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Johnny Park Road
Trail Information
Status
Open
Distance
5.57 mi
Nearest Town
Estes Park
Management Agency
Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest
District
Canyon Lakes Ranger District
Highlights
Johnny Park Road lies on the outskirts of the majestic Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, providing stunning views of the towering Longs Peak rising into the sky at 14,259' and the smaller peak, Mount Meeker at 13,916'. As you venture through the forest, you will experience patches where the trees give ways to the sky, exposing quite a few scenic vistas as well as dispersed camping opportunities. It's proximity to Boulder, and the Front Range makes this trail hard to beat if you are on a time constraint - as it offers beautiful sights and sounds, and a bit of challenge for all drivers.
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Tim Palmer
Official Crew
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Starting Point
Lyons, Colorado
Take Colorado Highway 66 from Lyons toward Estes Park to mile marker 10. Turn left (west) onto Larimer County Road 47 (Big Elk Meadows) and continue for about 3.5 miles to a fork in the road. Johnny Park Road begins here at the left (south) fork.
Trail Reviews
4.7/5 (57)
Open
Visited: 09/17/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Stock Gladiator Rubicon with 35s. Really enjoyed this trail. The rock gardens towards the start of the trail looked harder than they ended up being. But, I do think they warrant a 4 for mandatory especially with some of the rutting that appears to be fairly recent. Number of good places to camp with some great views. Loved driving towards Meeker and Longs peak the last part as they were beautiful on this sunny day. Trail was pretty busy for an early Sunday morning but tons of pullouts so no issues. Might be a good one to stay away from during the busy times.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/08/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Insanely fun trail with tons of rock gardens and many lines through them for mild to wild. I went on a Friday and it was jam packed with other rigs, ATVs, dirt bikes, and SxS. I think this trail is definitely a mandatory rating of 4 but would agree with the optional rating of 5. With a stock 4Runner I was able to minimally scrape but I was glad I had armor when I did.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 08/15/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
TRIL GUIDE WAS AS ADVERTISED. THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME OUT WITH MY 2015 4D RUBICON AND IT ATE THE MOUNTAIN UP, LOVED IT !
Open
Visited: 08/09/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Fun trail did for first time today. Love the views of longs peak
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 08/06/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Sweet trail, close to town. The trail is mostly on good condition. The UTVs are digging out holes in some of the rock gardens, but there's easy to avoid. I hit some of the moderate options, super fun.
Open
Visited: 07/29/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Love it
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 07/16/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Fun trail that's not too far out of the way. The rocky parts at the beginning are the hardest part, but have multiple line options and a bypass. Saw multiple SxS and dirt bikes out today.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/26/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Definitely more difficult than a 3. Solid 4, most obstacles were an easy 5. Fun trail!!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/26/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Rode Johnny Park Rd 6/26/23 12pm. Perfect weather. Only passed 3-4 jeeps and 2 sxs. Trails Off Road directions to the trail head parking are spot on. I appreciated the ease of parking at the trailhead and the ability to simply do a wide u-turn with my suv and trailer when leaving. I like how the trail gives you choices if you want moderate or challenging sides of the trail, and you do have to plan ahead and choose quickly if you're going faster than a crawl. I enjoyed the workout, my atv handled the challenging parts with ease. I wish there was better signage to help you stay on the main trail when coming downhill, and not take a dead end off shoot by mistake, but that's fine, as I came across some nice views had I not explored everything. Would I take my wife on the back of my atv? Probably not, as the challenging boulder parts of the trail might not be fun with 2up on an atv.
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Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/19/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Overall great trail for beginners to get a feel for rock crawling with little to no worry about any really difficult spots. I would prbly recommend 33s or larger for some of the sections. We breezed through in a gladiator on 40s with minor fender rub here and there. Fun trail with some good sized puddles from all the rain. Highly recommend.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/19/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Ran it from Lyons to Allenspark and it's amazing how much the trail changes in just a year. The bypasses for waypoints 3 and 4 are getting to be in rough shape. I think the bypass for waypoint 3 is getting to be more off-camber as the years go by and the bypass for waypoint 4 is having some bad erosion issues at the moment and looks to be something that would throw stock rigs on 3 wheels. Everything else was par for the course with some fun articulation lines that really push the limits of your suspension. The views from this trail never fail to disappoint.
