Bunce School Road

A fun little trail. Not particularly challenging but be aware that the last switchback between WP 13 and 14 can get a bit tricky. It's pretty off camber but going down shouldn't be a problem for most. However, coming up I recommend 4L and careful tire placement. Stay to the left of the rocks while making sure you don't stray too close the the edge. I have 37s and a 3.5" lift and had some rubbing on the rear fender but otherwise had no issues. Something like an unmodded 4Runner may scrape the bottom so take it slow. The trail is also almost bone dry. You won't get stuck on this one.

Like a lot of heavily-trafficked Front Range trails, there’s lots of dips, holes, and exposed rocks, making sections that would otherwise be uneventful dirt road into a kinda slow, bumpy slog. This guide is a little light on details, so it’s worth noting there’s actually several small rock gardens, with good odds a stock rig will knock or drag a belly in places even with best case wheel placement. About 2/3s in from the Bunce School end is a fairly substantial obstacle that runs right up to the harder end of this trail’s rating: a deep notch that at the easiest line has to be straddled then traversed, which puts stock suspension right at the limits. The low end 2 rating seems a tad conservative though perhaps not entirely off.

Trail is fully open from both sides.... camp dick campground is open and allowing campers as well there was no snow at all on the trail. I didn't drive up to T33 to see if gate was open but with no snow my guess is it was open. very little razor or four wheeler activity on a Thursday made for great solo run.

Always a fun run on this trail. Was myself in an lifted XJ, a buddy in his new Ford Ranger Tremor and brother on his quad. Water is DEEP in spots, not too bad for the trucks but the quad was tricky and we ended up having to rip a water logged air filter off after he bogged it at the puddles near the gate on the South end. The stock Ranger Tremor did well, only kissing the rocks in a few areas(#railswithstepsproblems). Gates still closed to Peaceful Valley however it appears to be open from Camp Dick side as we saw some trucks parked on the other side of the gate.

The trail is open except the seasonal gate, it's still closed until mid June more likely. Great trail, I enjoyed it as a newbie. Took my stock Rubicon for it's first run, wish I would've had it lifted a bit as some of the rocks were a bit trickier to maneuver and I scratched my skid plates a couple times. I definitely want to do this trail again once my Jeep is lifted and the seasonal gate opens up. It's a busy trail, so be ware of others. Lots of other Jeeps, ATV's, and dirt bikes. People also go up into that area to shoot guns, so travelers just be aware. So much fun!!!!

Ran from north to south but cut off at waypoint 6 to do the Ironclads! Definitely will be back to do the rest later this year!

Ran from waypoint 1 through to 9 but turned around to revisit some sites back along the route. With reason rains and snowmelt, there are quite a few "water crossings" along the router but really they are large puddles, biggest of which was 8-9 inches deep right at waypoint 6. None of the ATV/SxS rental companies have set up shop yet so it was a nice quiet trail.

Today Mile High Jeep Club Patrol 2 decided to run Bunce, Ironclads, and run down to T33 and Park Creek to see the gates are still closed. We had some fun on Ironclads with Razors, 4 wheelers rolling and Drunks fighting on the trail but once we got back onto Bunce the trail was pretty quiet. The rental companies setup a sign between area 6 and 7 that states NO razors beyond this point. This i certainly think helped because the amount of razors and 4 wheelers we encountered past this sign was easily cut by 80%. Couple of off camber spots that have been dug out a little worse than normal because of the mud and snow but nothing to extreme. Fun going through some of these tighter forest areas but as we moved towards T33 and Park Creek we encountered a jeep that had gone down to the gates and apparently there was no place to turn around do to snow. We decided to turn our 13 member group around in some empty camping spots and head back. Trail was fun, less razors, 4 wheelers and drunks made it way better. I look forward to doing these trails again in Late June i am now even considering doing a night run of these trails...... I think that could be real fun and we can avoid all the razor traffic.

Can anyone confirm if Bunce is open?

Snow turning to ice in the shaded areas of the trail.

The seasonal Gates have been closed. This closes the southern portion of the trail between Waypoints 12-14. You can still access the Northern end of the trail which remains open all year.

Some snow and ice, but surprisingly good traction aired down to 15 psi. Very busy with OHV rentals just about everywhere.

The seasonal gate is still currently open. The forest service told me on the 16th that it was open and did not give me an ETA for closure. I ran the trail on a wednesday, mid week, and it was still busy with rental OHVs. Not much snow or ice along the trail, probably the reason the seasonal gate is still open.

Stage 3 fire restrictions have been lifted as of 6am, 11/10/20. The forest is no longer fully closed. Areas within fire perimeters remain closed. See closure maps here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD844558 Expect winter conditions on trails. Some trails may be impassable due to snow.

A new Fire in Boulder County has put this area under evacuation orders per the county Sheriff's map. Nothing official from the Forest Service yet, but I expect that to come out tomorrow morning.

Heavy ATV traffic. Stock Gladiator Rubicon on 33's. No problems at all. Did scrap up a skid plate on a rock that was sticking up, but that was mostly just from not being careful. South end of trail was definitely getting interesting and a great time.

