Colorado Off-Road Trails

Mineral Point Townsite, a short loop just off Mineral Creek, is filled with history. The trail climbs up to remnants of the San Juan Chief and British Queen Mines. The entire area was once a mining hotbed with as many as ten operating mines. At least one spacious campsite is available on this trail and can be accessed by stock 4WD vehicles.

Peterson Lake, Colorado, is a breathtaking gem nestled amidst the majestic Rocky Mountains. This serene alpine lake captivates visitors with its pristine beauty and tranquil surroundings. In August 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire devastated 208,000 acres of thick pine forests, including those around Peterson Lake. Yet, the lake offers a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Peterson Lake Road is well maintained until the final half mile, where it remains rugged tantalizing offroad enthusiasts. The road ends with room for parking at the Lake Peterson Trailhead, a hiking trail that heads south to Rocky Mountain National Park. Several designated campsites are also found along the road.  

Peach Valley Road can be driven in any direction. Starting from the south near Delta, you can take it north to Chukar Road and onto Elephant Skin Road to Montrose, Colorado. It is mostly through private land in its southern half before turning completely onto BLM-managed land. Several other roads will connect and lead into the Gunnison Gorge Conservation Area, which provides hiking access. Most of the landscape is described as "Adobe Badlands," with colorful hillsides, grasses, and sages growing. While there are places to pull over and camp, nothing is pre-disturbed for dispersed camping. The Peach Valley OHV area on the southern end has covered picnic tables and a vault toilet that is open for camping. Wet conditions could make traction difficult, but any 2WD vehicle can complete the drive in dry conditions.

Middle Creek Road is an easy, out-and-back road that passes Love Lake and several dispersed camping spots, and it travels through the 2013 West Fork Complex Fire burn scar on its way to the Copper Creek Trailhead. The road starts as a well-maintained, graded dirt road to a beautiful picnic area at Love Lake, the head of Middle Creek, where you can find tables, fire rings, and a restroom. Beyond the lake, the road slowly becomes rougher, with an increasing number of potholes and small exposed rocks no larger than a baseball. Twelve miles in, you reach the trail's best campsite. It is well off the road in a grassy clearing, looking out into the valley and Palomino Mountain in the distance. You then quickly get into the burn scar with the charred, skeletal remains of pine trees. The road ends at a small turnaround and parking lot where you can hike into the Weminuche Wilderness on Copper Ridge.

This road is suitable for any vehicle up to Love Lake. Beyond the lake, a factory SUV or crossover with good ground clearance is recommended.

If you find yourself in the middle of the typically very congested Gothic Road and are looking for an escape hatch to catch your breath from the crowds, Rustler Gulch/Bellview might fit the bill. In the first half of this trail (FS 7317.3C), you will find yourself competing with hikers, but once you make the turn up to Bellview (FS 7569), the trail is all yours. It's tough enough to where you will need a stock 4WD vehicle with a transfer case to get to the trail end. This trail at the time of mapping ended abruptly due to downed trees, but there is enough of a turnaround to get back down. The views from the "top" are stunning. According to the forest service, there is no camping allowed on this trail denoted by a sign at the beginning.

Camp Bird Cutoff is often used at the connector from Camp Bird Road to Imogene Pass. It is a bumpy, hard-packed dirt trail with occasional embedded rock patches. High-clearance vehicles are required to complete this trail. Due to its proximity to Camp Bird Mine, no camping is available on this short spur. For camping, see Camp Bird Road or Yankee Boy Basin.

Situated near Monument, CO, Powerline South Road provides a delightfully accessible and scenic offroad adventure all year round. Winding through a lush forest, this trail traces the path of powerlines, creating a soothing ride dotted with breaks in the tree line revealing spectacular glimpses of Pike's Peak. The journey culminates in a broad overlook of Monument, complete with a spacious camping area for those eager to immerse themselves in nature. As winter descends, the trail transforms into a snow-wheeling playground, with ruts, grades, and road features morphing into icy technical challenges. The trail's cool shade offers a refreshing break from the heat during the summer. Powerline South Road is a standout highlight, balancing accessibility, scenic beauty, and seasonally varying thrills.

East Beaver Road offers a picturesque journey through Pike National Forest, showcasing lush scenery along a creek that flows from the Penrose-Rosemont Reservoir. Renowned for its excellent trout fishing and opportunities to spot local wildlife such as deer, elk, and bald eagles, the area is a haven for nature enthusiasts. East Beaver Road is ideal for those looking to enjoy the tranquility of the forest and explore a few of the best camping spots in the area, making it a delightful escape into Colorado's outdoor beauty.

