Pawnee Grasslands Murphy Reservoir

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3.5/5 (7 reviews)
Briggsdale, Colorado (Weld County)
Last Updated: 12/27/2020

Trail Information

Highlights

Sprawling across the plains northeast of Greeley, Colorado, the Pawnee Grasslands are criss-crossed by a network of gravel county roads and 2-track dirt Forest Service Roads. These easy roads offer an alternative to the usual mountain ‘wheeling of the Colorado Rockies, especially from late fall to early spring when many of the mountain trails are snowed in. This route through the back roads features the Murphy Reservoir, a small dam and pond used to store precious water on the arid plains, and an abandoned Atlas E ICBM missile silo, a leftover relic of the 1960s Cold War.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

3.5/5 (7)
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18450
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 04/22/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Definitely in the different wheeling for Colorado. Trail is easy as billed and when dry really only need 2 wheel and some clearance.
Open
Visited: 05/01/2021

I didn’t do the full trail, but I did start a waypoint #9 and finished at waypoint #14. This trip was on June 1, 2021 and the grasses were just starting to turn green. Great view of the front range mountains. The trail was dry and easily passable from WP #9 to WP #14.
Trail Review: Pawnee Grasslands Murphy Reservoir - Shaun Seela
Trail Review: Pawnee Grasslands Murphy Reservoir - Shaun Seela
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45150
Open
Visited: 12/27/2020

Although I did not run this specific trail, the trails I did run on Pawnee Grasslands on December 26 were clear and dry.
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100
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 08/12/2020

Pretty fun and quiet alternative to the usual mountain trails. Did the section between CR 14 and CR96 only. Go early in the day to avoid any storms this time of the year.
Trail Review: Pawnee Grasslands Murphy Reservoir - George
Trail Review: Pawnee Grasslands Murphy Reservoir - George
Open
Visited: 12/21/2019

Trail is open but I do not recommend going alone. Many of the trails have very deep drifts and the off-shoot trails have some deep ruts combined with drifts = stuck and nothing to set as a winch anchor. It's a beautiful area with a lot to offer. Winter seems like a fun time but you should have some additional vehicles.

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