Open
Visited: 06/16/2023
The trail is now open for the season!
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 06/15/2023
Many trails in the high country remain closed due to snow pack and potential for resource damage. This trail is on that closed list. We'll keep you updated about conditions and road status as they change.
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 12/07/2022
Went up on Sunday and the gate was closed at the trailhead.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/22/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Very fun trail, just a couple obstacles lead to a ton of amazing camp sites.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
An excellent trail, perfect to start really working your line choice, especially with lower clearance vehicles. This is most certainly no longer a 3. A solid 4. You absolutely need clearance of 11 inches or more if you don't want to have any concerns of possible underbody scrapes. Rock garden bypasses are doable with lower clearance, with time and line choice. Made it through in a Bronco Sport Badlands. The hardest mandatory part seems to be near waypoint 6 towards the western point of the trail, where it has become quite eroded with lots of loose rock, steep, and decent rock obstacles sticking up in spots that make it very difficult to pass over without better clearance. Did not come across any 4x4 stock vehicles on this trail, all modified and lifted.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/12/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Great trail with plenty of camping. Clear sky’s with minimal cloud cover. Saw two other vehicles on the trail for a Wednesday. Completed this mostly in two wheel drive except for a couple of rock gardens.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/19/2022
Really fun! Took less than the estimated time. I went on a Monday afternoon and hardly saw anyone else, only issue was driving into the sun. I was taking the bypasses, but the bypass at the second rock climb wasn’t significantly better than the main obstacle and might be closer to a 4 at that point, but probably works as a good gatekeeper.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/11/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Check out the shot from drone! This trail was a blast. It rained a day earlier so we found a few puddles to get dirty in. Great views along the way. At the end of the trail you can go up the parachute hill (or something like that). There are quite a few places that are more challenging if you want them to be but there is generally a reasonable bypass. We had our 2 door Rubicon and my Daughter and Son in law followed in their base unmodified Gladiator. I scraped in a couple places and they did in a couple more. We stopped a lot and were still done in about 5-6 hours.
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Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/17/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Fun easy trail. Done in a stock JLUR. Took longer than assumed by this site, but, I drive a lot slower than most. A lot of really nice disbursed camp spots on this trail. I'm looking forward to doing it again and camping. Some spots with great views, never get tired of looking at mountains. I love the fresh mountain air too!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/04/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
Super fun trail not to far from Lyons. Great place to take someone new to wheeling because of all the bypasses. The high rating might be a little over exaggerated, I was able to do all the difficult lines with 33s and a rear locker with no issues.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/03/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
I love this trail; it's on the upper edge of what I'm comfortable doing on my ADV motorcycle. Honestly, I don't think the low-end rating of 3 is accurate anymore as the trail is getting more eroded. I think the low end is now 4. I think the optional rating of 5 is spot on. Lots of traffic, but the views were superb. Highly recommend.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/02/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
good trail for noobs Only scaped a few times there are only a few fun stops on this trail like the rock climbs made it with a stock gladiator I think it is a bit easier than posted plus there are bypasses to the more difficult obstacles still had fun recommend
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/17/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Fun trail! The obstacles weren't necessarily challenging but still provided a bit of fun (33" tires with a 2.5" lift for reference). I didn't need to use my rear locker but had a good time crawling around in 4LO. There was plenty of dispersed camping with some sites being barely large enough for a single vehicle and others being able to accommodate small groups. Overall, it is a trail I would definitely do again if I'm ever in the area and looking for something to kill some time on.
Open
Visited: 06/17/2022
According to the Canyon Lakes Ranger District, this trail is open for the season!
Open
Visited: 06/16/2022
According to the forest service, this trail is open. I didn’t run the trail today so I can’t speak to the condition.
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 12/01/2021
Closed for the season! See you in 2022!
