Missouri Gulch

I drove the majority of Missouri Gulch (up to the intersection of FS Road 347C, between WP 6 and WP 7) on Saturday, March 25th. Our group of six used 347C to cross over to FS Road 351 (because FS Road 348 is included in a temporary closure. Here is the link to the Order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1085379.pdf The road is in good condition with mixed dry/dirt and packed snow in shaded spots. There is a fallen tree uphill from WP 5 (Concrete Structure) but it has been cleared sufficiently for a full size rig to pass it.

Trail is open and no snow or mud in site. Was a little busy today which is to be expected with so few trails open for the season. Still would consider it over crowded by any stretch of the imagination.

Ran this trail on Black Friday and didn’t see another soul on it. Had some snow on it, especially in the shaded areas but no issues. Ran in 4-Hi the entire way. Other than it being a little narrow in some spots it’s fairly easy trail and could be done in pretty much any stock 4x4 with some decent tires.

I really like this trail in the area. It's a pretty drive with some fun undulation to flex out the Jeep.

Trail is dry and clear. Was a little busy but to be expected on a Saturday.

An absolutely beautiful day on the trails. No one else out there. Ran a solo today with this and Flake Road. Enjoyable. Glad to have gotten a chance to enjoy this area before it gets too dry.

Trail was dry and easy to traverse without issue. Connected to is from Hotel Gulch which is a tri as it is through a community. Just take it slow to not make enemies with the folks that call it home. Trail was pretty quiet, only ran in to a couple of other rigs on the trail. Nice day to get out and enjoy the nicer weather before the storms roll in.

Hit part of the trail, had a bit of snow on it and sections looked like we were the first jeep to cross it, there were a couple of motorcycle tracks but overall, not much traffic from the looks of it the last week or so.

Very little rain this month. Trail was dry and easily passable. Ran it Monday 28 Sept. 2020. Ran it from south to north, starting at west end of Hotel Gulch. I agree with the trail description. Just note, after the beautiful Research Station stone buildings at the intersection of Hotel Gulch ((FS300) and Missouri Gulch, the road goes through a residential area that has no trail marker signs and it's a bit confusing which way to go. Stay on Spruce Road. You'll come to an intersection with a sign that says "Spruce Rd. No Outlet". There actually is an outlet. That outlet is FS-347 Missouri Gulch. The trail description states that you might want to air down here. I didn't because it was dry and normally run 28 lbs in BFG KO2s. I used 4H in one area that was off camber with loose gravel. I didn't see anyone else on the entire length of the trail.

Fun little trail, had some atv traffic on the front potion but solo for the rest of the trail. Conditions were good and even found a great little spot to stop for lunch. Never had to get out of the rig to look at where we were going. Lots of fun. Run on stock 2019 JLU Rubicon, 37 PSI (didn't have my compressor to air down).

Gorgeous views! Just beware that the trail is tight in a lot of places and very busy.

I have been here a few times this past winter and I have to say that the absence of snow made things more interesting/challenging but still very doable. The trail is quite narrow so it might get tricky when encountering opposite traffic.

Trail was dry and quiet. The top half does have a few blind corners however. We came around one the same time as another SxS did and got quite the surprise. A good reminder to check your speed as this trail has a lot of loose gravel on it and braking takes much longer. I found the bottom half of the trail to be pretty long and boring but the top half was more interesting and had nice views.

Just ran this trail (347/Missouri Gulch) - north from The Woodland Park side -79/spruce road exit. Open all the way around. Snow pack and slush/mud. Just used 4 high - no issues. Took the 344 road/turn/connection to Illinois gulch and mini-Moab - no issues. Then continued on 344 back to highway 67 - basically Illinois gulch north to south for the exit.

First time out in the Rainbow Falls area, parts of this trail are pretty narrow, mainly the first section from the trail head is pretty narrow but then opens up. It's pretty flat with some rutted sections, but I ran it stock in a JL Rubicon and had no issues. Just pick good lines through those sections. The connection to Illinois Gulch is pretty steep from 344, and it's loose gravel to boot. I opted to just take 347 out, and run Illinois Gulch from the main trailhead to the rock garden section/Mini Moab.

It was 99.9% dry on Missouri Gulch and the trail was running great! No hazards were found, other than a small (easily removable) tree branch/trunk.

Had a wonderful time in the Rainbow Falls area today. There were a variety of surface conditions: dry dirt, mud, packed snow and a little ice. Traction was good all around. The picture shows the conditions at the intersection of 344 and 347 today. The little bit of passable ice was on 347C just east of the 344 / 347 intersection.

Nice trail. No snow or ice today.

This one has melted for the year

There was a little bit of snow on the ground and things were frozen when I rolled through, I'd assume it may be a little muddy in the near future.

We were out joyriding near home and went out of the trail network via Missouri Gulch. It seemed a little rougher than the last time we were out there and the mud pit is impassable at this time by anyone but those with a built rig. Do not attempt unless you want to spend the day winching and damaging the trail further.

Ran this for some end of day fun and the trail was nice and clear. Didn't see one person on the trail this afternoon.

Trail was dry for the most part, just some icy spots despite the warmish temps. A nice drive without too much bumpy trouble. We did not do Chicken Scratch. The trail looked icy and we didn't feel like taking risks in the late afternoon.

The gulch is open all the way through with no snow or mud at this time. The leaves have largely fallen from the trees, but this trail has made our peeping list for next year based on the aspen groves seen.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous on the day we ran this trail. 60+ degrees, sunny and warm. We ran this in the opposite direction as the editor of this page describes. The trail was mostly snow packed, but did have plenty of dry, snow free sections. We had 7 rigs with us varying from modified Jeeps, to a stock'ish Toyota Tacomo and FJ Cruiser. I would say that no where did we run into snow deeper than 6''. Some of the hill climbs were a bit difficult going up hill as the snow became very slippery if you didn't keep your momentum up and we did have to winch a couple vehicles that didn't have lockers, but it was only at one spot between way points 6 & 7. I think the trail should easily be passable right now by any high clearance 4wd vehicle, just be prepared to turn around at any icy spots you can't get up, and also make sure to be prepared for the conditions, which would be snow still, so at least have a shovel with you, but going alone is not recommended.