Ironclads

Ran this trail today and it was awesome. That said, I did my research and expected a challenge but it was a bit harder than I anticipated, more like a 6/7 than a 5/6. Rocky Hill at waypoint 8 is 100-200 yards of very challenging rocks. Large boulders, large gaps, and narrow lines that force you to make some difficult choices. In two spots I slid off a rock on my chosen line, hit hard but thankfully no damage. Very glad I went, good day, good group. JLUXR on 35's with a 3 inch lift.

Trail has changed quite a bit over the years. Overuse is really starting to show. The loop portion is really rocky, and the hard turn is definitely something you need to pay attention to. I personally wouldn't take a new driver up this trail, even in a capable vehicle. You really need to know what you are doing and have a good feeling for your vehicle so you don't incur any damage. There are several optional obstacles, but users need to understand, you can't just drive anywhere you want on this trail. It is NOT an open OHV area.

This was a pretty cool trail. I liked the level of challenges, hard enough to make you think, but not crazy body damage level. Just wear good shoes so you don't eat it when you're out of the jeep running around, the trail is loose cheese grater rocks!

Trail is a fair challenge at the moment but plenty of fun as well. I'd definitely recommend having one locker at a minimum to help with all the ledges and loose rock sections. As another reviewer mentioned, there is an unnamed off camber rock turn which can easily put the side of your vehicle into the tree if you're not careful.

I swear this trail never disappoints. Ran it in my XJ on 33"s with 5.5" lift and brother in law's Jl Rubicon on 35"s. I kissed the dif a few times but overall not bad. The off camber ledges are getting a little sketchy compared to previous years.

This was my first time running this trail and am unable to compare it to how it was before this year. With that said, I do not see how this is anywhere close to a 3 rating. The uphill portion (running counter-clockwise) is very narrow and washed out with multiple unavoidable obstacles that I would rate at minimum a soft 5. Once you make it all the way around the loop and heading downhill, there is a very off camber switchback that is unavoidable that also makes this trail feel like it should be rated a 5. The last obstacle is easy to avoid and the 6 rating seems accurate. Skids and rails are highly recommended, I hit my front skid 2 or 3 times, and was able to avoid using the rails. Very happy to finish this trail without body damage.

Ran the trail on a clear day before the rain moved in. Some puddles on the way up Bunce School. Didn't think the marked obstacles were too stressful with my minimal experience at this point. Did have some issue on a unnamed/unnumbered obstacle at the sharp right before Waypoint #7 (running CCW). High line was tippy (other trail runner report 27 degrees of camber) and low line put me in a tree root (see photo for damage). Probably another option for the obstacle but didn't stick around to find out. There is certainly an option to miss the shelf at Waypoint #7 (with the 6 challenge rating) but I don't think the mandatory obstacles would rate as low as a 3 (I would probably call it a 4 or 5). Trail is overall fun with some interesting technical bits, but no real hiking or 'things to see.'

This trail is very rocky. It was hard to find the correct path because there are so many different lines and the trail guide isn't very specific. There are some fun obstacles and the playground is fun.

The Ironclads are a ton of fun! The Ironclads are accessible from the northern Bunce School Road. The heavy rains have left several shallow water pools leading to and in the Ironclads. There is one large water pool that is about 16” deep on the way with a solid bottom – check it prior to entering as the depth may change with rain and snow melt. The alternative path around the water pool is fine. There is no snow or ice. The trail is rated a 3, it is more like a 5 regardless of optional difficulty. The soil is damp, with limited mud; the rocks are covered with large sand gravel that may cause tires to slip. The heavy rains have led to some erosion and created new obstacles. Around waypoint 5, the erosion has left an obstacle that will require you to be very aware of your tire placement. There is no way to avoid this obstacle, the road is too narrow for any bypass. You must have grip on your tires to prevent sliding into a very deep rut. I suggest having a vehicle with high clearance, air-downed, and adequate traction. I did it in my Jeep Wrangler with a 4” lift, 33” all-terrain tires, no lockers, in mostly 4-wheel low, and 20 psi. You should air down prior to entering the spur, if not, do it right after way point 1.

