Matchless

We didn’t end up camping here, but there are tons of great spots. The beatific scenery and meadow valleys were super fun to travel through. Good easy loop off of Gordon. Couple spots that I can imagine being a bit harry when wetter due to the deep pits the heavy rain generated this season.

We drove down this trail and it was blocked by a Nissan Rogue stuck in a rut between waypoints 10 and 11 on the spur. So we turned around and finished the rest of the trail.

The trail is easier, mostly a loop road for campsite access. Saw a lot of campers in the campsites. Many of them driving vans and pickups. Not much traffic. Not much challenge. One spot had a pretty good washout that was fun.

It’s just a quick loop off of the Gordon Gulch Road. There are a handful of numbered sites around the loop, beware if camping not on a numbered site rangers will talk to you. This trail should probably be a green.

Snow is 3 feet deep, packed enough to get you high centered and stuck.

Did this trail today with my LC100 on 33" tires along with a Wrangler and Tundra both on 37" tires. Pretty easy for all vehicles listed. Only took us about 30 minutes if that. I would say any stock 4X4 vehicle should have no trouble on this trail. ***There is currently a car stuck sideways blocking the trail shortly after waypoint 10 on the way to waypoint 11. You can still do the loop though.***

Nice trail and not nearly as muddy as I was expecting. A lot of campers already.

Quite a lot of snow, we made it between waypoint 13 and 14 going clockwise and decided to take the known route back when I broke a motor mount and my buddy was having charging issues. Likely would have made it the rest of the way otherwise with some winching. It was snowing hard by the time we got out so conditions are getting more difficult. The mud bog between 9 and 10 is still there, but its more of an ice pit now. 37s locked, 35s locked.

Today's show has been brought to you by the letters M and U and D. There is a giant mud bog between waypoints 9 and 10. I do not recommend it right now; if this were a hiking trail it'd be closed.

Although the trail is open expect snow and be prepared for difficult conditions.

Per the National Forest Service: FORT COLLINS, Colo (Nov. 9, 2020) – More forest closures are being lifted across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests as all Stage 3 restrictions are rescinded beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Closures will remain in place around areas that experienced wildfire in Grand, Boulder and Larimer counties. These fire areas present a public safety threat as burned trees can fall unexpectedly, hot spots are still burning, and new hazards can be hidden under snow.

Due to extreme fire danger the Ntional Forest Service has temporarily closed all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD831612

Per Forest Order ARP-BRD-2020-04, this trail is currently closed due to the Cal Wood Fire. See the order and map here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/arp/alerts-notices/?aid=62734

My nephew, Jon and I ran Matchless as part of a quick trip to the Gordon Gulch area on Saturday, November 9, 2019. The trail was open and easily passable the entire way (although we did skip the out and back between Waypoints 10 and 11). It was mostly snow-packed in the trees and clear in the open areas with a few patches of wet and muddy and a little bit of ice. The weather was great and the views were very beautiful.

The rating seems pretty spot on for this trail. Some small bumps, a little rock, some mud and the occasional mild challenge. The loop itself isn't terrible scenic, but the view at the Eastern out and back (between waypoints 9 and 10 is stunning. It opens to a stunning valley with panoramic views. If you run the loop don't miss that part for the scenery.

The trail was fun, waypoints 1 and 2 are definitely the most difficult part of this trail, other than that there are a few mud holes with bypasses and some undulated areas. There were some nice looking camping spots and the overlook is a great spot to hang out for a bit. The valley between waypoints 10-11 is beautiful.

One of the most scenic trails in the area, easy to travel on and absolutely gorgeous in early summer/late spring. The views are incredible, next time I gotta get some photos!

Calvary 4-Wheelers spent the day of New Year’s Eve playing in the snow along Gordon Gulch and its side trails, Matchless, Upham Gulch and East Upham Loop. After a brief stop at the Gordon Gulch Trailhead, we started down Matchless. We hadn’t gotten very far when I buried my Cherokee in a drift and we had to use the strap for the first time of the day. It wouldn’t be the last. After a little tug back with the strap I was able to make it through the drift on the second attempt. From there, we made our way through the camping area and started down the east side of the loop. The snow ranged from windswept bare ground to 2 foot drifts with an average of around 10 inches. We were following tracks from a previous explorer but still being challenged a little by the deeper drifts. After a quarter mile or so the tracks we were following stopped at a deeper drift. I made a run into the drift and immediately buried the Cherokee again. This time it wasn’t coming loose with an easy tug. We broke out the shovels and, after several minutes of hard digging, got the Jeep free. Exploring on foot we found that tracks picked up on the other side in about a quarter mile but there were 3-4 foot drifts between us and the other tracks. We considered pressing on, strapping and digging our way through the drifts, but decided to turn back and check out the rest of Gordon Gulch first. After exploring the rest of Gordon Gulch, we returned to Matchless and tried going around the loop backwards. The west side of the loop had about 6-8 inches of snow on it varying from windswept bare to drifts about 1 ½ to 2 feet deep. We made good progress only needing second attempts a few times and not needing to strap all the way down the west side of the loop and about half way back up the east side. From there, the snow was more drifted and we had to use the strap a few times but made it through. We got to within about a quarter mile of where we had stopped coming from the other direction before the drifts got too deep. We probably could have made the connection with repeated use of the strap and a lot of shoveling but it was getting late and we didn’t feel like doing that much work so we turned around and headed out the optional exit to Sugarloaf Road.