow Mine. It heads up in the mountains outside of Mancos and ends in a bowl at tree line. There is an old mine and if you hike up to upper lake there was an old Elevator pulley system. The road isn't for people who are nervous of a shelf road. It was built for Ox and Cart and is just wider than a vehicle.
Lots of roads just up Echo Basic Canyon including some pretty loops that are wind thru mountains and meadows. I grew up in that area so spent some time out and about. Another option is Hovenweep out in the Canyons. Different ruins and pretty much anywhere out in the Hovenweep area you can find pottery shards on the ground.
Don't blame you. It is a beautiful spot. There are some other roads that are no where near as bad. It does take some getting used to drive on the old mine roads. Most of them where built for a ox and cart. Jeeps are small enough that there is more than enough room.Well we definitely will avoid Red Arrow Mine road then!
Hovenweep is really cool, we went there maybe a decade ago and really enjoyed it.
I've found the FunTrek books to offer accurate route descriptions. If it doesn't sound like fun for both of you, don't do it. If you run up against a section that starts bothering one of you, try to find a pull-out and walk the obstacle together. Make a plan so that the driver & spotter can talk their way through, and have a pair of FRS radios so no one has to raise their voice to make a point. After checking it out, if it still makes you too uncomfortable, consider turning around.We just bought the Wells book (Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4 Wheel Drive Trails) and have been looking through that.
I've found the FunTrek books to offer accurate route descriptions. If it doesn't sound like fun for both of you, don't do it. If you run up against a section that starts bothering one of you, try to find a pull-out and walk the obstacle together. Make a plan so that the driver & spotter can talk their way through, and have a pair of FRS radios so no one has to raise their voice to make a point. After checking it out, if it still makes you too uncomfortable, consider turning around.
One of the things I love about the San Juans is the accessibility to all sorts of meandering trails that won't be in many books. We spent a day wandering around between Lake City & Creede after deciding to see if we could find a way up to the cell tower that overlooks Lake City. Once there (beautiful view), we kept going and found that we were on part of a large backcountry ski/snowmobile trail network, complete with a yurt. We ended up in a huge alpine meadow filled with sheep, found a very old family burial plot, and some other interesting things along the way back to the highway. Other than a pair of sheep dogs, we didn't see anyone all day.