Transfer Trail

5/5 (20 reviews)
Glenwood Springs, Colorado (Garfield County)
Last Updated: 12/18/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

The Transfer Trail, situated near Glenwood Springs, Colorado is the main overland route into the White River National Forest SE Flat Tops area. The road delivers you deep into the heart of meadows filled with wildflowers, thick forest of spruce, fir, pine and aspen trees and scenic lakes. Mixed into the experience are vistas of the distant Elk Mountains to the south, and No Name Creek when you find yourself at Windy Point overlook. This off-road route was originally part of the Ute Indian Trail System, then later became a toll road for the Hip Roof Saw Mill at Windy Point. A sheep farmer then bought the land and herded sheep in the area. The old road system connected through the Flat Tops to distant towns such as Meeker and Yampa. Although the Mill and much of the old road system is long gone, the Transfer Trail remains.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

5/5 (20)
3100
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 11/13/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We ran up the trail for the first time for a recon for a point to point next summer. Down low it was no snow but up higher several feet. It was warm with snow melting and tons of mud. We had a 2.5 lift and 35 mud tires aired down to 14 psi. We booted it up several steep muddy areas with the big v8 in 4Lo and second gear otherwise you'd spin out. Some deep water and broken ice in places. A stock rig and street tires chalk it not possible. This trail was super amazing and very different than the front range. We got up to around 10k and ran into a old built up Chevy. The guy said he got stuck with some jeeps not far above and said we should turn around. Great idea that truck was stuck? The guy had a winch in the front and back. Cool by me because it was a monster !
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/06/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Man, I'm really falling in love with this area. This trail is awesome. You get a great mix of technical terrain and beautiful views. Took about 2 hours to get to waypoint 16, which was mostly steep and easy shelf roads and easy unmaintained forest road. In typical Colorado fashion I got all four seasons in those 2 hours. Sunshine, rain, hail, and snow. I camped near Bowen Lake. The obstacle at waypoint 19 was much more technical than I thought it was going to be based on the pics. Having said that, it was a solid "4" in difficulty and was fun to go up. After that the trail was super muddy and sometimes covered in snow from the day before. Navigating the muddy, steep, and off camber descents was pretty exciting/challenging. Almost slid off the trail a few times. Thankfully most of the descents are short and if I had slid off the trail and gotten stuck, there were lots of options for me to winch off of or use recovery boards. (oh yeah, go prepared to self recover. I didn't see a single other vehicle while I was on this trail and there is no cell service) Some of the mud puddles were pretty deep and unavoidable, coming up past the bottom of the truck door (around 2.5' deep). Took me 2-3 hours to complete the trail from waypoint 16. As far as difficulty I'd say it's a solid 4 but only because of the obstacle at waypoint 19 and the muddy descents. Otherwise I'd say its a 3. Blair Mountain is much more challenging in my opinion due to its sections of sustained technical driving. Can not wait to combine this trail with Blair Mountain next year! Fun side note.....there were several large flocks of sheep with badass guard dogs, haha. (sorry, only took one pic towards the end of the trail.)
Open
Visited: 08/05/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Wildflowers, wildflowers, and more wildflowers, some great vistas, and nice lakes for a roadside lunch. Road was mostly dry...just a few puddles that we chose to splash around it.
Open
Visited: 07/04/2022

A trail with some good views. Lots of mud right now. Would not recommend full size trucks. There is risk of pinstriping as well.
Official Crew
35350
Open
Visited: 06/03/2022

According to the MVUM, this trail is open for 2022! It may be impassable at this time of year due to snowpack, so travel/plan accordingly.

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