Open
Visited: 10/17/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Ran this trail with a slightly lifted Tacoma without any issues. It was a beautiful day and great views.
I managed to accidentally leave my air compressor and air gauge on the road near the end (toward Estes Park). If anyone finds it, let me know!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/17/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Run in a stock 5th gen 4Runner on 10/17/21. Some patches of snow around the trail, but for the most part the trail itself was dry.
Not to crowded, great views of Long's peak/Meeker, lots of dispersed camping.
The difficulty rating is pretty accurate. All the challenging obstacles have bypasses and taking the bypasses any stock high clearance 4x4 should be fine.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/24/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Still one of my favorite for middle of the road technicality. Close to home and one of the least busy trails I run but that might just be luck.
Open
Visited: 09/18/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Took a side trip on our way up to Estes for lunch. Expected the trail to be busy but we're presently surprised. Had no issues in my TJ. Couple of rocky areas that we enjoyed the challenge but most of those areas have either a bypass or easier line. I'd say the rating is pretty spot on. Another week and the color change is going to be amazing, it was just starting to turn today.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/06/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Ran the trail from East to West. Had to use my lockers once, but overall the trail wasn't a problem for a mostly stock 4Runner.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/25/2021
Went up E to W on my Stock Tacoma Long bed, Very juice trail, If not well calculated Stock Vehicles would touch their lower bodies, Used locker twice, A Raptor was behind me so a Raptor can make this trail too.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/22/2021
Awesome trail, with a great mix of scenery and fun terrain. I think the high-end rating of 5 is spot on, but even with the bypasses, I think it's harder than a 3. So if you are in stock, high clearance 4x4, careful wheel placement will be required and a bad line could lead to a rock kissing any low hanging bodywork.
Open
Visited: 06/20/2021
Ventured out on Johnny Park for a beautiful father's day in the mountains. The trail was is great shape and temperatures hovered around 65 degrees making for a great afternoon. The trail was a little crowded with quads, dirt bikes and other jeepers. Right now, Johnny Park is one of only a few trails that are open in Northern Colorado's front range because of last year's Cameron Peak Fire. It was great to finally get out on a trail.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/19/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Father’s day weekend run. It was busy but a fun trail to introduce new people to.
Open
Visited: 06/16/2021
I contacted the local District ranger this morning. She advised that the trail is now open. Happy wheeling!!!
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 06/15/2021
Although this trail is scheduled to open annually on June 15, the USFS still shows it closed for the season. We will keep this guide updated as USFS information becomes available.
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 12/04/2020
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 11/21/2020
Ran west to east with a few others and then back west to get home (I live near Meeker park). It was clear of snow and there was a decent amount of traffic
Temporary Closure
Visited: 10/01/2020
Due to the Cameron Peak forest fire, The USFS has closed the entire Canyon Lakes Ranger District in the Roosevelt National Forest. This trail will likely be closed for the remainder of the 2020 season. A copy of the map for the closure area can be found here.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 08/22/2020
Only my second off road trail but this one got me hooked. Had no idea what me and my vehicle were capable of which was perfect for this trail as every difficult section had a easy bypass however I was able to make it threw all the tougher sections.
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Open
Visited: 07/17/2020
Pretty easy trail. A few places you can take a harder line. And a few nice views.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 07/16/2020
Trail was in very nice shape and not too busy, although lots of dispersed campers, especially close to both ends of the trail.
Had a great time, though the biting flies were out in force and the lack of recent rains meant lots of dust.
As an aside, this trail is definitely "full size friendly". I ran it in a 2017 Nissan Titan Pro-4X crew cab with no contact issues anywhere, although one turn required a three point turn.
