Colorado Off-Road Trails

Triangle Road is an interesting and scenic part of the overland route from Grand Junction to Moab. The easy 24-mile track has relatively simple dirt roads with small rock shelf sections. The trail's most exciting part is the Delores River crossing. Normally two to three feet deep, the Delores can rise to five feet or more during the Spring runoff. Just be sure to scout the crossing. Swinging in an arc seemed to be an easier crossing than straight through. When scouting the crosses, look for the sand bars, as the water will be shallowest there. While the rest of the trail can be done easily by a 2WD vehicle, the river crossing is a significant challenge and requires a high clearance vehicle. Once past the river, the trail ends at an intersection with Entrada Bluffs Road, which can be taken west to Highway 128 and Dewey Bridge.

The trail offers plenty of camping for overland vehicles and tent campers if you choose to go light. There are several designated campsites between Entrada Bluffs and the river crossing.

Trough Road is a wide, graded gravel route that stretches west from the small town of Kremmling, Colorado, and traces the Upper Colorado River through some of the state’s most scenic canyon country. Running for roughly 25 miles between Kremmling and State Highway 131, this straight-through route is both a practical backroad bypass and a popular gateway to rafting put-ins, camping pull-offs, and remote trailheads in the Upper Colorado River Recreation Area.

The terrain is primarily hard-packed dirt and gravel, with occasional washboarding, light ruts, and mild elevation changes as the road climbs and dips along the ridgeline. While it's generally passable in dry conditions by most passenger vehicles, it's recommended to use a vehicle with moderate ground clearance, especially during or after storms. Drivers will find themselves rewarded with expansive views of the Gore Range, deep river canyons, and scattered pine and sage landscapes that typify the high Colorado plateau.

Several designated access areas managed by the BLM, such as Radium, State Bridge, and Pumphouse Recreation Site, offer developed campgrounds with tables and fire pits, vault toilets, and river facilities. They charge a daily fee. The best dispersed camping can be found just north of Pumphouse, right before climbing out of the river valley. Here you will find several spur roads leading to a campsite tucked between the sagebrush.

Bridging the gap between New Castle and the tiny community of Buford, Forest Road 245 travels over 32 miles through the White Mountain National Forest. The trail has abundant free primitive camping along the countless spur trails leading into the trees. Wildlife is abundant in the area. Elk, moose, deer, bear, and mountain lions are common sites on the trail. The trail is a maintained county road with long climbs, washboards, and ruts from water drainage. The entire route can be completed in high clearance 2WD in dry conditions. ATVs are not allowed but be aware of other traffic on the road including large trucks towing campers. This is a busy and fast road.

Located southwest of Telluride, Colorado, in the eastern shadow of Mount Wilson and the Lizard Head Wilderness, Sunshine Mesa is a picturesque road filled with astonishing sights. This road offers sightseers birdseye river views, dense aspen groves for rich fall colors, abundant summertime wildflowers, historic old west homestead ruins, and picture frame mountain tops.

In the remarkable high desert terrain near Fruita, CO, Lion's Loop offers a sublime adventure for off-roaders.  This trail wends through undulating sandstone ridges and rich juniper forests, giving way to panoramic vistas of the Book Cliffs and the imposing Colorado River Valley and Horsethief Canyon.  It's a natural roller coaster of challenging ascents, heart-racing descents, and tight, technical sections that demand skill, nerve, and rewards with a burst of adrenaline and a feast of scenery.  As the sun dips below the horizon, Lion's Loop transforms into a vantage point showcasing the west's most magnificent sunsets.  Lion's Loop is an unforgettable highlight of Colorado's outdoors, with a stunning blend of geological wonder, riding challenges, and natural tranquility.

Traversing through the southern Sawatch Range, Taylor Mountain is a constantly climbing high alpine road weaving its way through a maze of old mining roads. Dilapidated buildings and mine tailings dot the landscape of an area rich in geological history, dating back to the late 1800s. With productive mines pulling in millions of dollars in silver, gold, lead, and copper, there has been no shortage of abundant natural resources as the area continues to be mined for limestone and quartz to this day. With plenty of scenic views and sights to see, Taylor Mountain will easily sneak its way onto your list of favorite trails within central Colorado.