Trail obstacle pictures are accurate but not the hardest spots anymore. Very washed out now. Better have sliders at the minimum

Trail has very few small patches of snow left hanging around. Nothing to worry about in the least. Trail is 90% dry with just a few wet spots due to melting snow. No reason not to go out and enjoy the trail!

Fresh snow on Iron Clads but not icy underneath. It seems like it was probably pretty dry prior to the snow last weekend. Successfully ran the whole loop in the Counter-Clockwise direction, but had reports from other people later in the day having run it the other way as well. I made it all the way around in my 2000 Frontier, no lockers, no chains, no winching, but it was definitely a challenge. Other guy has a built Rubicon on 35s , lockers, hydro, etc, and was able to take all the optional lines as well without too much issue. Have fun out there!

I went snow wheeling on it today a lot of fun. The area was a mess and a lot of trash everywhere, especially near the rock climbing areas. We bailed around waypoint 3 due to the snow. I have a Tacoma with a 3in lift. Going to come back when the snow melts.

Good trail. The spot at way point 7 is pretty tricky, but we navigated with a stock JL. I wouldnt suggest it, but we made it.

Most rigs can pretty easily get to the playground area. Either way after the split gets impassable pretty quickly. If you go right you can get to the little rocky overlook but right after the is a long off camber washout climb. At the top is impassable drifts and where I turned around as other rig was already being recovered. To the right gets impassable right after the shelf if you can even climb up it right now.

About 20" of snow on trail with ice sheet underneath the snow, we (Tacoma OR, and Nissan Frontier both lifted with lockers) only made it about 1/4 of the way...too slick! Nice sunny day though

Made it just passed the split for the loop In either direction. The snow quickly became too deep to continue.

Super fun trail with lots of obstacles. Ran the loop counter clockwise without issue however on the way down from the peak I used my rock sliders a lot. Only came across two groups of sidexsides so not bad.

Ran this trail solo. 2 inch lifted Toyota Tundra on 35 inch BFG tires. Very doable but not easy. I was the only one on the trail. A few campers were setup near the entrance but once you enter the loop I did not see a single soul. The loop is where things get dicey. I ran almost the entire trail without a spotter. I hit my sliders maybe 6-8 times. If you follow the signs and run the loop counter clockwise there’s a tree root on the end of the loop that was difficult to avoid in a full sized pickup. I ended up with a pretty big dent from that root. I did not air down but I do regret no doing so. I did slip in some areas and might have avoided the root if I had aired down to 15 or so. Fun trail. Took maybe 30-45 minutes. I loved it.

Great run, trail was dry no snow, a few dispersed campers great day to run this trail no razors and or 4wheelers

Trail was in great shape, ran it counter-clockwise. Was mostly a test run for a friends stock Ford Ranger Tremor. Truck faired well only kissing the rocks on the rails and skid plates a few times and getting it to about 25 deg off camber on the switch back. This trail has changed a lot since the last time I was up there a few years ago. Erosion has definitely run its course as some of the ledges are way taller than I remember. I had a blast in my XJ and was very impressed at how capable that little Ranger was. Brother was on his 4 wheeler and had a blast with no issues either.

This was a fun trail, but probably at the limits of my mostly stock truck (slightly larger tires). Between waypoints 2 and 3 there is a natural set of "gate keepers" and my rig came close to scraping on the way up, and definitely knocked on the way down so use caution (picture 1). The entrance and some of the trails have some washout as well. I was by myself so I didn't complete the loop but it was still a very fun day!

Muddy but open and a fun trail! Will be back to play on the optional obstacles later this summer!

