Hardscrabble Road

Hardscrabble Road is a high mountain pass in Eagle County, Colorado, that traverses diverse ecosystems, from sagebrush and pinyon-juniper at lower elevations to aspen and alpine meadows higher up. This straight-through road ascends nearly 4,000 feet in elevation across its 20-mile stretch. The northern half travels through the Hardscrabble-East Eagle Special Recreation Management Area, offering a blend of high desert and alpine terrains within its 21,900 acres. This end of the road is labeled as County Road 110 and travels across a hard-packed clay that is extremely powdery dust when dry, and peanut-buttery mud when wet. The road is highly warned as "Impassable When Wet" for good reason. The southern half of the trail, labeled as FS 413.1, traverses a rocky and bumpy alpine terrain of grassy meadows, quaking aspens, and thin pine trees. The open, high alpine views offer spectacular views of the Sawatch and Gore Mountain Ranges.

This trail is best suited for a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle with aired down tires to ease in comfort over the protruding rocks, ruts, and the overall rough road conditions. It is not a technical drive in dry conditions, and 2WD is all that is necessary. In wet conditions, 4WD will be mandatory.

Dispersed camping can be found periodically throughout the entire trail, with some of the best campsites being right around the Forest Service and BLM boundary. Sites are generally large and can accommodate several vehicles.