Riding along the top of McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Rattlesnake Arches is an easy offroad trail surrounded by protected wilderness. Taking this trail gives you spectacular views of the canyons off to the left and right while traveling toward the hiking trails in Pollock Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon. This area is known as the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, where the canyons are 400 feet deep in places. The area contains the second most extensive collection of arches in the National Park System, many easily accessible. This trail requires you to take Black Ridge Upper Road or Black Ridge Lower Road to the trailhead. Combining these trails makes for a good half-day of driving through beautiful desert scenery.

Coursing through the vast expanse of Colorado's wilderness, Happy Platte Road, coupled with Platte Springs Road, offers a looped off-roading journey that seamlessly marries tranquility and adventure. As you navigate this enchanting route, you are enveloped by verdant meadows and dense forests, creating a serene backdrop for an engaging drive suitable for newcomers and seasoned off-roaders. The gentle terrain of this loop provides a relaxing journey, while the surrounding panoramas, defined by the formidable Tarryall Mountains, create a mesmerizing spectacle. With its synthesis of stunning natural beauty and mild off-roading challenge, the Happy Platte-Platte Springs loop offers an immersive Colorado experience, perfectly embodying the region's spirit of outdoor thrill intertwined with serene, scenic splendor.

Black Ridge Upper Road is the seasonal backbone of the area and the primary trail to the magnificent Rattlesnake Arches. Though characterized by easy dirt terrain with occasional rock elements, the trail's natural appeal lies in its breathtaking scenery. Flanked by the McInnis Canyons and Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, a 125,000-acre conservation area, the trail boasts the continent's second-largest concentration of natural arches. As you drive along the park's rim, be prepared for panoramic vistas revealing the expanse of the conservation area in all directions. But the experience doesn't end at the trail's edge. There's ample camping, especially for overlanders, with sites that offer stunning canyon views. And once off the road, explore the conservation area's additional recreational opportunities, including hiking and horseback riding. All in all, this trail provides an easy ride but delivers a high-impact visual experience.

The Tellurium Creek trail is a lesser-known but spectacular trail in northern Taylor Park, which follows a narrow corridor into an isolated pocket cherry-stemmed out of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area, surrounded by towering peaks on all sides.

The first few miles consist of a rough and rocky trail following Tellurium Creek up a forested valley with multiple excellent campsites before opening up into a series of meadows and willow bogs where moose can commonly be found. At around 4.6 miles, the trail forks and forms a lasso shape, looping up and over a striking ridge line high above timberline with amazing views of the Tellurium Creek and Pine Creek valleys.

The route up the ridge to the east is easier and wider, while the route up the west side involves a series of narrow and off-camber switchbacks across a talus field. While the Funtreks guidebook recommends the west route only for ATVs, it is wide enough for narrower full-size vehicles like Jeeps but likely not for full-size trucks. The outside edge of the trail is raised enough that there is little danger of sliding off as long as you take it slow and carefully. On the ridge's eastern side, there is also a connecting route across the scree field back to the main fork in the trail, which you can take to make a loop if the path to the summit is blocked by snow. The eastern fork also accesses the hiking trail to Ptarmigan Lake, with a small parking area at the trailhead.

The legality of these routes is confusing, as the MVUM doesn't show either the loop-back path or the connecting segment to the summit on the ridge's eastern side, even though both are shown as legal routes on the map for the 2010 travel plan. The Forest Service has confirmed that the entire loop over the summit is a legal route, though they are unsure about the middle loop-back path and will be working on corrections to the MVUM.

Two short spur routes appear open on the ground but are not shown on the MVUM. One at the top of the ridge is almost certainly illegal to drive because it extends about 600 feet into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area, ending at a high point with excellent views of Ptarmigan Lake and the surrounding peaks. This spot is worth hiking to from the saddle at the top of the authorized trail (0.3 miles one way). The other spur takes off from the bottom of the switchbacks on the western side of the ridge and dead-ends at a small turnaround. Its legality is unclear as it was not inventoried for the 2010 travel plan, so it should be assumed to be illegal as well unless the Forest Service revises the MVUM.

