Ice Cave Road

This trail has seen significant change due to all the rain. Between waypoints 8 and 9 the rutting and washouts are the most severe. A lower clearance vehicle may have issues with these washouts. The views from waypoints 5 and 6 are impressive. At waypoints 4 and 9 there are signs that say “do not doze” there are also quite a few painted arrows along the trail where I imagine the forest service might begin roadwork soon. This trail could see some significant change that may make it easier.

Rating this trail as easier, I say it is a strong 2/10. An AWD crossover could complete this trail so long as the driver is comfortable with washouts. No significant obstacles. Primary obstacles are some washouts. Great views and quite a few camping options varying from protected to exposed.

Went in a stock Tacoma with a buddy who is lifted 2” and on 33s in his Tacoma. There were 2 places which I think warrant a higher difficulty rating on this trail. One section before the shelf road my buddy went in too confident and drug his bumper. I picked my line and still ended up dragging. After the shelf road on the steep section I ended up needing my locker when we got stuck in some loose gravel in a washed out part of the trail. Really fun trail but definitely harder than anticipated.

Fun trail but the rating is pretty far off. It is easy 98% of the time. There are about five deep ruts from washout, and two of these require high clearance.

A fairly easy trail with a few washouts to look for. A very pretty run.

There were some pretty good ruts from all the rain lately, so having decent articulation would help out. Very foggy when we went out, but still very scenic.

Great loop trail (skipped WP 5-6). Nothing brutal and another great opp for scenic photos.

I can only speak for waypoints 9-12. We ran it backwards to scout a spur at waypoint 9. There are a few rutted sections near waypoint 10, that if they continue to worsen they could be their own waypoints. The trail was dry between 9-12.

Ran the 323/324 loop 4-9. 323 is completely dry and lovely. As you descend to the shelf portion, there are some sketchy spots still full of ice/slush. Nothing a stock 4WD can't handle, just be safe! Saw NO ONE ELSE during the entire run

North face is starting to get some snow pack. Overall way easier than expected and rated. Just a dirt loop with some slight grading and narrow bits.

North face is starting to get some snow pack. Overall way easier than expected and rated. Just a dirt loop with some slight grading and narrow bits.

Easy trail.

Did this trail as part of a group of trails in the area. This was a fun trail and I found it a bit easier then the trail rating suggests.

A very enjoyable, easy trail with lots of dispersed camping areas. We drove the entire loop on a Friday afternoon and did not see another soul either driving the road, or camping in any of the numerous spots along the way. The road was definitely showing signs of all the recent rain, but was still easily doable by any stock SUV. Around waypoints 3 -4 there were some good lookouts where you could see pretty far, plus a great place to stop and picnic on top of some very large granite outcroppings. We put this on the list of drives to take family members who are visiting, due to it's close proximity to our house and nice views.

I drove this loop to assess current conditions and provide an update. The roads (FS 323 and FS 324) are in good condition, generally. There are some ruts and exposed tree roots but nothing beyond the capability of a stock 4x4.

Easy trail with some great views of Pikes Peak and some other surrounding mountains. There were a few good spots to stop and have lunch or even camp at if you want to spend some extra time in the area.

Great day. Took some spurs on Ice Cave Rd to make it more challenging. Purposefully took harder lines on the spurs to test the articulation of the 4Runner. No snow or mud. Some ruts are deep - of course, take it slow. Stock 4Runners can definitely make it. We have a 3” lift and run 33’s.

This is a easy, fun trail with tons of great camping opportunities. There was zero snow or mud. There were only a few washed out ruts that required a little attention and clearance, but otherwise, it was smooth sailing. I had no trouble at all pulling my offroad trailer to camp at WP #5 for the night and then finishing out the trail the next day.

Trail is mostly dry with only small snow patches in the shade remaining. 323 spur was especially tight and littered with dead limbs and deadfall so the wife and I spent some time clearing. We also blocked an illegal bypass near WP8 that was used to avoid a short rutted portion of the trail. Please stay the trail. All in all a great day in the woods.

Local trail, the loop was open with some snow, but soft and there is traction. We were running low on time and didn’t do the spur.

Great trail with fantastic views. There were no drifts and only one shaded section had snow/ice. Still easily passable. Only the last few feet of the spur road were blocked by snow but most folks seem to use the roundabout near the end anyway. Even this will quickly melt out completely. '22 Gladiator 3.5" lift with 37" but can easily be done with much less.

Took my 21 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon on Ice Cave Road. Just before waypoint 4 the snow started getting thick. Well over a foot deep in some areas and we ended up having to winch ourselves up to waypoint 4. We skipped waypoints 5 and 6 due to the snow. From waypoints 7-10 the snow got up to about 2-3 feet deep and we had to winch out multiple times! Took about 3 hours to get through the trail. The views at the first campsite and the scenic curve are impressive. Getting to those areas was easy and worth it if you’re in the area.

Some beautiful views on this trail. There was an icy spot or 2 that you needed to take it easy on when traveling counter clockwise as it was downhill. Other than that a pretty easy straightforward trail.

Trail is still open and passible. Snow is mostly packed and had little to no issues with snow. On the outside of the loop, stopped to make sure friends were in good shape and slid to the hillside a bit. Other than that no issues and able to wheel around without issue.

