Bald Mountain

Tons of logging activity, many parts of the road have been recently graded. Driving through the Cameron Peak burn scar was a bit like driving to Mordor. There is still a rocky, technical section prior to the mud holes which is a solid 5, if this section gets graded for logging, the trail would be a 2 (assuming the mud holes are dry). I would not recommend anything bigger than a 4 door Jeep, many places were quite tight. Make sure you take a saw, between the burned trees in the burn scar and the beetle kill once you get out of the scar, you are bound to come across a downed tree. Not much in the way of scenery, but overall a fun backcountry drive.

I drove this yesterday from waypoint 1 to the intersection of Green Ridge. It's in great condition and super fun. Driving through the burn is wild! There's barely anything growing in places and still a lot of ash and charcoal on the ground. The is a logging operation happening on the west side of the trail, so head up if you go during the week.

The Forest Service partially reopened this road in the most recent closure order for the Cameron Peak burn zone. It is now open between waypoints 1 and 11 at the intersection with Roaring Creek Road. I drove it on July 4 coming in from Roaring Creek Road and out to Manhattan Road and found it passable but challenging. I got a cut sidewall on one of my tires getting through it. Most of the challenging middle portion of trail is in the Cameron Peak burn area. The fire really did a number on it. While the rocky middle portion of the road has always been challenging, you will now have burned logs and erosion from the surrounding terrain devoid of vegetation to contend with. On the lower portion of the trail, the Forest Service has been doing heavy salvage logging. The road between waypoints 1 and 4 is graded smooth for logging access. The non-MVUM route at waypoint 2 described as the original route appears to no longer exist, as it has been blocked off during the logging work. This trail will likely need a complete re-write as it is now very different. Overall this trail has a good amount of technical challenge while providing a fascinating look at the devastation of the Cameron Peak fire. I'd definitely recommend it now that most of it has reopened.

Bald Mountain remains closed by order of the USFS. An opening date is not known.

Closed for the season! See you in 2022!

Although this trail is scheduled to be open now, the trail remains closed by the US Forest Service because of damage from last year's Cameron Peak Fire. It is not yet known when, or if, this trail will be opened this season for motor vehicles. We will continue to check with the US Forest Service and post details as they become available.

A large forest fire near Cameron Pass has this trail closed for a while. The fire is called the Cameron Peak fire. You can track information about the fire at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ As of 08-14-2020, the USFS has a closure order in place for much of the upper Poudre Canyon. Here is a map of the closed areas. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd780833.pdf

Completed in a JL Rubicon with 35s and a 2.5" lift. As stated in the trail information this is a relatively long one so be prepared for at least 3 hours on the trail if you're like me and like to get out and stretch every so often. After finishing the trail highway legal vehicles can make their way over to Deadman Road for a less bumpy return trip to Red Feather. There were quite a few fallen trees protruding onto the trail just enough to require careful maneuvering to prevent damaging tire sidewall. As another user noted, this can happen if you're not careful. All of the mud bogs towards the end were easy enough with the exception of one that was 3+ feet in depth and had a steep entry and exit. I'd recommend a friend and a winch as a requirement before attempting it. Though one user mentioned doing this in a stock truck I really wouldn't recommend it unless you're prepared to drag your midsection over rocks more than once. If you're lifted and have some experience this trail should provide a decent amount of challenge without ever being too overwhelming. Overall a solid trail with nice views at Middle Bald Mountain.

According to the MVUM, Bald Mountain is officially open

The Mountaineers, a 4WD club from Fort Collins, Colorado, completed Bald Mountain as part of their monthly club trip. The trail was in great shape with only two small fallen trees that needed removal. We could feel the fall weather setting in as a brisk 45 degrees with a breeze nipped the skin. Snow is not too far away.

The trail has not changed much this year, except for the amount of deadfall along the edges of the trail. It was evident that quite a few trees had fallen across the trail over the winter season that had been cleared. In a couple of places, the road was made narrow by the fallen deadfall. I snagged a sidewall on one of these deadfall trees which resulted in the need to change a tire just west of Waypoint 11. With the right tools and a little bit of time, we were back on our way. That tire has seen its last trail and will have a new home getting recycled somewhere.

