Ryan Boudreau
Mapping Crew - Colorado
Trail Reviews: 52000 points
Questions Answered: 6100 points
My Profile
Off-Road Experience:
6+ years
Off-Road Style:
Rock Crawling
My Garage:
- (5" lift, 40"+ tires)
- 2016 Ram 1500 (Stock lift, 32" tires)
Hi, I'm Ryan!
I am a Colorado native and I've been wheeling since I was 16 years old. I grew up with a relentless passion for all things Jeep and off road related, and that passion has never died out. I am a member of the Mile-Hi Jeep Club, Patrol 16 Sasquatch Jeepers and currently own an '06 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (LJ) nicknamed "Minion".
I am a huge supporter of Stay the Trail and Tread Lightly, and have participated and even been in charge of many trail restoration projects. I have been a trail leader several times for events such as All-4-Fun, ColoradoFest, Set Them Free, 14er Fest, and other. I am also the creator of the Unlimited LJ Adventure.
My rig is built for extreme offroading, but I love to get my tires dirty on any kind of trail whether it's rock crawling or just scenic high Alpine drives. I've wheeled all over the country including Colorado, Utah, Kansas, the Carolinas, AZ, and California. I love a great adventure, and love even more to share those adventures with others.
If you see the "minion" out on the trail, make sure to stop and say hello.
My Garage (2)
Lift Size: 5"
Tire Size: 40"+
2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (LJ)
Genright Aluminum Front Hiline fenders
Genright Aluminum Rear Corner Armer
Genright Mini boatside rock sliders
Poison Spyder full cage
Front custom bumper built by The Flop Shop
Genright rear bumper
Front axle is a custom 609 - Spidertrax 9'' center section with D60 outters, running a Yukon Grizzly locker, Yukon Hardcore locking hubs, and chromolly shafts.
Rear axle is also a custom 609 - Trailgear 9" center, d60 shafts, Yuko Zip Locker.
40" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires
17'' ATX slab beadlocks
Custom long arm lift with 14" ORI struts
2016 Ram 1500
Lift Size: Stock
Tire Size: 32"
My Trail Reviews (97)
(within last 6 months)Ophir Pass (06/21/2021)
Pass is open again. The box truck was removed by 5pm same day last week.
Eagle-Thomasville Road (06/20/2021)
Road is currently closed due to the Sylvan Fire
Brush-Gypsum Road (06/20/2021)
Road is currently closed due to the Sylvan Fire
Gypsum Creek Road (06/20/2021)
Road is currently closed due to the Sylvan Fire
Barbour Fork (06/17/2021)
Spoke to the ranger and the gates are open for the season.
Caribou Creek (South) (06/15/2021)
Per the Boulder Ranger District as of this morning, the gates on both ends of Caribou still remain closed due to conditions still being too wet. They said it will remain closed at least another week and to check back then.
Twin Cone (06/14/2021)
Gate is open and the trail is clear all the way.
Jones Pass (06/11/2021)
Please note that Jones Pass will be closed from June 14-30th, 2021 so that Denver Water can do some maintenance along the road. You can see the press release here: https://www.denverwater.org/news/culvert-related-improvement-project-affect-public-access-jones-pass-road-june-14-30
Owl Creek Pass (06/07/2021)
Ouray County is reporting the pass is now open for the season. https://ouraycountyco.gov/151/Road-Bridge
T-33 Plane Crash (06/01/2021)
Gate has been opened on Bunce School and is accessible. Heard a group ran it with minimal snow.
Stevens Gulch Road (05/29/2021)
As already mentioned, a capable vehicle and driver can make it to the very end of the trail, past the hiking trailheads. Snow becomes abundant across the road at 11,200'. The parking lot at the hiking trails is almost fully melted. Beyond that the snow is very soft and deep in a few places. Be careful if pulling off on the side of the road in the snow, as there are some deep ditches. Had to help put out a truck that got stuck in one of the ditches while parking.
Grizzly Gulch Road (05/29/2021)
I only traveled to waypoint 8, and there were off and on patches of snow. I was being followed by a pretty small Tacoma, so I don't see a lot of issues with any capable vehicle and driver making the trail. I turned around do to time constraints, but the trail was mostly clear ahead with the same off and on snow patches.
Saxon Mountain (05/29/2021)
Came up from Georgetown. Didn't see any other vehicles, just hikers. The road has a ton of rock fall leaving randomly placed large boulders throughout. I think it has drastically increased the difficulty. I'd recommend large tires for this trail, and any pickup trucks with running boards BEWARE!
