T-33 Plane Crash

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

Ran this today in a '10 LX on 33s with sliders with the LCDC group. Trail was cool and interesting, but I think the 5 rating is pushing it based on other trails marked as 5s. Have some bumper damage and plenty of slider use to get up. Comparatively I'd place this closer to a 6 in it's current condition.

Every bit of the 5 Difficult rating, especially in a JKU with a Roof Top Tent. Got tricky a couple times, but no rock stacking or winching was necessary. Very Heavy SXS traffic and very few areas to pass for the larger groups. Many are rentals with inexperienced drivers. Suggest running on a week day if possible. Personally believe that Pinstriping and at least Mild Off Camber should be added to the ARS above.

Ran this in a 2 seater Razor. It had just rained hard so it was very slippery and difficult. Lines were available and never got stuck, but definitely had some clinching moments (and one slide into a tree). I was impressed the Razor cleared all the obstacles and quickly decided I would never do this trail in my F-150. Lifted Wranglers and a FJ were coming down on my way up, though, and they all had smiles!

Go get it! I've run this trail a few times now and it's always a fun challenge to get up to the parking lot for the plane wreckage. We did it this time in a 2000 Frontier, no lockers, 33's, some lift (2-4"? Somewhere in there...) and a 2001 4Runner, no lockers, 33's, about 3" of lift. Good line choices and a good spotter will help you out. But when in doubt, just send it (just kidding, that how stuff breaks...). If you haven't done this trail before, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend running it on a week day or REALLY EARLY ON A WEEKEND - the rental company runs ATV and UTVs off of Bunce and this trail gets way to crowded to be safe. We started the trail at about 7:15am and were of the trail by 9:25am the Saturday we ran it. And just in time, as about a dozen side-by-sides were headed into the trail as we were running away.

Per the MVUM, T-33 Plane Crash is now officially open.

Gate is now open and there is no snow blocking the trail. Was able to make it to the crash site without issue.

Note: this is covered/gated by the mud season closure till mid June (not open!), and has some closure barricades in place for a USFS bridge replacement project from September 2019. I hoofed it about 3.5 miles in, and then turned back since I didn't plan on hiking (brought the four-wheeler) so didn't have water, food, etc. That being said, can see why it's closed for another month. Knee deep snow pack, deep snowmelt streams loads of mud, etc. Even if it was open, would need something with tracks to get through the dense 3'+ snow drifts on parts of the road. Definitely some challenging lines for the best stock rigs, and some of the obstacles don't provide bypasses for full-sized vehicles. Certainly looks like an OHV dream trail.

The obstacle at Waypoint 4 was a legit challenge, I think its gotten a little rutted out from people spinning tires. IMO it was tougher than other 5's I've run this year (Barbour Fork, Hackett Gulch etc), more on par with Red Cone. Two jeeps in our group on 35's made quick work, but the obstacle claimed a CV on the 4-runner so we decided to trail fix and call it a day. Fall color was great, temps were perfect all day. Traffic from rental ATV/UTV was brutal, especially with the south end of Bunce Closed there aren't many options left so just about everyone was on Plane Crash or Park Creek. We will be back, this trail would make a great long day of wheeling when combined with MSV/Coney.

Did this bad boy with 31s and no lift on my yj. Did all the hardest lines because it's my trail rig and love to push it. Great trail and definitely a cool area to explore the plane wreck.

Great time. Highly recommend. Fun rocks. Would like to go back and re-run spots to make up different lines. Plane crash is cool, but somber. The trail directions here are very complete, but an easy way for me to understand it that might help some people is: Take the road into camp dick at the sign, turn right on 105, left on 202 and shortly thereafter, right on 203. Plane crash at the end.

Agree with Seth's assessment below; can present a pleasant challenge to even an experience driver in a [very] capable vehicle...lots of fun! My wife and I completed in our '18 JL with 3" lift/35s right after completing Ironclads (and traveling between them on Bunch School Rd). This trail was much more enjoyable than Ironclads; more challenging, incredible crash site to see at turn-around point, and FAR fewer vehicles. If you are short on time, I would recommend entering this trail from the south end (via 72 to 92 to Bunce School Road) vice coming down Bunce from the north (off of Hwy 7) -- doing so you will avoid a lot of off-road traffic from renters (if desired) and save time not having to travel Bunce School Road which can be slow-going (unless you just want to do so).

Absolute fun in an armored Wrangler, could be a bit nerve wracking in a different vehicle. We went up on the coldest Sunday in the past couple weeks in a topless and doorless 4 Door Wrangler. It was a load of fun when run with Ironclad and Bunce School road. Taking the hardest lines this trail can present a pleasant challenge an an experienced driver in a capable vehicle. It was loads of fun!

Good challenge for a lightly modified vehicle. No locker, 31's, 2.5" lift on the 4th gen 4Runner. No locker, 32's, 3.5" lift on the Frontier. If you're close to stock, get ready for some bumper scrapes. Definitely a good time working through the obstacles. Having multiple lines make it interesting and diverse for drivers with different experience levels and rigs with a range of capabilities. I realize this isn't Instagram, but I took a lot of photos to hopefully give a full flavor of what the trail has to offer.

Accessed via Bunce School Road. We were unable to make it to the top as we started too late and it got dark but made it to the off camber rock garden. Up to that point the trail was slick with streams running down it - something that provided for a tough, off-camber, muddy obstacle just prior to the .87 mile one mentioned above (.7 in?) Was a blast of a challenge for a lifted 4Runner on 33s. I was wishing I had installed sliders prior as the trees can be very tight. Had to utilize rear locking diff and atrac to make it up the muddy obstacle mentioned prior, but that may have been due to my choice of line.

Trail is open but there is snow on the trail at the higher elevations. The snow is still blocking the top as the off camber part near the top is slick and dangerous. Should be gone in a few nice days.

This is an awesome trail. Pretty technical and tight in spots but a good challenge for my vehicle (15 Tacoma, 33s, open diffs). The wreckage is very cool. I definitely recommend this trail!!

Ran this today following Ironclads and Bunce. Get's a bit rough as you get to the top. Was raining, which made things slick, but no dust which was a plus. Great time. 2014 JKUR, 33", 3.5" lift. Easy exit to 72 when done.

Trail is open and in good condition. Some snow made areas slick but nothing un-passable. Toyota Truck (locked, locked, 35”) Tacoma (open, open, 32”) FJ Cruiser (open, locked, 31”)

This is one of these trails that you have to do. Why? Because it's on the unwritten list of obligatory trails that should be on your bucket list.