Colorado Off-Road Trails

Located in Pike National Forest, this road provides access to the Devil's Head hiking trail (FS 611) and nearby camping roads. The trail was constructed in 1907 after the recently formed Forest Service decided to build seven fire lookouts along the Front Range of Colorado into Wyoming. The Forest Service built only three, and Devil's Head is the last one remaining that is in operation. Climbing to the top of the tower will give you 360-degree views for over 100 miles on a clear day from this Colorado landmark. This is a simple dirt road with small rocks embedded in the road with no major obstacles.

As the name suggests, Powerline is a straight-through connector road following powerlines between Billings Lake and Taylor Mountain. The eastern end of the trail is extremely rocky, with protruding rocks up to basketball in size and loose rocks the size of softballs. The trail climbs sharply at a consistent 12-degree pitch as you travel west, curving through a half-dozen wide-sweeping switchbacks. Once at the top of the ridgeline, the trail smooths out to a well-maintained road the remainder of the way with no concerns. One campsite can be found at the eastern end of the trail near the intersection with Billings Lake, and another campsite can be found at the halfway mark along the ridgeline.

The loose rocky terrain on the eastern end of the trail is suitable only for high clearance 4WD vehicles. If entering the trail from the west and heading towards Dry Lake, any vehicle is suitable.

Santa Maria Road is a 3.3-mile out-and-back trail that travels along Seepage Creek through a gorgeous valley between Antelope Mountain and Bristol Head Peak. The trail starts at Highway 149, passes alongside private property, and then quickly enters Forest Service land with several old corrals and a few campsites at the base of massive cliffs, including a large open grassy area with numerous fire rings. The road continues northwest past the whithering shorelines and often dry lake bottoms of Lower and Upper Seepage Lakes. The trail passes abundant dispersed campsites well spaced out from each other before entering a thick pine and aspen forest before dead-ending near Ghost Lake. In the past, the road continued to Santa Maria Reservoir but is now long blocked by downed timber and was removed from the official route.

This road is highly scenic and great for day-trippers looking for a quiet drive or for campers looking for seclusion. Hunters often use it heavily in the fall, but it is lightly used the rest of the year.

The road surface is hardpacked dirt with occasional potholes and ruts but has no significant obstacles. This trail is suitable for any high clearance vehicle and small offroad trailers. RVs and travel trailers can only safely travel a few hundred yards into the trail to the first camping area.

BLM Road 8480, known as Greenhorn Loop, is one of the main roads within the Gypsum Hills Recreation Area. This seasonal road below Greenhorn Mountain is a 12-mile, straight-through dirt road, generally 1-1.5 vehicles wide, traveling over mainly hardpacked surfaces with a few sections of fist-sized exposed, protruding rocks. No obstacles exist along the drive, but it is common to see extreme rock buggies traveling along the road, as it is the only entrance and exit road for the extreme Ten Falls Rock Crawling Trail. This trail is great for beginners and suitable for any stock high-clearance vehicle. The biggest concern along this road is the potential for encountering free-range cattle and the extremely fine silt that clouds up behind every vehicle. If running topless or doorless, expect to be covered in dust at the end of the day.

Camping along this trail is fairly limited. Along the southern half of the trail, 1.3 miles from Trail Gulch Road 6, you will find a short spur labeled as a BLM camping location. This dispersed camping area has a big turnaround, is very large, and can easily accommodate groups and trailers. The ground is level here and somewhat rock-free. The remainder of the trail offers a few sporadic flat areas but no pre-established campsites.

The road is closed seasonally from January 16th through April 15th for wildlife protection.

County Road 103, just north of Ward, is a short, easy, graded dirt road segment that connects Peak to Peak Highway to County Road 100 towards its northern end. There is no notable camping along County Road 103, as most land is privately owned. When driving County Road 103 west towards Peak to Peak Highway, there are some nice views of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area and the Continental Divide.

Part of the Independence Trail System within Penrose Commons, Freedom is an early bailout point from Independence to the easy access road. The trail climbs sharply and features two large 4-foot waterfalls that must be traversed before leaving the trail system. The trail can be run in either direction and is most commonly used by people who underestimated the difficulty of the Independence Trail. An experienced driver and a highly modified vehicle will be required to drive this trail. Large tires, lockers, winch, and recovery equipment will be required.

Trailer parking, a pit toilet, and camping can be found at the Penrose Commone trailhead.