Alpine Road connects the Silver Thread Scenic Highway to Alpine Plateau. The eastern portion of the road is mostly a one-lane but non-technical shelf road that requires you to keep your eyes on the road at all times. It is not suitable for trailers. Once it meets the intersection of Alpine Plateau, it travels under mostly a tree canopy before dropping into an open valley where you will lose elevation with the road finally terminating at the Big Blue Campground and the Big Blue Creek Hiking trailhead just north of the border with the Uncompaghre Wilderness Area. Towards the end, you will find ruts and potentially deep puddles during wet seasons.

Dispersed camping is limited to only a handful of locations. However, the Big Blue Campground is seldom used and has 11 sites and a vault toilet. It is first come, first served and typically open from June through October when the road is passable. Additionally, the old Alpine Ranger Station is available for lodging through Recreation.gov.

The little-known Crampton Mountain trail is on an isolated patch of BLM land in the Royal Gorge Field Office, tucked away in a rural neighborhood near Canon City. It climbs up and over the flank of Crampton Mountain, then descends into a remote valley on the other side. It is a moderate rutted dirt trail with a few rocky patches but no real obstacles. Its real attraction is the panoramic views of the surrounding rugged mountains. The views are particularly spectacular from the end of the Crampton Mountain Overlook spur, BLM 5900.

The trail starts at an easy-to-miss turnoff from a graded county road in a rural residential neighborhood, with a BLM trail sign as the only indication you are entering public lands. The road climbs sharply up the west side of Crampton Mountain with pleasant views of the surrounding ranching community before topping out at a saddle on the mountain's north flank. It then wraps around the mountain's east side, following a winding ridgeline as it gradually descends into the valley below. Vegetation along the trail alternates between scrub oak and evergreen forest, with beautiful views of nearby rugged canyons and mountains. If you wish, you could hike the old, closed roads that intersect the trail to reach the summit of Crampton Mountain.

At the bottom of the valley, the authorized route intersects and follows another road for a short distance. That road continues to both the north and south to access parcels of private land, but those sections are not legal routes on the BLM's travel plan. The legal motorized route turns off on a faint track to the east, following an eroded gully before dead-ending at a fence line at the head of another gully. Maps show another road looping back around to the north along the top of a hill above, forming a lasso shape, but this other track has faded away and is difficult to find. It's best to turn around and drive back out the way you came.

While dispersed camping is allowed in the area, and a few places could be used for camping (notably the grassy meadow at the low point of the trail), there are no established campsites along this trail.

The Dakota Hill Spur trail offers a thrilling and brief route from Moon Gulch to Dakota Hill. It features challenging, rocky uphill climbs, off-camber turns, rocky obstacles, and vast, open hillsides with breathtaking views. The trail has a fascinating mining heritage that it shares with other nearby trails. Although no structures remain, you can envision the ore wagons traversing the hills to and from the mines. This trail is an excellent choice for accessing or leaving the Dakota Hill trail network.

The Agua Ramon Road is an easy, scenic road that climbs up Agua Ramon Mountain from the town of South Fork. It serves as an interesting back route into the La Garita Mountains near Wheeler Geological Area and can be combined with multiple other roads for a fun multi-day overlanding trip. The lower portions of the road are mostly graded dirt, while the upper portions are rough dirt with some small, embedded rocks that should still be passable to any high clearance vehicle. A short spur road accesses an overlook and radio tower site at the summit of Agua Ramon Mountain. Most of the road is in a thick forest with occasional views down toward South Fork. There are no established campsites along this road.

Located just south of Creede, Lime Creek Road is an easy, out-and-back, teeth-chattering washboard road leading to several dispersed campsites and hiking trailheads. This road is primarily used by hunters, hikers, and locals gathering firewood. Lime Creek begins off of Middle Creek, passing three scenic dispersed campsites good for vehicle camping, ground tents, and small trailers, followed by a split with Red Mountain Creek, where you can find an extra large grassy campsite good for groups and trailers. The remainder of the trail hosts only a few dispersed and remote campsites that are significant in size and space but are often shared with free-range cattle, leaving the ground peppered with cow pies. The trail ends just south of Snowshoe Mountain at an intersection with the Deep Creek hiking trail.

This road surface is a hard-packed, well-maintained gravel surface with no steep grades and multiple vehicles wide the entire way. This trail is suitable for any vehicle and any experience level. Cell service is spotty to non-existent.