Middle St. Vrain

Not much trail traffic, later in the day. Water was high, watched some motorcycles have some difficulty crossing the water. Still not the peak for colors as @ryan mentioned.

Fun trail as always. Still a lot of water on the trail for this time of year. Aspens were just starting to show some color.

Calvary 4-Wheelers ran Middle St. Vrain and Coney Creek, near Peaceful Valley, west of Lyons on Saturday, August 5, as one of our “Challenge” trips. Along for the trip were me in my Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) on 31s, Rich in his Grand Cherokee (WJ) on 32s, Jon in his Cherokee (XJ) on 32s and Francisco in his Wrangler (TJ) on 35s. It was a challenge, but very fun and very beautiful. I finally got to use the new winch I got for Christmas for its intended purpose. Unfortunately, it was on the gatekeeper with a group of about 20 JKs on 37s waiting behind us. Once we got through the gatekeeper, we let the big group go past us so we wouldn’t slow them down all day. Soon after we got back on the trail, it began to rain lightly, and we had off and on sprinkles the rest of the morning. The trail was in good shape, though considerably rougher than the last time we had been on it several years ago. We went past the turn for Coney Creek all the way to the end of the trail. We parked at the trailhead for the hiking trail that goes into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area and had a nice lunch under the trees.

Ran out to the Bucannans pass trailhead on Aug. 4th and back on Aug. 6th in a 3rd Gen Tacoma with 2.5” lift on 32s. Rode the sliders and skids a few times but no real damage to the truck. Had a great time and the hike up to Gibraltar lakes is gorgeous. There are some no joke boulders on this trail.

This trail was fun and challenging at times. Our group consisted of a few Lexus GX’s and my 4Runner on 33s, as well as a GX, an XJ, and a Rubicon unlimited on 35s. The smaller tire rigs struggled in some of the rock gardens. Bent skid plates, crunched bumpers, bent mufflers, etc, were some of the damages the group sustained throughout the trail. So if you’re on smaller tires, be prepared. Even the rigs on 35s took a few substantial hits. Also, if you run this trail through the coney flats water crossing, go slow. Our group towed a hydrolocked Tacoma a good 3-4 miles out to the end, through some rough rock sections, as he allegedly charged through the water crossing and the resulting bow wave flooded his motor. If you have a mild lift on at least 33s, you shouldn’t have any issues with the water crossing. I watched a stock ZJ Cherokee attempt the crossing and they took on a bit of water in the cab. So if you lack ground clearance, be mindful.

If you like trails full of boulders the entire way, this one is for you! It's not my favorite because of that, but there are some great obstacles that make it fun. We ran it in a loop with Coney Flats.

Great trail. Gate keeper does nothing for the trail, especially if you plan on getting on to Coney Flats.

Ran this as well as Coney Flats and it's clear all the way through. Water crossings are deep with the first big one almost submerging my 33" tires. Trail was a ton of fun, just be sure to air down.

Open for the season, enjoy!

Closed for the season, see you next season!!

This trail was still open today. The weather was perfect. Ran this trail in conjunction with Coney flats. There was about 4 to 6 inches of snow on the majority of the trail which make it a bit more difficult especially in the boulder fields, but this also added to the challenge and the thrill. I think the trail is more of a high moderate (4) then a Difficult (5) except for the snow.

Trail is staying open a little later this season. Enjoy while you can!

Seasonal Closure is in effect, the trail opens again next season!

Today was my first time on Middle St Vrain / Coney Flats. 2017 TRD Off-Road, 2” Lift, on 32’s. Wonderful water crossings. A rocky/bumpy road. Not a lot of views. Ran it starting at Camp ****. I got stuck once ( high centered on my sliders ) on the rock garden cresting the hill after the turn off to Coney Flats. The trail is getting chewed up and you have to go over one of the boulders because of their spacing. No bypass. Video below. With the help from some experienced spotting, able to get unstuck and pick a route between the boulders to make it to that beautiful lunch spot under Sawtooth Mountain. The RCI armor and sliders are getting lots of work on this trail.

This is a fun trail and understandably popular. There are a handful of obstacles that will keep you focused, skids and rails are highly recommended. It was very wet the day we ran MSV and Coney Flats. Get there early, we were stuck behind two large groups that added an hour to the run.