I hit snow at 11,000' with some big drifts across the road. No one had made tracks on them yet. I was able to bust through them completely. Even cleared a downed tree from the trail. Once I cleared the trail to waypoint 9, there were some tracks on the remainder of the road. They were old tracks so could have been vehicles on tracks. I'm not sure. Either way, continued on with very little issue. Maybe 1 remaining drifts caused me to hit it a couple of times, but otherwise made it to the top of Saxton Mtn just fine. I have 40" tires, so the drifts will probably need a few days to melt down for vehicles on tires smaller than that, but otherwise this trail is open for the season!
Ute Creek Road (05/29/2021)
As a follow up to the 5/23 report... that user must not have been on the same road. I ran the road again yesterday, same route as the 16th. This trail is dry all the way through from waypoint 1-5. Surrounding trails still have snow, but nothing on this one. Pics are from waypoint 1, halfway between 1 & 2, and at 2. Waypoint 2 is showing a little road damage from heavy runoff. But nothing too bad right now.
Clear Lake (05/28/2021)
San Juan National Forest has extended the closure of this area to Sept, 15 2021 due to the fire last year. The order can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sanjuan/alerts-notices
Pennock Pass (05/24/2021)
County Road 44H is open. All Forest Service land south of the County Road still remains closed to use.
Mad Creek (05/23/2021)
100% clear and open.
Spring Creek (05/22/2021)
Not my trail run, but pulled from a reliable source that ran it 5/22/21... Made it just shy of the Boulder field near the top. Still 4ft snow drifts. The hard left turn had snow too which was difficult but we all made it past it.
Holy Cross City (05/21/2021)
The seasonal gate on Homestake Road has been opened. However, Holy Cross is not melted out. Forest Service reports heavy snow still remains in the area.
Homestake Collection System Road (05/21/2021)
The seasonal gate on Homestake Road has been opened, and the roads were plowed to the Missouri Lakes trailhead. Forest Service reports snow throughout the area remains along unplowed sections.
West Magnolia (05/21/2021)
Confirmed with Forest Service the road is open for the season.
Trail Creek Road (05/18/2021)
For the most part, the road is clear and passable with a few feet of snow off the trail on the northern slopes. However, in the switchback between waypoints 7 and 8, there is a snow drift blocking the trail from being entirely open. With a well equipped rig can likely break the drift no problem. My stock pickup was not the rig for that. The road above the drift is clear though and has tracks on the top side. You can bypass this drift entirely by taking the left hand turn at waypoint 4 which will spit you out onto spring gulch at waypoint 11, but I expect that drift to be melted in a week or less.
I do think the trail is rougher than the 2 rating mentioned. There are some decent sized rocks that stick vehicles really have to watch their lines and tire placement.
Meadow Creek Road (05/18/2021)
As stated below, I have confirmed with the Forest Service that the lower portion of 129 is open. The seasonal gate just past waypoint 4, remains closed until 6/15
South Spring Gulch (05/18/2021)
Ran in uphill, reverse from this guide and almost made it to waypoint 9. There is still a lot of snow and ice at that point making it impossible for my stock pickup. There are a lot of tracks coming down hill, but one drift looks like it has caused a lot of problems for people as there are trees and such and fresh digging. Please stay on the trail and do not drive off trail to avoid snow, as seen here at this spot.
Ute Creek Road (05/16/2021)
Trail is open and clear all the way. No snow.
Blue Ridge (Williams Peak) (05/13/2021)
The fire closures have all ended, but this trail is still under seasonal closure until 6/15.
Ophir Pass (05/12/2021)
The east side of the pass is open to the top as it has been completely plowed by San Juan County. Work to clear the west side is supposed to start soon.
Wheeler Lake (05/12/2021)
Trail is still blocked by heavy snow and the gates at the lake might not even be open yet.
Corkscrew Pass (05/12/2021)
The east side of the pass (waypoint 8-10) is open to the top as it has been plowed by San Juan County.
Mount Herman Road (05/11/2021)
The eastern side of the road is temporarily closed for some construction work, per Forest Order PSICC-2021-24. Closed until May 28th, or until the order is rescinded. See attached map for area of closure.
Minnehaha Basin (05/04/2021)
Road has been plowed by San Juan Road crews and is no open. Expect some snow on the road and wet conditions.
Coal Gulch (05/01/2021)
Coal Gulch is now officially reopened entirely. There is still a few small fire related closures nearby, but it does not affect this trail any longer.