This is a fun trail in Northern Colorado. I managed to complete it in a 3rd gen 4runner with a 2" lift and 32's by taking it slow and just creeping along in 4 low. It is very slow going and bumpy for the first bit, but then opens up after the highest point, and turns into some really fun sections of trail. I would say this is a great trail to go do with some lightly modified vehicles if you like tight trees and rocks and you are just looking for a day trip. There was not a ton of epic scenery or awesome camping spots, which I personally gravitate towards, but all in all, I had a great day on Bald Mountain. We did this trail on 8/3 after a heavy snow year for Colorado. There was a ton of mud after the Green Ridge intersection. Make sure you STAY THE TRAIL and go thru the mud, and not around!

The first big snow fall of the season has hit the Colorado Rocky Mountains. A small band of adventurers set out on Bald Mountain to test it's condition. The area received about 12" of snow the night before and the trail was untouched as we began. We were able to get to Waypoint 4 without much difficulty, but that is where things changed. As we reached the rocky inclines, the slippery conditions proved too much to negotiate the the terrain. Only able to proceed for another .5 miles, we decided to turn around before we broke something. We then proceeded up Deadman Road to the Killpecker Road (USFS#300). We followed Killpecker Road to where it intersects Bald Mountain at Waypoint 9. We continued on west Bald Mountain to Roaring Creek Road at Waypoint 11 and exited the vicinity on Roaring Creek Road. Along the way, we found a new Jeep JL stuck along the trail on Bald Mountain occupied by three people. Apparently the driver felt overwhelmed by the snowy conditions and attempted to turn around finding a tree stump hidden by the new snowfall. The stump became lodged between the tie rod and the front axle. Luckily, our group had the tools and know-how to assist and get the inexperienced driver on their way. Chances are that the snow is here for the season and the trail will soon be idle until the late spring. The area officially closes for the season on December 1.

Pre-ran the trail for an upcoming Colorado Association of 4WD Clubs event. The day started out nice, but turned stormy as we got up to the saddle. We did bypass the narrow section in the beginning to avoid pinstriping. While on the saddle, damp foggy day turned to grapple quickly and I had another commitment, so we exited via Killpecker Rd. We had decently setup Toyotas; one 4Runner on 33s and my Land Cruiser on 35s. We didn't use our lockers at all, but did have to use 4wd in a few of the rocky areas due to the rocks being wet. Fall color change has begun.

Ran this with several essentially stock vehicles. Got two full-size trucks through the "original route" narrow section. It's not that bad. A couple multi-point turns and expect to pick up a few pinstripes. The rock section is a ton of fun. I'd put it at harder than Pole Hill Rd and harder than Sevenmile (except for the optional hill climb spur), so not entirely sure about the ratings. We passed a Tacoma that turned around at the worst section. Kissed the rear diff in one section and a rear shock mount in another, but not too bad. Narrower and shorter vehicles will definitely have an easier time as they'll have more choices on lines.

Small group of 6 ran this on the holiday weekend. We kept about 4mph. This was tight for a JKUR so full size not so much. The Rocky sections are a good time, can be done open/open diff. Just need to pick your lines well. As we did this late in the year it was dusty and dry. The girlfriend purse had dust in it! As well the new Jeep needs a deep cleaning. Several spots offer some large ledges for the bigger tires and experience. They all have some turn out. Pictures as well as a more detailed report can be found at Front Range 4x4 here in Colorado.

Bald Mountain is open and in good shape ready for summer wheeling. The rocky first half of the trail is dry. The latter part of the trail is muddy and wet, but easily passable. During this trip, I observed numerous UTVs and ATVs on the trail, but no other other types of vehicles.

Bald Mountain trail is a moderate to difficult trail that runs from Manhattan Road to Cr 177 about and hour west of Fort Collins. On this particular trip we started at Manhattan road and exited the trail at Forest service road 300 also known as Killpecker road. The first three miles of the trail are fairly mild with several forks in the road, passable for most stock vehicles (only first three miles). Once past the adjoining loops the trail gets considerably more difficult with some very narrow sections and endless small boulders littering the trail. In some sections there were existing go arounds but not always and easier option. the trail continues like this for the next several miles providing some challenges for less modified vehicles and just tons of fun for the more built rigs. some of the challenges include narrow passes though trees along with lose dirt surrounding 18" to 36" boulders. overall it was an exciting and challenging ride. I Recommend using a GPS to navigate this terrain due to the amount of adjoining loops and trails.