Colorado Off-Road Trails

Upper Illinois is an easy out-and-back trail that takes you to the Lunch Lake/Lake Ann hiking trailhead and also serves as an access point to the Timberline trail for dirt bikes. 

The trail is mostly dirt but rocky at times. There are no obstacles other than a few rutted-out sections of trail. Any vehicle with clearance could easily drive this trail.

There are a handful of campsites along the trail.

Waldorf Wagon Road, originating from Leavenworth Creek Road and reconnecting to it, offers a scenic straight-through trail that serves as an engaging detour to the historic Waldorf Mine. This route is slightly rocky, providing a bit of challenge and adventure as it passes Santiago Cutoff Road. As a scenic and rougher alternative, it enhances any trip to the area with beautiful views and a touch of rugged terrain. While camping is allowed within 300 feet of the road’s centerline, no established sites exist.

18-Road is an easy 5.8-mile connector trail that travels through the North Desert OHV area with world-class mountain bike and OHV trails. The road travels up to the base of the Book Cliffs, where numerous recreation trails crisscross the region. The trail system and abundant camping provide great opportunities to experience the diverse desert environment along the base of the Bookcliffs.

At the trail's end, the North Fruita Desert Campground has primitive-type campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and vault toilets but no water. Campsite rates are $20 per night and include up to 10 people and 2 vehicles. There is an $8 non-refundable reservation fee for each reservation.  Food, lodging, and other supplies can be found nearby in the City of Fruita.

Intersecting Ice Cave Road at Waypoint 9, County Line, numbered 324.B, is a short spur road offering little more than more trail mileage. Views of Pikes Peak are hidden behind the dense pines of the Pike National Forest. Although the description from Ice Cave Road advises there are campsites along this trail, the handful of offshoot trails on FSR 324.B have had their fire rings dismantled. If you’re coming to FRS 324.B looking for a campsite and want a campfire, it is recommended that you turn back and look for one along Ice Cave Road or Rampart Range Road. FSR 324.B is not a difficult trail, but with the heavy rain the area has received recently, the existing ruts may become more serious obstacles over time. 

Unit C Road is one of the many camping spurs along Rampart Range Road, with a spectacular spot to view the valley below at the trail's end. The campsite at the bottom is small, but combined with this epic view, it's worth a stay.

Located in the vast and scenic Rio Grande National Forest, a short distance south of Del Norte, East Fork Pinos Road is a lesser-used trail that traverses the north end of Blowout Pass. This well-maintained forest road offers a remote and tranquil atmosphere as it winds through the rugged terrain north of Marble Mountain and around Fuchs Reservoir. With expansive views of the lesser-known parts of the San Juan Mountains, this trail is a great weekend getaway or can be combined with other nearby forest roads to create a week-long epic overland trip through the remote wilderness of Southern Colorado.

County Road 79, also known as Spruce Road, is a straightforward county road that leads directly to the entrance of Missouri Gulch. While this route may not offer scenic vistas or camping opportunities, its primary value lies in its practicality, providing direct access for those looking for an alternative way into the Rainbow Falls Trail Network. The road is well-maintained even during winter months, with no concerns along the way.

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.

Badito, off Country Road 620, runs through the BLM land and into the San Isabel National Forest. The beginning of the trail is graded dirt, which soon changes to more of a rough and rocky dirt track. The trail climbs through the pinyon and juniper forest along several rocky switchbacks with beautiful views of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. It is easily driven in a stock SUV in 4WD, but be careful with any larger exposed rock if you are in a lower-clearance vehicle. After several rocky switchbacks, the trail passes along the eastern slope of Badito Cone and down into a grassy field of Arizona Fescue. Just beyond the field, you are surprised with a campsite with ample room for 4-5 vehicles. The fire ring is tucked within the trees, but you have a direct view of Badito Cone.

When coming from the north, Salt Road immediately provides outstanding views of the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range. The trail begins in an expansive meadow and quickly enters an evergreen and aspen forest. From the north, most of the trail is compact dirt, with a few places with rutting. These areas could pose problems on the trail during or after a rain shower. The trail's south end has a steep grade, which is made even more tricky due to the trail being covered with loose rocks ranging from the size of golf balls to softballs. Four low and high clearance is recommended for this section to aid in climbing this hill when coming from the south or descending this hill when coming from the north. No campsites were observed along the trail, but camping is available in the immediate area along other connecting trails.