So today we decided to do Bunce, Ironclads, and then potentially drive over to T33 and Park Creek to see that they are closed for sure. Entering Bunce we drove over into Peaceful valley and turned into camp dick. 50 feet off the main road is a pile of snow 3 feet deep burying the entrance gate to camp dick. So Bunce cannot be accessed from Peak to Peak side. Entering bunce we immediately followed the right hand path and turned straight onto Ironclads. We started the trail around 10am and we were already behind the 8 ball watching rental companies dropping off razors (approx 40) at the trail head and watching 20 cars and SUVs with California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas plates parking at the trailhead and renting Razors to go up. We headed up ironclads and proceeded to the loop passing several teardrop, rooftop, and tent campers on the right hand side. The 10 vehicles we started with proceeded to the loop and chose to follow the RH path because up to the left several razors had gotten into a hill climb that they were struggling with on the left. We followed the loop around the right all the way up to the first stair climb. Here we got some great picts and videos Of Mile High Jeep Club Patrol 2 members warming up there skills...... we proceeded up to second obstacle more towards the top that was a simple rock climb that crests and goes down the other side. Both of these obstacles had simple drive arounds. We got to the top of the loop and proceeded down the other side only to be plagued by razors constantly trying to pass sometimes off trail at high speeds and recklessly. coming down we got to a hard right hand switchback and while waiting for everyone to catch up witnessed a 4 wheeler come flying up the hill sliding sideways and almost rolling in front of us. He raced up to me and yanked off to the downhill side and stopped. He was followed by 2 other four wheelers. I pulled up next to him and told him we have 12 more vehicles coming down and with these blind switchbacks you might want to be careful. He said yeah i got you. I passed him and no sooner had i done it he jerked back up on the road and started tearing up the trail again. He made it 30 feet the next vehicle in our group came around the corner and he lost control and rolled his 4 wheeler down the mountain. Thank god the young child he had on the back was wearing his helmet because well this accident could have been really bad. We stopped asked him if he was OK he replied yes. We told him we have a first responder in our group and we can provide 1st aid, he refused. We decided to leave him to his own devises and proceeded down to beginning of the loop and had lunch. While sitting at lunch a beat up CJ stopped in the trail above us and a four wheeler ran into him. A fight ensued and we thought we were gonna have to break up 2 friends who proceeded to scream and yell obscenities at one another while grabbing more beers from there cooler. The Trail was great our group had a good time wheelin this trail. The razors,4 wheelers and the drunks made it somewhat uncomfortable. going up the left side of the loop would make this trail much harder i think with snow and water on the trail. However the stair steps going up the right made for some great off camber picts and videos.

Awesome day on the trail. Tons of side by sides zipping around but they were all courteous and shared the trail well. Still quite a bit of snow so I was sliding a little. I got to a big ledge that I didn't think I could make over cleanly in a JT with only a 1.5" leveling kit and no spotter to help so I turned around there. Beautiful scenery and fun obstacles.

Overall the trail is in pretty good shape for it being this late in the season. Snowy up there but still passable. The only super icy section was the hill climb up to waypoint 3. We were able to get up with some skinny pedal and momentum. We had two trucks on 33"+ tires and lockers. Only drawback was the crazy amount of rental rzr's. Lots of inexperienced drivers not giving proper right of way and trying to pass us while we're on obstacles. Probably didn't help that it was a holiday weekend.

Lower section fairly clear with snow and ice on upper section. Surprisingly good traction aired down to 15 psi with JLUR on 37's. Very busy with OHV rentals just about everywhere.

Ran the trail in my 4runner and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (neither stock). Winter conditions on the trail. We aired down to 15 psi. Made the entire loop going counter clockwise. Although, there were a couple spots I had to make a few attempts.

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.

2000 Frontier, no lockers, 33's, 2" liftt, Green 1999 4Runner, rear locker, 32's, 4" lift, and Gold 2001 4Runner, no lockers, 33's, 4" lift - I've run this a few times this summer with several different guys. Always a good time. I believe the higher end rating is primarily for "The Step" a WP7. The Step is no joke. Can't quite capture it in photos, but it's pretty large and taking the left line is going to give you some pretty big wheel lift on the driver front wheel. It's a very committing line in an IFS vehicle (insert Jeep guys laughing right here). Take it easy, pick your lines, and use a spotter if you can! GO ON A WEEK DAY! This can't be said enough. I ran it really early in the morning on Saturday both times I've done it this year and was off the trail by 8am at the latest.

