McAllister Gulch

As a novice 4x4 trail user this was spot on. The trail was in good shape and I only needed 4x4 for the rock garden at waypoint 7.

I used this trail to get back to Shrine Pass Rd, after Wearyman Creek (Ptarmigan Pass). Except for Resolution Point, it is (to me) a rather boring drive...unless you like driving through the woods. The views from Resolution Point are awesome...a great place for lunch if the timing is right. There is one real obstacle near the top, but also an easy bypass to the right. Starting at Camp Hale, the trail ends at the intersection with Ptarmigan Pass (at Wearyman Creek). To get out to Shrine Pass Rd, you have to drive the half mile through the shrubs (see my comments on Ptarmigan Pass). This is narrow with very few places to pass if you meet oncoming traffic. Lots of protruding branches have been cut, but pinstriping is still a risk. Take some clippers with you and help out the next drivers.

We were camping at Camp Hale for the weekend so we took time to run McAllister Gulch. I hadn't been there in a while but it doesn't seem to have changed much. There are many gorgeous viewpoints and tons of wildflowers. The trail was just hard enough to be a challenge in my stock Grand Cherokee. The biggest challenge was the short side spur to the top of Resolution Mountain. We had intended to exit at Shrine Pass Road (I misunderstood where the closure on Wearyman Creek was) but, as others have mentioned, that option remains closed. Instead we continued the loop up Wearyman Creek and over Ptarmigan Pass.

We started Shriner Pass from the I-70 end which is open except for the drive through the creek which is closed. We exited next Red Cliff and drove down US24 to Camp Hale to continue our trek up McAllister Gulch and Ptarmigan Pass. It was a nice drive through the countryside. The start of the drive was an easy dirt road until you got into the forest area where the drive got a bit rougher and tighter. All in all with the creek portion closed I would rate this trail about a 3.

You must start this trail from Camp Hale. Spectacular views with many steep sections. A few of the areas require careful lines or a lifted vehicle, but it isn't anything too technical. This is something I would call a 4. We really enjoyed running this in a loop starting at Camp Hale and taking the Ptarmigan Pass trail to go out to the turn off to McAllister Gulch. The crossing is still closed, so there is no option to go on to Shrine Pass. There is a wide variety of scenery. I would say both Ptarmigan and Mcallister are fairly simple in a stock Jeep with careful lines in a couple of rock gardens. There is some water currently, but not enough to bother a Jeep - just enough to decorate the side of your rig so everyone knows you aren't a mall crawler. I wouldn't want to tackle the steep sections in muddy conditions though as many sections are steep grades.

This trail does not connect to Shrine Pass as the Wearyman creek section is closed due to a landslide in 2019.

Had to enter from the camp hale side as the shrine pass entrance was still closed. Trail was in good condition and didn't seem like it was as difficult as the rating suggests on the site.

Ran it with a stock Jeep Gladiator Rubicon only scrape the bottom twice. Quite a bumpy and steep trail. Would run it again, but it's closed at point 12. Ptarmigan Pass Trailhead (9.9 mi.) You cannot turn left and drive over the creek to Shrine Pass. You have to double back which is what I did or do Ptarmigan Pass trail.

Still closed at north end due to land slide

Was our intended trail today, sign at the bottom of the trail said closed due to landslides and the gate was locked.

Great trail! We traveled in the recommended direction, but turned around at the Rock Garden at waypoint 7 (had some coolant and power steering fluid leaks). Before waypoint 7, it's real steep. It was a bit muddy with the snow from the previous week. Heads up: We drove down Shrine Pass road, and saw a gate closed where this connects to Shrine Pass Road (technically this trail intersects with Ptarmigan, and that hits Shrine). Again, not sure if you can just loop with Ptarmagan or where/if you have to turn around.

Fun trail. Mostly in the forest. Description is pretty spot on. Plan was to connect with Ptarmigan Pass trailhead but had to turn around as there are still some snow field & mud on the north face. Also, it's well worth the quick run to the summit at waypoint #9. Killer view !

Ran McAllister Gulch from Camp Hale. This trail was enjoyable I would rate this trail moderate our stock 4Runner Limited ran it with no issues. Trail was very dusty, also there were quite a bit of people on the trail with rented ATVs and side by sides.

Ran McAllister Gulch from Camp Hale. Note that there's a closure at Worrryman Creek junction and you can't get through to Shrine Pass. We weren't sure of the conditions going on via Worryman Creek/Ptarmigan Pass, so we reversed and came back out the same way. Excellent day with great wildflowers!

I ran the full loop from Camp Hale up 702 to the hut and then down 747 to 708 and back to Camp Hale. Took about 3.5 hours. The trail was mostly dry with some puddles from rain the previous day. I drive a 98 LX 470 with low range center diff but no front or rear lockers 2 1/2 inch lift 35 inch tires. It was definitely a challenging run on the backside but my truck performed flawlessly and frankly the truck had more confidence than I had in myself. It was a great feeling to make it back to Camp Hale completely unscathed although I will admit there were some times back on 747 and 708 that I was feeling a little nervous.

Ran the full McAllister - Ptarmigan loop on 9/28. The main loop is now open but the short segment of Wearyman Creek connecting to Shrine Pass is still closed. We had to come in from Camp Hale. This is a gorgeous fall colors trip with frequent patches of aspens along the trail. The leaves were probably about a week out from peak but still beautiful. I found this trail a little less challenging than I expected, with no real obstacles to speak of. The long steep climb up to the high point of McAllister was fun and the views were spectacular. Glad this trail was open for at least a little while this season.

Trail is closed via a Forest Order due to washouts or something. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd641734.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1DWHuOBc6xtYbYsaqwVXygGn1WOMlwqXMftGRCg3mbpaQXauLLfVUwGJs

There is a foot to foot and a half of snow on the trail. The two in our group with both front and rear lockers /probably/ could have completed it. However, we had to turn back around waypoint 11. The folks with open diffs could not make it up some of the hills in the snow. One vehicle slid off the trail trying to get up and had to winch himself out. Very scenic, will definitely try again next year after the thaw.

Trail was dry and in good shape. Not sure I would recommend without at least a rear locker. I would say this is at the upper end of "moderate." It's doable but if you don't have a lot of articulation and are on open diffs things will get hairy. The south side starts to get a little claustrophobic and steep, but when you break out of the trees it is all worthwhile. The quick spur to the right at waypoint nine is the summit of Resolution Mountain and totally worth checking out. We camped up there and it is one of the most impressive spots I have camped at in Colorado. The top of Hornsilver would also be an epic spot. The view of Holy Cross there is incredible. At the end where it joins up with Ptarmigan (Rd 747) you will follow Wearyman creek downstream to get to Shrine pass road. 747 was basically a creek the entire way, and, again, I was very happy to be locked front and rear and just crawl this stuff. Water was 1.5' deep in many spots and moving quick. Side note: this trail is a Razr killer. 4 dead ones at various spots, all with major suspension breakage.

Trail is totally clear and snow free. This is a great trail with phenomenal 360 degree views and some areas to really test out your rig.

Trail is in decent condition. Still plenty of snow in the middle of the steep climbs. Had to turn back at this point (probably could have shoveled enough of the banks to make it easily passable).

awesome trip. rock garden a little slippery in the wet, but not too bad. beautiful views up top!

Ran the trail on July 4th. No snow to speak of and really dusty and dry. We took the spur road at waypoint 9 to the top of Resolution Mountain. Great views up there! We had 4 rigs, but I would expect you could get a few more up there to turn around. On the north end, there are a few surprise tree branches sticking out, so be careful of those. We finished the day up by combining this with Ptarmigan.