The southern section of trail was a nice challenge on a stock GX460.

Fully open, near the southern end of the trail things look a bit gnarlier than they actually are. Ran the trail with my Tacoma on 32" tires and rock sliders. There were a fair few side-by-sides and dirt bikes but they seemed to be pretty courteous. Fun trail to run with the IronClads Trail

Trail is definitely more challenging than last year. We ran it in 2 subarus last weekend..couple spots had lots more ruts than last year . Do not recommend doing the north end of bunce in a subaru with anything less than 2.5 inches of lift and skid plates . I have a 5inch lift and rear locker in mine on 30x9.5 . . Otherwise very busy trail. Mostly inexperienced utv and atv riders. Keep your eyes open.

It's a zoo.

Trail has been worn out a bit with all the UTV rentals. Snow is gone and a fair amount of deeper ruts and washout from the snow runoff that runs through the trails. Very busy with UTV rentals. Probably becoming more moderate than easy with all the heavy use.

This was a fun little trip. I parked by the highway, which I would suggest doing if there is space. We got to the trailhead at about 9:30 and I wish we would have been there about an hour earlier. There is a UTV rental business here and that meant that there were lots of idiots who thought they were at the Baja 500. No etiquette or respect for the country. This trail has some fun spots for climbing rocks, some water crossing and some beautiful scenery. We got to the end of the trail, the Camp Dick trail is closed for right now. We got out some chairs and just enjoyed the peace and quiet until some UTV renters had to blow through our relaxing spot. One of them had to spin out and throw dust and dirt all over the place. Later, on the drive back, found one of the renters who blew through us earlier, stuck in the middle of the road with a broken front axle and the front tire off to the side of the road. Karma was alive and well!!!! Overall, this is a fun trail. Some rougher spots and really pretty scenery. Get there early or during the week to get away from the UTV renters and enjoy some pretty country!

An easy trail that is definitely hard in the snow/slush. Had to winch up a few different times. Try and ride the snow high and hammer down and you'll be alright.

Just took my wife’s stock Kia Sportage and had a blast. Good amount of water from melting snow. Kids loved it

I went today and it was good at the beginning but later it get on deep snow passable on my stock Xterra PML but I decided to turn around bc some other told that the plane crash maybe close and i didn't want to risk and get stuck. Very fun for snow wheeling at this time.

Trail to the seasonal gate was surprisingly dry. No fresh snow appears to have fallen in awhile. The road was mostly dry with patches of snow/ice and some muddy water holes. The closer to the gate, the more snow. A lot of UTV rentals on the trail! A lot of recreational shooters on nearby spur roads also!

Lots of packed snow a few miles in, but no traction issues anywhere. Gate closed at Camp Dick. Great trail for a stock Tacoma.

Perfect trail for stock rigs and connects to some more difficult ones. Took the stock tj with open diffs, 33s and 2.5” lift. No issues at all.

The Bunce School Trail is an easy trail with high traffic. It’s a public road so there are residents that live off the trail and two companies that rent out ATVs and UTVs. Great trail for beginners that want a challenge. Surplus of areas to camp and shoot with some great views. If it’s not enough of a challenge go on up to the plane crash or ironclads.

Trail is completely clear, all snow pack is gone, South seasonal gates are completely open.

Trail is closed at the south end. We ran the trail from the North end up till somewhere between WP05 and WP06. This section is still snowed in. The snow is melting, but the large snowbanks are still sinking lots of folks. There were several self-recoveries and UTV recoveries going on when I got to the end. Most of the trail is clear, however. Good, tacky, moist dirt right now. No obstacles are being impeded by snow or ice (until the end).

Wish I had read the 4/21 entry before heading down the trail. I went to stretch the legs on my brand new stock 19 JLUR. I wasn't trying to get too crazy as I was alone. As the last review says, it gets nasty after the no UTV sign. I made it over 2 snow patches before deciding it was getting too bad and I needed to turn around. Unfortunately I had dropped off the second snow patch and ended up high centered trying to get back. All 4 wheels had zero traction. it took an hour and a half of stuffing rocks and branches under the wheels to get myself free. Without front and rear lockers I would have been hiking out. If you want to go past the sign I would highly recommend 35s or larger, lockers and a winch. And don't go it alone!

Started at waypoint 1, and headed south. The road was dry and easily passable. I turned off for the Ironclads loop, ran that (mostly dry and passable all the way through), and then started heading south on FS105 (marked 115 on TO) towards MSV. I soon ran into 2 stuck Jeeps, and a 3rd trying to pull one of the others out. That Jeep also got stuck, I was able to pull him back on to the dry trail. There was a sign placed by the UTV outfit advising people not to go any further from this point in the trail. The Jeeps were high centered on ice/snow just after this sign. I took the driver of one back to Denver, CO 4x4 Rescue & Recovery were called, and deployed later that night.