I ran this in a Land Cruiser 100, 33's, 2.5-inch lift with sliders and skid plates. The area was very busy with rental ATVs (as is the norm). Bunce is very busy. This was the second time I've been on this trail, but the first I time driving. (I found the first time less enjoyable as the driver apparently was unfamiliar with the slow as you can fast as you need to approach and took every opportunity to smack me in the head with the interior their Jeep). That aside, it's a great place to get out for a short trail with options ranging from moderately challenging to pretty difficult. For the most part, it's not terribly challenging with the exception of the rock ledge near the end of the loop (running the normal counter clockwise direction). The ledge ranges from about 20 to 30+ inches high with a slightly off camber approach and is wide enough to offer a number of lines. It could be a bit of a clencher for newer drivers. The rock playgrounds offer the opportunity to try more difficult terrain but are completely optional. If this trail was twice as long I would have given it 5 stars.

Really fun trail and challenging for someone relatively new to off-roading. We were able to make it through carefully picking our lines. I probably wont run this trail again until i have more under-body protection, mild lift and potentially larger tires. Ran the trail with my Tacoma (32" tires and rock sliders), made it but the ledge was a bit too close for comfort. Would strongly recommend this trail.

No snow. As challenging as you want it to be.

This trail was perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive. No issues with a wider, full size.

Tried it 3 months ago, Now is better No snow, wet and kinda busy. Pushed my stock Xterra to the limits but this time I made it.

Lots of fun! pretty busy but everyone was courteous and moved around each other well. Looking forward to exploring this area more. Thanks do this site and peoples reviews for all the helpful information!

Went today on my Stock 02 Xterta PML done. And It was so much snow I made it not to far fron the step started bc the amount of snow. I wish I could get up but there's a hill bit ice and snow that didn't let my rig made it.

The FS has been doing a ton of mediation work along this trail to keep users on the trail, and yet there were still off trail tracks in area. Please keep your machine on the trail. Iron Clads is surprisingly dry. Getting to the playground there was one stretch of uphill snow that was extremely icy, but with momentum from the bottom it wasn't a big deal. Please refrain from creating a new path through the trees to get up the hill. The playground area was bone dry! The loop around the top was mostly snow packed and extremely icy on both ends. Use caution.

97 Tj 3” with 33s and no lockers....Great trail for intermediate rock crawling. Prbly wouldn’t try it with a stock vehicles with any less then 33s. Perfect starter trail for those getting into rock crawling. Good for those wanting to learn line choices and basic rock crawling skills.

My wife and I completed in less than an hour in '18 JL w/3" lift & 35s; fairly challenging, OK views (they're good, but there's much better from other trails in the area), well-maintained. Main reason I downgraded the trail is because of traffic; apparently there's a rental service (for people visiting Estes Park) that rents out 4-wheelers and other vehicles and it was very busy, even on a week-day. I can't imagine what it would be like on a weekend. We also completed T-33 site this day (see separate review) and I would recommend it much more (challenging, a great...forgive me for calling it that...crash site at the turn-around point, and very little traffic). T-33 takes much more time than Ironclads. Oh, one last thing....maybe we missed it or they've temporarily closed it...but we never saw the entrance to the optional 216A off the Ironclads loop (216) that's supposed to be more challenging.

Ironclad is a fun trail. Fairly easy up to the big rock formation and then gets more challenging after that. I wouldn't recommend anything stock past that point. We had a fun group do the trail. I have a '09 Tacoma with a 3 inch lift and 33 inch tires. Our group had some Jeeps, a Hummer H3, and a lifted Silverado. Good views at the rock formations.

Great trail to start to figure out harder obstacles. The trail has loads of bypasses and there are very few obstacles that a stock 4Runner of similar couldn't get past with a bypass. We ran this in an armored 4 door Wrangler and it was loads of fun. I would highly reccomend it for drivers try to expand their skills!