Once an iconic high alpine Colorado rock crawling trail, Twin Cone was an unfortunate victim of trail closure litigation in 2015. This litigation gated off the upper 2 miles of trail and all of the difficult rock sections. The trail starts at the summit of Kenosha Pass and goes east towards North Twin Cone Peak, passing through several Aspen tree tunnels. Beautiful valley views make this an excellent fall colors trail.

The trail officially ends at the 5.5-mile mark, where you reach a steel Forest Service gate. Regardless of the position of this gate, the road is closed to motor vehicle traffic beyond this point and well signed. The road surface is mostly packed dirt with small embedded rocks and occasional potholes. The trail is now suitable for any vehicle with good ground clearance. Seasonally closed 1/1-5/15. The opening date is dependent on wet conditions. Several good dispersed campsites are along the route.

Please respect closures and contact local officials to learn more about how you can help attempt to re-open the remaining section of trail for future use.

This off-the-beaten-path trail, distinct from its busier neighbor Schubarth Road, offers a serene off-roading journey through a regrowth phase forest recovering from recent fire mitigation efforts. The trail's end is marked by a massive rock feature, a perfect camping spot offering panoramic views of the South Beaver Creek valley. Regardless of the season, Roll Over Road provides diverse experiences: engaging snow wheeling in the winter, with thrilling off-camber spots and frozen creek crossings, and the arrival of summer brings beautiful weather and a chance to appreciate the newfound scenery in the wake of the recent clearing. Embrace the resilience of nature and the thrill of off-roading with Roll Over Road.

South Salt Creek Road is an excellent side trip when traveling Highway 285 to and from Denver and Buena Vista, allowing you to drive on dirt right into Buena Vista. The dense aspen and pine forest hides the typical epic views of the surrounding peaks. Still, it provides an opportunity to see an old homestead and find a few generously wooded and secluded campsites while avoiding pavement.

Starting from the west off Highway 160, East Fork Road is a well-maintained forest service road. The road is lined with campsites, both designated and dispersed, and they range in size from single-vehicle sites to sites large enough for multiple motorhomes. Most of the road parallels the East Fork San Juan River, from being right on the banks of the river to being high above the river in its steep canyon.

Just past the four-mile mark is a sign for Elwood Pass. The sign lists trail requirements, including 4WD, low range, and high ground clearance, all of which come into play later. The obstacles get more challenging the further you go, ranging from washed-out deep ruts that swallow your tires to large rocks that scrape your undercarriage if your ground clearance is not high enough. There are also several shallow water crossings. Tight tree line portions may leave larger rigs with new pinstripes. With proper tire placement, the trail can be completed by a stock 4x4 with high clearance and low range.  The shelf road sections provide expansive meadows with views of the San Juan Mountains.

Bullion King is a quick out-and-back trail that offers big views. It runs parallel to the beginning of the iconic Black Bear Pass and ends at the mouth of Porphyry Basin, where the Porphyry Basin Mine once stood. Though Bullion King is a straightforward, non-technical drive, with no obstacles, drivers should be aware of a significant stretch of dangerous, narrow shelf road. Keep an eye out for oncoming vehicles on the shelf and note places that provide an opportunity for passing, because it is a single vehicle-wide road. At the trail's end is a parking area for the Porphyry Basin Trailhead that takes hikers up and around several small alpine lakes, including Bullion King Lake and Porphyry Lake.

The Crystal Lake 4x4 trail accesses a handful of very popular hiking trails and ends at the lower of the two Crystal Lakes. A side trip to Francie's Cabin is now gated and only accessible on foot.

The trail is rough and rocky but has no obstacles. Where this trail diverges from the easier Spruce Creek Road, a fairly steep, loose, and rutted hill acts as a bit of a "gatekeeper". The trail is very narrow and has few places to pass. This requires more than normal patience and courtesy for the many hikers you will encounter. A few tall water breaks could drag on vehicles without good ground clearance. A large willow brush meadow at treeline all but guarantees some Rocky Mountain pinstripes on your paint.

Officially, the USFS allows camping at "designated dispersed sites". However, there are no designated sites along Crystal Lake. Despite several inviting spots, there is no legal camping on this trail.