Welsh Reservoir (05/01/2021)
According to the BLM office, the lower seasonal gate has been opened, but the snow line remains around 8,500-9,000 feet, so the entire trail is not passable yet.
Pingree Park Rd. (04/30/2021)
Per the FS and the County, Pingree Park Road is open and the hiking trails at the end are now open for use.
Gypsum Creek Road (04/30/2021)
Per the latest updated road report by the Ranger District, the road is open but conditions change rapidly from wet and muddy. Visit this link to check out all of the latest White River National Forest Road Reports.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/whiteriver/alerts-notices
Crystal City (04/25/2021)
Still under seasonal closure under 5/21.
Pennsylvania Gulch (04/24/2021)
Attempted this from Switzerland and made it around halfway. From waypoints 1-2 there were tracks from before the last snow. For that section the trail was snowpacked but passable. Just beyond waypoint 2 there is a wide area pullout near a mining claim. At that point the trail really increase in steepness and there were no tracks in the snow I could see. And for good reason... under the 6-10 inches of snow, is a layer of solid ice. With the ice and the grade, ain't no one making it uphill for awhile. A lot of snow back there still. If someone comes from the south and goes downhill you can likely get all the way through, but it might be sketchy.
Switzerland Trail (04/24/2021)
The area still has a ton of snow. On the trail however, the snow has been extremely tracked out so travel was not difficult at all. From waypoint 1-4 the trail is snowpacked but easily traversable. From waypoint 4-6 you are on a south facing slope so the snow has melted off a lot and the trail was sloppy and muddy from runoff. From 6-8 snowpacked, but again easily traversable.
Upper Jackson Creek Road (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Upper Geneva (Geneva Creek) (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Twin Cone (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Slaughterhouse Road (aka Slaughterhouse Gulch) (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
North Beaver (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Lininger Cutoff (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Lininger Ditch (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Dakan Road (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Long Hollow Road (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year.
Rampart Range Road (04/12/2021)
The seasonal mud closure is now in effect. This closure is in effect until June 15th, or until conditions are dry enough for the Forest Service to open the gates for the year. This went into effect on April 9th. The north gate will not open anytime soon due to snow. The Rampart Range Motorized Management Committee is a great resource for updates on Rampart. They post closures and openings almost immediately once the Forest Service makes a change.
Webster Pass (04/09/2021)
The South Platte side of the pass (Highway 285 side) is not seasonally closed and open for travel. Tried the trail with 3 rigs on 40s. Made it 2.6 miles back. Constant snow starting at the Handcart Campground, with sections of deep, crusty snow along the way.
If you do not know where the trail is due to snow, or you cannot make it through a snow drift, please do not make your own route. Stay on the designated trail and if you cannot make it, turn around and try another day.
Halfmoon Creek (04/07/2021)
Still Winter in the mountains. Trail is still impassable beyond the Mount Elbert parking lot.
Speer Hunter (04/03/2021)
Hit the trail on the way home from Moab. Figured it would be dry and dusty like the roads in the valley. Boy, was I WRONG! The meltoff left this trail just wet enough to make the clay-like soil stick to your tires like glue. Of course after enough gets built up on the tires, inertia tosses the mud onto the vehicle and it NEVER falls off. By the end of the trail I'd bet I had several hundred pounds of clay on the rig. Besides that fact, the trail was just alright. Nothing overly exciting to see, but there was tons of camping. Just not anything you could get a travel trailer to.
Sevenmile Rim (04/02/2021)
I surprised by how fun this trail was. I would personally say it is a less popular trail than some of the others in this areas of Moab, but it is really fun. It offers cool viewpoints, good rocks sections, fast baja style sections, and even the optional turn to wipe out hill. Really good trail to visit!
Willow Springs Road (04/02/2021)
I'm a big fan of this road. It's easy and provides some great views. I have always ran it west to east (reverse of this guide). The number of campers along the far west side has been absolutely insane the past year. Please remember when you disperse camp here, you are required to carry out all solid human waste.
The Pickle (04/01/2021)
Visited the trail as part of the Yukon EJS night run. This trail makes for a great night run as it's short, and the canyon really lights up well at night.
Rampart Range Road (03/04/2021)
As stated below, the seasonal gates on both ends are closed but you can access the road in the center via Mount Herman.
Ryan (03/04/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect. It starts 3/1 unlike what is stated at the top of the guide.