No snow on trail. Had a lot of fun, i have a 2009 jk unlimited with 2.5 inch lift and made it ok over everything. There are a couple of tough spots that are fun!

Ran Ironclads in the Clockwise direction. Trail is snow free. There are a few spots with water flowing on the trail. Dirt was tacky and damp. Played around on some of the playgrounds and they are plenty of fun. A lot of people were cutting off the trail near the summit where the old spur is now closed. Please do not do this. The play grounds are good fun, as is the rest of the trail complex surrounding Bunce School Road. Stay on the trail.

Passable all the way through. I took the loop backwards (clockwise). I did see some snow coming down from the top on the second half of the loop. Slow and steady going down in 4lo, it was no problem. 05' 4Runner, 33" K02s. There were a handful of side by sides running the trail. When I finished the Ironclads loop, I headed south on FS105 (marked 115 on TO) towards MSV. I 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. 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.

I drove down from where I live in Fort Collins to run the trail at night last week. The trail was relatively snow-free except for the top loop where I ended up having to flip a U-turn due to ice and my 4LO not engaging. There was a person truck camping up before the steep portion (where you go right and its a rock face to climb or left is the bypass) and the sites looked pretty clean and ready for primitive camping this year. Overall, it is a great trail and the GPX will always be on my Garmin and phone!

Did this with a group, going clockwise on the loop (opposite of the way described here). Conditions were dry and dusty. The main obstacle is getting up the shelf. The right side (if you're going clockwise) is the easiest but probably requires stacking rocks if you don't have a rear locker, and is more rutted out than it has been in the past. The most incredible thing was watching someone else with a new Ranger Rover do it on street tires.

Super fun trail. I'd definitely watch your tire placement and carefully pick your lines if you're running a stock vehicle, but most of the obstacles are still pretty stock-friendly. I run a stock 2000 Land Cruiser on 33" Duratracs, and didn't really have any issues throughout the trail, but I did need to stack some rocks on the "step rock" obstacle, in order to avoid scraping the undercarriage. This trail was a welcome addition to Bunce School Road, especially considering that most tourists on side-by-sides weren't willing to try the Ironclads. :-)

Ran this today coming off Bunce. Was a bit slick in spots coming down, but no issues. Fun time and continued on to T33. 2014 JKUR, 33", 3.5" lift.

Trail was very dry and dusty. Ruts are decently deep for a stock vehicle and there are a few areas that are quite challenging and requred a second attempt. 03 tacoma TRD extended cab stock suspension 265/75r16 open open

Woo wee. This trail was HARD today, the final loop anyway. Everything was really rutted out and I was constantly on 3 wheels while hill climbing and descending. The biggest step (part of the loop) is really rutted out and more intense than the video shows. The final loop easily earned the "6" portion of the difficulty rating today.

The trail was in great shape and not very dusty for as dry as it has been in Colorado. We visited on a Saturday and it was very busy with ATV and UTV traffic. Because there are not very many trail open yet, it seems that the few that are open have concentrated use. There is an ATV rental company out of Estes Park that was using the area and rental machines were abundant on the trail. If you go, please pack an extra patience to take along on your trip. Most of the rental patrons are unfamiliar with trail etiquette. Without that extra load of patience, frustration will ruin a perfectly good day.

Ran Ironclads with the NORAC crew. Trail was snowy and muddy over all. Couple sections of ice, but nothing one can't manage if they are careful. The crew ended up recovery a UTV that went off the trail about 250 feet. Just be careful when traveling the back country. Don't go alone and make sure to bring supplies if you do get stuck.

First time on Ironclads with my FJC and RTT. Made it thru the entire trail without any close calls to the RTT. Chose to take the ledge at the end rather than the bail out as the bail out had low hanging branches for the RTT.

We ran Bunce School Road to ironclads from the Bunce School Road trailhead. Everything was 95% dry with no bad icy or snowy sections. It was super fun. Go get some!!