Open
Visited: 07/13/2020
Only the 2nd time going here, the 1st time I ran it backwards with some snow. It was nice to do it the "right" way and go up all of the obstacles. Pretty fun trail, all of the harder stuff has bypasses. Totally dry and only saw 1 truck then 2 Jeeps.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 07/05/2020
We ran this trail the Sunday after the Fourth of July, and wow...it was a ghost town! There are active fire bans in place, which is my guess of why it was so empty. Anyways, I love this trail. It has great scenery and has some fun obstacles. I had my fiance drive the entire time and made her do the hardest lines to boost her confidence. We had a great time taking in the sights and playing around in the rocks. This is one of those trails I can run several times a year and not get bored. Always something to see and always provides a fun challenge!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/04/2020
14 Tacoma DCSB, 3” lift on 265/75r16
Excellent trail to expand your skills. First two miles at east are more difficult than the rest. The rest of the trail was pretty easy. Everything was open and clear.
Open
Visited: 06/20/2020
Calvary 4-Wheelers headed to Johnny Park on Saturday, June 20, 2020. We had 7 rigs along for the trip, a TJ, two LJs, two XJs, a JK and a Ford Ranger. We had near-perfect weather with partly cloudy skies, mild temperatures, almost no wind and no rain.The scenery was as beautiful as the weather with spectacular views of Longs Peak and the surrounding mountains. This trail was perfect for our mixed group as the stock rigs were able to take the easy lines and bypasses while the bigger rigs played on the harder lines. Both ends of the trail were packed with Fathers Day Weekend campers but the middle of the trail was quiet and secluded.
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Open
Visited: 06/15/2020
According to the MVUM, Johnny Park is now open.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 08/03/2019
This trail was a fun one. We entered thru the second one and found a camp site , the trail was tricky in some spots but not bad at all
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/28/2019
Ran this in a mostly stock FJ100 with 33s. Took the "hard" route at every chance and, with the exception of one ledge that took three tries to find a passable angle, found it only slightly challenging. This should be completely do-able for most stock, high-clearance rigs with good tires. The rock gardens are fun and will provide ample entertainment without fear of serious scrapes or scary off camber.
The lower portion of this trail has lots of wildflowers and shade. The views up higher are amazing. It made for a great day trip and is highly recommended. I'll definitely hit it again.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 07/12/2019
Views are amazing of Longs Peak and the Indian Peaks. Fun challenges, running 33s on a 2.5 lift. Didnt really need 4 lo, line selection great. First time running this trail and absolutely loved it
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Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/29/2019
Ran this trail with a few members of the local Toyota group. It is a fun trail with great views, and a great place for a stock-ish vehicle to get more confidence on harder obstacles. This can also be a good place to camp if you get there before everyone else does.
Open
Visited: 06/07/2019
Trail was closed
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/02/2018
Trail was awesome!
Open
Visited: 07/28/2017
Ran this on a Friday afternoon. Didn't pass a single soul. Road is in good shape.
Open
Visited: 09/10/2016
We ran this trail Saturday the 10th of September. As mentioned this trail can be run from both directions, and we started from the South end. We only ran across two other groups which was lighter traffic than expected, and also observed multiple camp sites. There was a large amount of dust on the road surface, but no other concerns. The rock garden does not look to have deteriorated, and offered fun for stock vehicles as mentioned.
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Tim Palmer
Mapping Crew - Lower 48
Tim is retired and calls Southern Mississippi, near the gulf coast, home. Tim spent most of his adult life in Northern Colorado. He has owned and driven 4X4 vehicles his entire adult life, including Jeeps, pickups, ATVs, and UTVs. After high school, Tim's first 4X4 was a 47 Willy's CJ-2A with a flat four and a 6-volt electrical system. With a history of wheeling in Northern Colorado or Southern Wyoming, Tim loves being in the mountains and the backcountry. Because of a desire to enjoy and promote responsible off-roading and to keep it available for the future, he belongs to a local 4X4 off-road club. Being part of the Trailsoffroad.com community furthers that goal as well.
A love for off-road adventures, camping, fishing, and hunting keeps Tim away from the pavement and continually exploring. While his wife likes the comfort of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Tim prefers the ruggedness of the Jeep Wrangler. The recent move to southern Mississippi means he will spend time learning a whole new region and style of off-roading than he experienced in the Colorado Mountains. Tim will spend the summer going topless and enjoying the value of the great outdoors. Amateur Radio Technician license call sign: ke0npg
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