Traveling along the western edge of the Bull Gulch Wilderness Study Area, BLM Road 8479 is an 8-mile, straight-through dirt road that makes its way up and down many rolling hills, encountering 8"-10" rocks along the way. From the north, the road starts as a relatively smooth, hard-packed trail as you gradually climb out of the Colorado River valley, passing through fields of sagebrush. 2 miles in, the road slowly starts to get rougher as it enters Pinyon-Juniper and Douglas Fir forests. You will encounter several moderately steep and loose rock hills and pass a small handful of campsites. Campsites range in size from a single vehicle to multiple vehicles, and almost all offer shade within the trees. Halfway through the trail, you will continuously travel over loose, baseball-sized rocks that will wear out your back if you haven't aired down. 8479's southern side comes to an end as you enter the Gypsum Hills Recreational Area.

This road is suitable for any high clearance vehicle with good suspension and rugged tires. Airing down is highly recommended to help ease the ride's comfort.

Penrose Commons is a BLM OHV recreation area near Penrose, Colorado. The area is full of crisscrossing full-size and ATV trails of varying difficulty. BLM Route 6102K is a loop off of 6102 in the farthest east corner of the area. It is a narrow rocky trail that twists its way through the juniper trees. Any 4x4 vehicle can traverse the rocky terrain. Full-size pickups may have difficulty passing between the trees without significant pinstriping. Midsize and compact vehicles should be fine with careful driving. The ruins of the Schaeffer Dam, which collapsed in 1921, can be seen in the canyon below across Beaver Creek. Remnants of a stone-lined irrigation ditch cross the trail in several spots. Camping within Penrose Commons is limited to designated sites only, which are marked with camping signs. No campsites can be found along this trail. Vault toilets are located at the entrance to the OHV area.

Jones Gulch Road, also known as Old Highway, runs up the side of the hill just south of the historic Camp Hale. It provides access to the Camp Hale East Fork Group Campground and is a pleasant, scenic alternative for returning to Highway 24 from the east side of Camp Hale. The road is graded gravel with a few minor ruts and bumps. Near the top are nice views of the valley below and the mountains across the valley. But once you start down, you remain mostly in dense forest. Dispersed camping is not permitted on Old Highway, but there are several sites on East Fork Eagle River once you are out of Camp Hale.

Painted Rocks Road, a well-maintained county trail, provides a smooth ride on a graded dirt surface. Despite no options for dispersed camping, it offers the dedicated Painted Rocks Campground for outdoor enthusiasts. Given the high frequency of small vehicles and pedestrians, cautious driving is advised. This is a straight-through connecting road that eventually becomes West Creek Road, and leads to many beautiful trails including Rule Ridge Road.

Trail Gulch Road 6 is a primary access road within the Gypsum Hills Recreation Area. It is a 4-mile, straight-through connecting road leading to many other roads in the area and is extremely popular with all types of recreational users. Adventure motorcyclists are not uncommon to see on this road, as it is recognized as a portion of section 5 of the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route (COBDR). Additionally, you will often see extreme rock buggies along the trail as it is a primary entrance and exit route to several of the hardcore rock crawling trails in the area. The road is primarily an easy, hardpacked surface, 2-lanes wide, and suitable for any vehicle. However, the moderate rating comes from a single, rocky hill, 0.75 miles from the northern end of the trail, just before passing the turn-off for Middle Middle Rock Crawling Trail. This moderate hill is sprinkled with loose rocks, baseball to softball-sized, and will require careful navigation for lower clearance vehicles. Any stock high clearance 4x4 vehicle will handle this spot with ease.

Dispersed camping along the road can be found in several areas. The first location is at the start of the trail's southern end, where many people camp overnight at the kiosk parking lot. The second area is 0.9 miles from this intersection, where you will see a short spur marked as a BLM camping area heading south. This spur leads to 3-4 small sites, best suited for single-vehicle camping and ground tents. The last area is 0.5 miles from the northern end at the intersection with Middle Middle. There, you will find a large grassy and sagebrush camping area suitable for multiple vehicles and groups.