Fun trail, completed the loop counter clock wise which seemed a little easier on some of the obstacles as they were downhill rather than up. Overall everything was passable in stock Rubicon without much effort. Some areas got a little more fun from a technical but nothing crazy. Would need some clearance though for the last half. There is a Fun little gravel quarry to the right about half way around. Good place to get some short inclines and play around a bit. Would be accessible to lower clearance vehicles if not trying to do the full loop. Overall traffic was pretty low and we had a good time tooling through the trail. Completed stock 2019 JLU Rubicon, 33" tires.

Easy trail that still keeps your attention. So many great campsites along the loop. The trail is narrow with a few switch backs on fs323 while fs323 is on top of the foothill and offers great views.

This was my first time running this trail, as well as any other trail in the area. It's not technical, but offers great views in spots, and some pretty awesome camping areas as well. Beware the washboard sections of Rampart Range Road, though...nearly rattled the teeth out of my head. :-)

Fun little loop off Rampart and back... beautiful scenery and not technical although narrow at points. Awesome camping just off the road.

Ran it today, 5/23. Trail was packed (camping wise) but only saw one other vehicle on our loop. Was tight in some spots but my Raptor cleared just fine. Fun loop, great views and nice forested trails. Not very technical but rated at a moderate trail. Ruts present through out. Easily done in stock truck/ jeep.

This past Saturday my wife and I spent the day Jeeping and hiking off the Winding Stairs / Ice Cave Creek loop in Rampart Range. After pulling a sedan out of a ditch along Rampart Range Road with my winch, we hiked a lesser known trail to the Sidney Harrison plane crash site from the 1950s, where a military pilot got lost in a snowstorm and crashed. Most people hike up from Palmer Lake, but we hiked down the much shorter route from FR 324.B (5 miles round trip vs. 10). We only saw a couple people at the crash site, and none on the trail. We then explored the cool rock formations and overlooks at the ends of FR 323 and FR 324.B. The roads were completely clear of snow, the views were spectacular, and we found quite a few people camping on FR 323. It is such a shame that the Forest Service plans to close both of these amazing roads in the proposed travel management plan for the Pike National Forest, cutting off access to all these amazing locations.

I ran portions of 325, 324, and 324.B with CORE on Feb 16. No one except a couple snowmobiles had been back there in quite a while, and we were breaking trail through deep snow the whole way. It was a blast, and some of the best snow bashing anyone in our group had done this winter. We successfully made it to the end of 324.B, but turned around on 324 and decided not to run the full loop, as we were worried we would not be able to make it back out of the valley in the middle of the loop. This trail should currently be considered impassable except for the most well-equipped groups prepared for serious snow wheeling. Chains likely required. Don't go alone!

Drove 323/324 loop as part of our club's support to the Pikes Peak Ranger District (USFS) and their annual Christmas tree cutting program. The road is open and snowy; on the "back side" near Waypoints 7 and 8, there are spots with 16" to 18" of snow. This is a great snow-run, but don't go alone....go with a buddy rig or several rigs, and be prepared for the possibility of slipping off the road and getting stuck. Last weekend (Sunday, December 8th) a driver went in there alone and got stuck.

Fun little loop off of Rampart Range. Decided to take a little drive from the Springs to Monument the long way:). Took this little loop. Any vehicle with 4wd would do fine on this trail. Some ruts. I’d call it a 2, not a 3

Started out simple enough, but don't be fooled. Maybe too early to ride this trail. 4" lift, 32" tires, locking rear differential, still got stuck in fresh untracked snow several times. Found myself having to winch myself down a long hill just to find a place to turn around, only to winch myself right back up. 4-star review based on the fact that, if it had been driveable, it would have been a beautiful drive.

I was on the Rampart Range with my local Toyota club to support the USFS/Pikes Peak Ranger District during the annual Christmas tree cutting weekend (two weekends actually, first two weekends of December each year). Two of my club member buddies drove the 323/324 loop and said it was snowy but open and easy to drive. They both drive FJ40 Land Cruisers, both on 33x10.5 tires.

Something easy and fun for anyone with a 4x4. First section is open with some views and occasional pul out for camping. As you work you way in you encounter some ruts from water runoff... when the trail splits the right spur gets alittle tighter and the pay off is some amazing views, the left spur works its way down into a nice valley and back out.

Ran Ice Cave Road (FS Road 323/324) Loop as part of a patrol on roads for the Forest Service's annual Christmas tree cutting event. Conditions are relatively dry, give the last snow was on November 17-18, 2017. The only place where there was significant snow remaining was in vicinity of Waypoint 8. This area remains in shadow this time of year, so the snow hasn't melted like elsewhere along the trail.

We ran numerous trails on the Rampart Range in support of the U.S. Forest Service and the annual Christmas Tree cutting activity. Our club patrols the Forest Service Roads and provides assistance to the occasional motorist who gets stuck. Weather was good, though windy, so it was slightly colder than expected. Trail conditions were good on most trails--snow covered but no issues with traction.

We were out on 324 looking for a tree for the annual Pike National Forest tree cutting. The snow pack was good and the area well traveled. 4WD is needed to get through here now though, the snow has taken. (Pike National Forest Christmas Tree Permits Are Required!! Click Here For Information.