I ran MSV again as an out and back to access the Gibraltar Lakes hike at the very end of this trail. This trail is one of my all-time favorites! Great camping, great hiking, and great wheeling. Plan for about 5-6 hours for the Gibraltar Lakes hike (~10 miles RT with 1500ft vert and a bit of route finding at the very end as you approach the lake). We had a great time taking my buddy up there with a full-size rig (Silverado 1500 on 33's), who needed a bit of spotting but made it all the way! As we were coming back down, we saw an even bigger rig tackling this trail. This trail is full-size friendly, but you will want at least 33's.

I love this trail! Great wheeling, great camping, and great hiking opportunities at the end. Today was a quick mission but fun and rewarding trail all the way through. The 5-5 difficulty rating is spot on.

Great trail! Other jeepers helped spot us along the way. This tested a stock rubicon 4xE.

Open for the season.

Gate is open.

The Forest Service has decided that trail conditions are not good enough to open yet. We will update here when we find out it's open.

I just called the ranger district. They are still working on opening up this trail, and say it might be next week before this trail opens but told me to check the website as they are going to update it as soon as they verify it is safely passable. The ranger I talked to was very nice and apologized for the delay. Apparently, they are understaffed and are working as fast as they can to ensure these trails get opened in a safe manner. We will also update Trails Offroad as soon as we see the status change to OPEN. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5339508

Seasonal Closure is now in effect. See you in the spring!

I love this trail. I love everything about it. Great camping, fun obstacles, incredible hiking at the end of the trail. The colors were amazing when we went. This is a MUST DO trail in Colorado. I don't give 5-star reviews out very often....but this one is deserving of it.

Had no problems running this trail in the following: 2000 Frontier 5-speed, 33's, no lockers. 2006 4Runner, 33s, rear locker 2007 Jeep Rubicon, 37's, F/R Lockers 2013 Rubicon - 32's, F/R Lockers 2019 Tacoma, 33's, Rear Locker The gate keeper isn't very hard, but the rocks can move around on all these obstacles changing the difficulty day to day. There are multiple line options through most of the rocky sections - keeps it fun for the bigger rigs but still passible in a stock high-clearance 4x4 with careful line choice.

Ran MSV yesterday afternoon up and back. Not a ton of traffic and trail was in good shape. One large, deep mudhole that was kind of interesting but made it through just fine. Lives up to its difficult rating with a fair amount of challenging spots but taking it slow with a good line does the trick. We had one Rubicon unlimited with a 2.5" lift and 33's and a Rubicon with a 3" lift and 35s.

This is one of my favorote trails for the scenery. It's not an overly difficult or technical trail. Go slow through the large water crossing unless you want a new engine!

Trail was open and clear. Gate keeper seemed a little easier this year that last. Camp Dick was at half capacity which helped cut down the crowds. Dispersed camping spots were limited and would recommend camping at Camp Dick just before the trail entrance. water crossings were muddy and levels were low. Otherwise the trail was in great condition. Convey included: Toyota Tacoma TRD Offroad with 2.3" lift, on 32s, 2 Jeep Wranglers with 2.5" lift on 35s

Took our 1975 Ford Bronco (3.5" lift, 33" tires, rear locker, front limited slip) up MSV today, then down Coney Flats to the reservoir. Overall an excellent trail with great water crossings and gorgeous scenery! The 5-5 they rate it for difficulty is accurate as it is a more technical trail than the pictures and narrative here allude. Be ready for a seemingly ceaseless bumpy ride. I agree with Nick from 06/26/21 - the Gatekeeper is not the biggest/most technical obstacle on the trail. The upper obstacle on Coney Flats will take some expertise or a seasoned spotter. Today it high-centered a forerunner. After he was freed it took a couple of more-on-the-stock-side Jeeps (small suspension lift) a few tries and a ride on the skid plates to find the right line. Still some others passed over nicely with little effort. There is another technical spot a little farther beyond, not quite as tough as the upper CF obstacle but certainly rougher than Gatekeeper. Just be aware of what you are getting into as getting past Gatekeeper can give you a false sense of security. Lots of vehicles on the trail for a nice Sunday drive.

Fun trail with some great hiking at the end. If you continue to Coney Flats be prepared... Middle St Vrain should be considered a "low 5" rating and Coney is a "high 5". We tickled the skid plates in a few spots with an 8 arm 3.5 inch lift and 35s... probably recommend minimum of 33s and a 2 inch lift with skids and a winch in case you miss your line and turtle.