Used as part of the longer, notable Colorado backcountry route, Waunita-Black Sage can be driven to connect Waunita Pass to US 50 or over the Old Monarch Pass. Once under the tree canopy, one campsite is at the highest elevation near the signage of Blacksage Pass. On the southern half is the Waunita Hot Spring Ranch, which has excellent reviews and would be a nice stay if on a multi-day overlanding route. This route is suitable for any high-clearance vehicle in dry conditions.

Granite Creek is a challenging, lightly used trail that descends into a desert oasis, following Granite Creek through a stunning red rock canyon lined with lush vegetation. It begins in Utah and crosses into Colorado and is most often run in conjunction with the Sheep Creek trail and others in the remote Dolores Triangle region as part of a longer route between Glade Park and Gateway.

The beginning of the trail is the most difficult, as you descend a steep and rocky shelf road with at least one ledge obstacle about 2 feet high. Fresh rockfall could at least partially block the narrow shelf road, making it more challenging. After reaching the canyon bottom, the road follows a narrow, rocky shelf above the creek, with excellent views of the cliffs above. Pinstriping is inevitable here, as thick brush frequently impinges on the trail. About a third of the way through the trail, the road crosses Granite Creek (usually shallow) and turns into a side canyon, which it follows up into Lost Horse Basin.

After another small creek crossing, the road gradually climbs the south wall of the canyon until reaching a faint intersection. Turn right here to complete the climb out of the canyon to a road along the ridge connecting to the Sheep Creek Road and Steamboat Mesa. Or keep going straight on a faint and barely used road that circles through Lost Horse Basin and follows the upper rim of Granite Creek Canyon, ending in Ryan Park back near the start of the trail. There is also another road you can take earlier that provides a shortcut from the canyon to the Sheep Creek Road.

Because the trail is lightly used and most of the terrain is too steep and narrow, there are no established campsites along this road. There is a small pullout right before the start of the shelf road at the beginning of the trail, and one flat area at the bottom of the shelf road, where it might be possible to camp, but there are better campsites elsewhere in the area. Numerous sites can be found in the forest along the connecting Steamboat Ridge road near the end of the trail.

County Road 70 is a short connector trail that connects CR 68 with Echo Valley Road. The trail passes by Echo Valley Ranch, so be mindful of livestock crossing the trail. There’s also an active lumber operation on the east end of the trail near Echo Valley Road, so the overall look of the trail could change. There are no obstacles to note or campsites. If you need a campsite, Redskin Road has plenty of primitive and paid sites to choose from. 

The Cross Mountain trail is a lesser-known but popular trail in Union Park. It climbs from the grassy rangeland of Union Park to a secondary summit of Cross Mountain at 11,800 feet, so named because of a longstanding local tradition of erecting crosses there to memorialize deceased loved ones.

The trail starts as a graded dirt road crossing wide open pasture land before passing through a series of cattle gates and intersecting the Union Canyon trail. From there, it gets slightly rougher as it winds around the base of Cross Mountain before turning uphill at the beginning of FR 752.3A. From there, the trail is significantly more rocky and challenging, though still moderate difficulty overall. It follows Cross Creek for ways past the ruins of old mining cabins before turning north for the final ascent to the ridge, then back south for the last leg to the summit. A side spur follows the ridgetop to another overlook a short distance north, where the trail gains the ridge.

The views from the summit are spectacular, overlooking the dramatic peaks in the adjacent Fossil Ridge Wilderness Area to the west and Union and Taylor Parks to the east. Several crosses, flags, and memorial plaques can be found at the summit, and a giant cross made of rocks on the ground.

Camping is allowed along most of the route, but there are no established campsites, and most of the terrain is too steep. Note that because of an apparent mapping error in the 2010 Gunnison National Forest travel plan, the last 1.25 miles of the route to the summit (past the track shown here) do not appear on the MVUM. The ranger district agrees this was probably an error, and the full route to the summit appears to be managed as an open route regardless of what is shown on the MVUM and is regularly driven by vehicles. Because of this uncertainty and the fact that it passes through a corner of the Union Roadless Area, that segment could be closed anytime.

Short Cut Road is a handy alternative to Gold Camp Road, cutting nearly a mile off the usual route. This rugged path, filled with deep ruts, calls for a vehicle with high clearance. It’s also a popular spot for recreational shooting, so don't be surprised to find people engaged in target practice. If you choose this shortcut, watch for parked cars and active shooters. It’s a quick, practical choice for those comfortable with the rough terrain, getting you back to the trails on Gold Camp Road faster.