Ran Bunce School Road today with my brother, Rich, and nefew, Jon. We started from the Bunce School side. The side-by-side rental guy was set up at the ATV parking area and there were a few tacks ahead of us as we started out. There was not as much snow as I expected after the storms we had the past couple of weeks. There was 4-6 inches of old snow with an inch or two of new snow over it so we didn't bother to chain up right away. We made our way across the rolling hills without much trouble but, when we reached the steeper hills before the gate, it was very slick making it quite challeging. Eventually I gave in and chained up my back tires to make the last icy climb. Rich and Jon were able to get through without chains as they have lockers front and rear. When we got to the gate it was open and we met another Jeep coming toward us. He told us he had come up from Camp Dick so we decided to go on through. When we got to the first switchback going down into Camp Dick we found a side-by-side off the trail and about 20 feet down the steep embankment. It was one of the rentals and the kids driving it had been going too fast and slide off the end of the switchback. Fortunately it had not rolled and came to rest on a small, less-steep spot just down the hill. No one was hurt. We were able to winch it back up onto the trail. It had some damage but was drivable. The kids went on their way to limp the damaged side-by-side back to the rental guy, followed by two other side-by-sides that had come up from Camp Dick during the recovery and were heading that way anyway. We continued on down the switchbacks to Camp Dick and the end of the trail.

Ran this yesterday after T33. Honestly, it's in pretty bad shape. It's been getting more and more rutted. I'd give this a higher rating if it weren't for the UTV/ATV Basecamp at the trailhead. I don't think they teach their customers about the importance of trail etiquette and staying the trail. If your looking for a more secluded and peaceful day in the woods, I'd look elsewhere

Decent enough trail but like everyone else said, it's primarily used by ATVs and as such I had to pull over a LOT to let them through. Most of the trail is very easy but there was a spot between marker 6 and marker 5 that was pretty technical for how low this is rated. I don't know if it was because I came from the south but I have done several trails rated 5-6 and this obstacle was significantly bigger than anything on those trails. I was in a stock 4runner which normally shouldn't have any problems on something rated this low. Needless to say, it's another excuse to upgrade my vehicle soon!

This was a very fun trail, but the abundance of tourists on ATVs and side-by-sides made for a somewhat frustrating run. Most were completely unaware of trail etiquette and were driving way too fast in some parts. Though I agree with the trail rating, I would recommend some careful tire placement through the switchbacks near the Southern trailhead/Camp Dick. It's pretty rocky and steep, and could present some problems for stock vehicles.

This is a great starter trail. I started from Camp Dick and since Iʻm new to rocks (having moved here from Seattle) I decided to turn around at the first switchback and went around to the Bunce School entrance. Super easy from that direction. Dozens of ATVʻs and side by sides. Thereʻs a trick, the first right past the big parking area is a marked road 105A, and google maps shows it looping back to the schoolhouse. It doesnʻt. Instead it dead ends with a turnaround at a couple of gates. And that stretch is significantly more difficult with obstacles and a steep tight sidehill turn just before the turnaround. I scraped my stock ʻ15 JKU rubicon both in and out at the first obstacle. Spectacular views on the rest of the trail.

I ran this last night with my son and a friend of ours. A little rain fell with the thunderstorms which made for some fun puddle smashing. ATV/OHV traffic was unrelenting and most of their drivers had poor etiquette. I won't be going there in prime season again.

Traffic from the local utv/atv rental companies was in full swing. Started at the school and went all the way to camp dick with a side trip on ironclads. Congestion on the trail was causing people to pull of in less than ideal spot for people to get by. 03 tacoma TRD extended cap (265/75r16 open open)

Me and a group of four other people went to Bunce School Road this last weekend. We started at the trailhead and did ironclads. Ironclads was dry. We continued on our way down to Camp dick. The gate was closed and there was a giant mud hole with ice walls on both sides. I ended up needing a winch out. Do not run this Trail by yourself and make sure your vehicle is properly set up to handle getting in and out of ice walls. The gate is still closed heading down to Camp dick

Lots of good snow. Very busy with UTVs. Iron clad was partially open if you wanted obstacles

The north section is open year round, while the south gate as been locked for the season. Expect heavy snow and impassable situations.

Fun time cruising there is a few hard spots on the second branch off but main trail is easy

There was lots of ATV traffic from the ATV rental company. The seasonal gate was closed to Camp Dick campground. Drove to Camp Dick and spoke to the park ranger about the seasonal gate opening, she stated "Due to the heavy snow they received in May and the damage from trees down, she was not sure when FSR 105 Bunce School Road would be opening. Make sure to call the Boulder Rangers office before heading up to make sure seasonal gate is open.

Decided to go for a quick run on Sunday May 29th to make some repairs to Bunce School Road from people going Off Trail and damaging a meadow area. This was the first weekend that the entire trail was open after the long winter partial closure of the Park Creek/Camp Dick portion of the trail. There was no snow to be found anywhere on the trail (other than a couple drifts left in the trees off to the side), and almost completely dry. I have attached a couple pictures of the area that we spent a few hours blocking off to show you the damage that was being caused. PLEASE Stay the Trail, it is occurrences like this that we are fighting to keep our trails open!

The trail was very snow packed but drivable all the way to the seasonal gate, 3.9 miles from the north entrance off highway 7. The snow wasn't really that deep, but the fresh snow from the night before certainly covered a lot of ice on top of the dirt. Saw lots of traffic out of the trail.