Ran MSV via Coney Flats in a stock ZR2 and TRD Pro Taco with no issues. Both have 31/32ish tires, factory skids, diff skids, and sliders which I wouldn't go without. Take you time and chose the right lines. Bigger built rigs did have some issues attempting large boulders though.

Rainy and the crossings were high hut always a great trail.

We ran MSV today in both directions after being turned back by the seriously torn up condition of the upper obstacle on Coney Flats. MSV was muddy due to the rain this weekend and water was streaming down the trail. Otherwise, it was in excellent condition. The gatekeeper feels like it has been beaten down some and given the state of the Coney Flats obstacle, may need to be built back up to serve it's purpose properly.

These trails are open for the season, have fun!

Trail is closed for the season officially.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Oct. 20, 2020) – Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions, the USDA Forest Service’s Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests is announcing a temporary closure of all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties, effective at midnight tonight (closure begins at 00:01 Oct. 21). This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.

This area is closed due to fire activity. It likely will not reopen before the end of the season.

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

Waypoint 5 was correct, if you can pass the rock obstacle you won't be able to do the trail. Suburban had a bit of a struggle getting up but made it over. Trail was super crowded, ended the run early

One of my favorite harder trails in the area. I just put on a new lift kit and 37s, what better close by trail to test the new mods!

Ran this trail with Coney Flats early on a Saturday morning, we only saw one other vehicle. It was very wet from the recent snow which made the trail challenging. Wife and I had a ton of fun.

After (if) you make it over the Gatekeeper obstacle at the start, the rest of this trail is quite pretty down in the trees and fairly chill. Still plenty of rock-and-rolling, but not bad in comparison to some other trails. We completed it in the rain with no issues. A Jeep in front of us did lose his drive shaft, so still be aware. (It was modified for the street, with no lift, and he took the hard line on one of the bigger rock outcroppings, so... idk.) Slow and steady won the day. At least a small lift and a little bit bigger tires would probably be preferable, but not necessarily required.

Definitely my new favorite trail that I have ran so much fun especially for my stock fj quite busy but not unbearable

This was our second year to run Middle St. Vrain and Coney Flats and of course it rained again which makes this already challenging trail even more of a challenge! It is one of our favorite trails with the water crossings and challenges along the way.

Fun moderate trail for built rigs. Traffic was pretty minimal today.

This is definitely a fun trail in the area with a good amount of challenge as well as extra activities. This was my first ever real 4x4 trail, so it's always fun to come back and see how the trail has changed (or maybe just my skills). I also love how this trail has a ton of cool hiking opportunities (Gibraltar Lakes are awesome - have yet to do Red Deer Lake). There was a surprising amount of open camp spots while passing through Saturday Morning. Met some cool 4Runner people heading up to camp and hike who were a fan of the website. Overall, it was great day. I highly recommend checking this trail out if you have a mildly built vehicle and are looking for a challenge.

We went out today to run MSV/Coney to get trail updates and we are glad we did. The rock obstacles are ALL much more dugout than pictured above as of this writing. New photos and video will be available here soon but do not underestimate this trail, it is rated difficult and lives up that. We got held up for about an hour today while a large group with stock vehicles not necessarily designed for what we were all doing. More than one vehicle got hung up and caused the delay. I love this trail for the views and the giant water crossing, but it really does beat up the body due to the bumpiness, even with low-air tires and upgraded suspension. Go on a weekday to avoid the large crowds that this trail tends to bring in on weekends.

Not a bad little trail. Once you get back there you can find some great dispersed camping. Awesome views as well.

MSV through Coney Flats open. Lots of water holes. High clearance or good lines required. Coney down to the end is more tree narrow and meh.

Trail was opened late Saturday after the adopted club ran it and cleared downed trees and performed necessary trail maintenance.

As of 9/3/19, Both Middle St Vrain and Coney Flats are both closed due to Forest Order ARP-BRD-2019-01 while bridge replacement work is done. You can find the order along with maps here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd657032.pdf

Ran this in a mostly stock FJ100 along with Coney Flats. With 33s as our only real upgrade, these trails pushed both my Cruiser and the accompanying Wrangler Sport to the limits. The guardian obstacle required lockers in the FJ and numerous line adjustments for the Wrangler. There are a fair number of technical sections that will challenge rigs with smaller tires and/or no lift. The boggy water crossings make this trail somewhat unique. It is narrow, but there are plentiful pull-offs, many of which are nicely shaded for a picnic lunch. Most of the trail is flanked by heavy pine forest. There was a fair amount of traffic during our visit. Pretty much everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful which was great.