Pisgah is a Forest Service Road located within the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, specifically in the Yankee Hill area near Central City. It's part of a larger network of roads and trails popular for off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. Accessible year-round, this trail is primarily used as a connector from the OHV Parking lot to Yankee Hill.

The trail used to have a couple of bad, rutted sections, but they have been graded over, making it a pretty smooth ride, suitable for any vehicle with decent ground clearance.

There are only two campsites along the trail, which are usually taken very quickly when the weather is good. However, they are right next to the trail, so dust from passing vehicles is a major issue.

Overland Reservoir is an out-and-back road ending at its namesake, Overland Reservoir. The road to the reservoir is easy and well-maintained gravel. Once at the reservoir, the road crosses a causeway where mud can form, demanding you to use caution in wet weather. There are plenty of great dispersed campsites at the reservoir with views of the surrounding mountains. In dry and normal conditions, the road is suitable for all high-clearance vehicles.

This is a short spur off the Trail Gulch road, which travels further up Trail Gulch before dead-ending at a junction with an ATV trail and a hiking/biking trail. It is lightly traveled and somewhat overgrown with scrub oak. Most of the trail follows a shelf above the wash at the bottom of the canyon, and there is not really anywhere suitable for camping. There are no significant obstacles, just some small ruts. If you are riding a dirt bike or 50" ATV, you can take trail 5820C back over to the main Trail Gulch road and form a short loop. Otherwise, full-size vehicles will need to turn around at the end and come back the way you came.

Rio Blanco County Road 109 is not a destination road but is used for longer routes that lead into the lesser-used areas of Colorado and Utah. The road is smooth and graded, with no obstacles. Along the way, there are numerous sandstone formations to view. There are several BLM side roads that one could potentially find camping on, but as for this road, there is no camping.

Crazy Gulch Road, primarily a rough dirt trail, is a gateway to a cluster of trails, including Grazing Road and Moonshine Road, just off County Road 511. It's a reasonably challenging route due to its uneven terrain towards the end, but it suits adventurous spirits. Dispersed camping is permitted, and there are ample spots for overlanders to settle down. Note: remember to close the cattle gates to maintain local agricultural practices.

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 6102E is a half-mile-long spur to the east of what is also labeled 6102E. The end of this trail follows the rim of a beautiful canyon. The trail begins with a steep descent and then climbs through a wash, which may be difficult without 4WD and low gearing. Most of the remaining trail is sand and dirt, but it gets rocky again at the end. There is very little room to turn around at the end. This trail is suitable for any 4x4 with moderate clearance.

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.

Traveling through the northwest reaches of the Uncompahgre National Forest, Pine Mountain, also known as County Road 6.3, is a short distance from the small town of Gateway and the fastest way into the national forest and the historic uranium mining district. The western trailhead begins in a sandy wash that may require four-wheel drive for larger vehicles. Once through the twisting scenic canyon, you begin loose dirt and rocky, 2,000' narrow ledge climb to over 7,800 feet in elevation. The 8-9% grade hill on 6.3 Road is one long, narrow obstacle in either direction. The road is wide enough for full-width vehicles, but the occasional narrow spots with intimidating exposure can be tricky for inexperienced drivers. Passing can be challenging but oncoming traffic is visible from a distance. The road is semi-maintained, so there are no obstacles on the route. Low-range gearing, offroad tires, and high clearance are required to complete the hill safely. Once at the top of Pine Mountain, the trail becomes much easier, and camping is limited to a couple of primitive spots along this section of trail. One campsite was large enough for several vehicles with tents, making a wonderful basecamp to explore the area's mining history.

At the edge of the Rainbow Falls area, Sarah Road is a bit of an odd duck because it used to be a circular trail and now stops in the middle of fields on both sides of a large "C" that makes up the road now. The old trail traveled too close to the river and is closed to motorized usage. However, you can still run the rest of this easy trail, and it has great camping near the river.

Spurring off Park Creek, Treasure Creek is a well-traveled 3-mile trail along its namesake creek. There are three main draws to running this trail: camping, fishing, and hiking. There are many smaller hiking trails and the famous Continental Divide. Camping is sprinkled throughout, with small secluded sites tucked behind trees and plenty of large sites in the big open meadow.

This is an easy road with no obstacles, so be sure to enjoy the peace and serenity of this beautiful canyon.