Colorado Trails

Imogene Pass offers gorgeous scenery and traversing backcountry rich in mining history, offering an opportunity to look back into time and relive what it would have been like to live and work in harsh alpine mining environments. Huge mining structures and machines are plentiful along what was once the richest gold and silver mining area in Colorado. Book-ended by the beautiful towns of Telluride and Ouray at either end of the trail, it is no wonder this is a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail. 

Located just west of the historic mining and gambling town of Central City, Yankee Hill Road takes you directly into a network of off-road trails known as the Yankee Hill Trail System. This large trail network offers amazing high alpine views and miles of trails that can be combined to create numerous routes for a full day or even an entire weekend of off-road fun.

Picturesque Rampart Range Road is the perfect introduction to trails on the Colorado Front Range. The 60-mile road winds through the stunning Pike National Forest and follows the entire length of the Front Range south of US 85. The road's southern end offers smooth driving and breathtaking views of Pike's Peak that will leave you spellbound. Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of efforts to escape the Great Depression, Rampart Range Road is a testament to Colorado's history and resilience. Nowadays, the road connects counties, trails, and off-roaders, making it a hub of recreation and a popular destination for adventurers seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of Denver life. 

Red Cone is one of the most iconic trails in central Colorado. This four-wheel-drive trail provides spectacular views of the divide, with several rocky obstacles at the beginning and a once-in-a-lifetime descent near the end. The upper portion of the trail traverses the ridge lines around 12,000 feet with views for miles, but the steep, one-way descent at the end is a unique feature of this trail. Red Cone is also a key connecting trail to nearby trails, such as Webster Pass and the Montezuma trail system. Combining this with those trails creates a full day of offroad fun. A well-equipped vehicle with high clearance and low range is required.

Climbing to 11,789 feet and passing through both the Uncompahgre National Forest and the San Juan National Forest, Ophir Pass is a spectacular mountain pass that offers alpine views of the upper Ophir Valley and neighboring peaks. This pass has been traversed for hundreds of years for many different reasons. The pass was originally used by the Navajo on hunting trips between the San Miguel and Animas Valleys. In 1878, the tiny mining town of Ophir was established, and by 1881 the new Ophir Pass Toll Road began to carry goods between early mountain settlements. The arrival of the railroad decreased the use of the pass in the early 1890s, and the road became a rarely used wagon road. Finally, in 1953, the modern Ophir Pass that we know today was first opened to Jeeps and other off-road vehicles. While the shelf roads may test your fortitude, the views off of this iconic trail are well worth an afternoon. For Jeep owners, this road is 1 of 6 trails in Colorado recognized as a Badge of Honor Trail. Don't forget to use the Badge of Honor app to check in and get a special badge showing trail completion.