I completed St Vrain and Coney flats in a stock 4Runner SR5, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ATRAC works wonders, the T4R didn’t even hesitate to climb any of the obstacles. I would have been a lot better off if I had a lift, I did scrape a number of times but with the help of a good spotter, I faired pretty well. It helps that the T4R has a shorter wheelbase than Tacos and 4-Door Wranglers. I enjoyed the double takes I got for being in a stock 4Runner on the trail. I’d say that the water crossing is about 18” deep based on how high the water was on people’s wheels. This is a long drive that can cause you to be fatigued toward the end, be ready to pay attention to the trail, a lot!

Please Be Aware! Forest Service announced on 8/22/2019 that the trail will close early this season, September 3rd. Middle St Vrain, Coney Flats roads to close temporarily for bridge replacement project BOULDER, Colo. (Aug. 22, 2019) – Due to a critical bridge replacement project several campgrounds and roads on the Roosevelt National Forest’s Boulder Ranger District will close for the season on Sept. 3, 2019. The closures include: Peaceful Valley and Camp Dick campgrounds; Middle St. Vrain Road (Forest Service Road 114.1) at Colo. Higway 72; Coney Flats Road (Forest Service Road 507.1) at Beaver Creek Reservoir Trailhead; Bunce School Road (Forest Service Road 105) at junction with Park Creek Road (202.1) The closure applies to all motor vehicle traffic.

I ran this trail on a saturday morning. Unfortunately we did not have time to do Coney Flats, too. The water parts of the trail are really cool and somewhat unique compared to the other trails in Colorado. The trail wasn't too difficult, but some of the rocky areas did present dangers for my differentials (Cherokee XJ on 31s w/ 4.5 inch lift). Be sure to go slowly through the water. It's all rocky bottoms. One word of caution - there were two groups of 10+ jeeps going up while I was coming down. One was a guided tour which was moving very slowly and acting like they owned the trail. If you're someone who likes to enjoy trails alone, make sure to get going early on to beat the crowds.

Ran both MSV and Coney Flats in our JLUR with 3" lift/35s and had a blast...one of the most fun and wettest trails we've ever done, and the views from Coney Flats around the main water crossing are breathtaking (as you'll see in the photos). Agree with the 5-5 (for MSV) and 6-6 (for Coney Flats) ratings....you'll be tired after this trail because it's near continual effort...but FUN effort! Took us about 4 hours (with brief lunch stop at CF's main water crossing. You'll get lots of water (many muddy) crossings depending on recent rains. One of them along MSV toward the western end was several inches deeper than the main CF crossing (which was ~ 2 ft). Overall, this combo of MSV and CF is now one of our favorites -- great shape, great fun, and absolutely beautiful!!

Report from the High Country page: Our group ran MSV and Coney Flats on July 12th. water crossing are not too deep and trail is in good shape. I am currently running a stock JLUR and was able to run the trail with no problem.

Gates are open.

Still closed as of this afternoon.

Still closed due to snow and runoff. At the gate

Gate locked - still closed for season as of 6/1/19

Trail is open for the season.

Just an FYI, I drove up to the gate after exiting T33 and it's still closed.

Trail is closed for the season

The Mountaineers, a 4x4 club from Fort Collins, embarked on a late fall season trip to Coney Flats and Middle St. Vrain. With winter weather setting in soon, there are not many more weekend opportunities for these twin trails. There was still considerable water present on the trail, however, despite the near 50 degree conditions, icy conditions seem to have moved in for the season. The aspen trees donning the trail are all past their peak color and most have lost their autumn golden glory. The local District Forest Ranger will close this trail for the season once inclement weather overtakes the foothills for the season.

A nice day on the trail even though the clouds followed us all day and it sprinkled here and there. We ran the trail backwards from Coney Creek, though we took the time to go up to the bridge.

Beautiful trail! Ran this on vacation while staying in the Black Hawk area. Easy trail but very enjoyable. Make sure to connect to Coney Flats to make it a loop. Coney Flats is a bit more challenging but this trail can be done with open diffs and high clearance.