Montezuma Basin

This trail has closed for the season. See you next year!

According to the MVUM, this trail is open for the season! This trail may be impassable due to snowpack so please plan accordingly and bring all necessary recovery gear.

Closed for the season! See you in 2022!

Snow has fallen in Colorado making this trail potentially dangerous, if not impassable. Please use caution if you decide to go out and explore.

Stock 2008 Rubicon Made it up just a little past the tight switchback (waypoint 9) to 11,200 before snow and loose scree prevented further passage. Chain may have helped get a little bit further but the rest of the trail was fully snow covered. Snowy areas and a few small patches of ice on the way up but nothing that didn't have an easy line through. There were a few places that I had to make multiple attempts though. One more snowstorm though and I think this will be fully shutdown for the season. Attempted Castle Peak from here but turned back at the top of the headwall.

Just ran Montezuma Basin Trail from Pearl Pass to parking lot at the end. 2014 Rubicon with 2 1/2 inch lift and 35s. Not technical at all - slow and steady. Never felt "in danger" on the shelf road. Used 4 high for safety but not needed for any technical aspect. Very brief mild off camber toward the end but nothing scary. Could imagine some issues with vehicles coming opposite directions as no room to pass or pull over for most of the trip, but very exposed so you can see the whole trip and traffic before you go and as you go. There are a few spots to pull over and stop if you decide to not go the whole way. Some people just drive part the way up, pull over and park, and then hike the rest of the way to climb Castle. We went to the end parking lot, Climbed Castle and Conundrum and then drove back down. 3 great camping spots between Pearl and the end - all at the beginning of the road before you hit tree line. I give the road a 4/6 rating just because of shelf road (not that narrow) and very brief mild off camber - 3/6 rating without those 2 aspects.

This trail is open per the MVUM but may be impassable due to snowpack.

Open all the way. Beautiful day. Lots of hikers.

Made it all the way to the second "parking lot" and then hiked Castle Peak. The trail is really rough, and was a lot of work for me and my 08 Subaru Forester, but I have a 2" lift, skid plates on everything important, and a rear torq locker. Anything with solid axles should make it up this fine though.

Trail 15 aka pearl pass completely destroyed and impassable due to multiple avalanches leaving debris pile 30ft deep 100s of yards long.

Seasonally closed until 5/20.