Banana Peel (03/04/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect. It starts 3/1 unlike what is stated at the top of the guide.
Happy Platte Road (03/01/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect.
Lost Park Road (03/01/2021)
Seasonal Gate has now been closed. You can still travel to waypoint 8 as mentioned in the report below.
South Salt Creek (03/01/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect.
Bonis Creek (03/01/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect. It starts 3/1 unlike what is stated at the top of the guide.
Topaz Mountain/Wallace Gulch (03/01/2021)
Seasonal Closure now in effect. It starts 3/1 unlike what is stated at the top of the guide.
Mammoth Gulch (01/31/2021)
The road is super icy and dangerous. It's deceiving because the road is really dry at the beginning. But as soon as you get into the trees it's very icy under a very thin layer of snow. Made it shy of a half mile before deep soft snow keeps you from going any farther.
Rollins Pass East (01/31/2021)
Made it 6.5 miles up today. The snow is incredibly lack luster and sad right now for the time of year. With that said, there is still a number of deep, soft drifts. Be careful with your decisions. On our way out we saw 2 different rigs traveling alone, with zero winch points and street tires. That is not a good decision for winter wheeling.
Patriot Trail (01/16/2021)
Good day with no carnage. The trail is dry. As stated in the previous review, Coffin rock is really filled in and it's not really an issue anymore. The exit wall is getting bigger as rock chunks from the top keep breaking off.
Independence Trail (01/16/2021)
The trail has changed a lot at Bunker Hill. Some new boulders, some old boulders gone. Getting pretty beat up and well used out there. Trail was dry.
South Spring Gulch (01/03/2021)
I can't comment on the entire trail since I only ran a small section of it. We entered this trail at wp7 after coming from Cascade Creek. There are tracks all over the trails out here. From conditions I saw on the other trails, you can likely get all the way to the junction of South Spring Gulch and Saxon Mountain, but I can't confirm that. We ran the trail to the mine play area between wp9 and wp10, and then took Ute Creek down to 103. A lot of bare dirt patches along the section we drove. Trail is very tracked out and has been heavily used lately.
Cascade Creek (01/03/2021)
Trail was GREAT today! Made it extremely far for this time of year. The trail was extremely tracked out and appears to be heavily used since the last snow. Snow is extremely wind blown sugar snow, so very little traction. Between wp9 and wp10 there is a dangerous ice flow to be aware of. 39.714156, -105.658859. We made it a few hundred yards beyond wp10 to a steep uphill climb that was really slick and icy. We couldn't make it up and opted to turn around rather than winch the hill. There were tracks on the hill however, most likely coming downhill from South Spring Gulch.
Griffin Mountain and Woodchuck Spur (01/03/2021)
Trail was a blast today, even though we didn't make it far on this one. Beyond wp3 it is impassable with extremely deep sugar snow. Hiked over to the cell tower. Super windy over there.
Ute Creek Road (01/03/2021)
Surprisingly, this trail is 100% passable right now. We ran it from the top down after coming from Cascade Creek, to Molly Brown, and then to South Spring Gulch. The trail is extremely tracked out. It has been heavily used since the last storm. Lot's of dirt still and the snow wasn't more than 8"-10" at its deepest. No big drifts to deal with. Until a few big back to back snows come in, this was be traversable for awhile. I didn't get really any good photos of conditions just because there was literally nothing to take pics of. You can see in the one photo though how bare Mt Evans is and the surrounding hills.
Slaughterhouse Road (aka Slaughterhouse Gulch) (01/01/2021)
The seasonal closure of this trail started today.
Bordenville Gulches (01/01/2021)
Seasonal Closure on this trail has begun. Jan 1- Jun 15 are the dates it is closed. This closure was put into effect as part of the Pike San Isabel Travel Management lawsuit settlement. Details can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/nepa/102995_FSPLT3_2604583.pdf
Lost Park Road (01/01/2021)
The dates listed for opening here are not correct. The seasonal closure dates of this trail are 3/1-6/15. Recent reports suggest the trail is snowy and icy and could be impassable to some vehicles.
Old Fall River Road (12/22/2020)
The fire closure is no longer in effect. However, the trail is no closed for the winter season.
Fourmile Area: Fourmile Creek (12/22/2020)
Open until waypoint 5 where the seasonal closure starts.
Slaughterhouse Road (aka Slaughterhouse Gulch) (12/19/2020)
Lots of snow, lots of ice. Very slippery and sketchy conditions. Don't head in here alone. I stopped at waypoint 2 and walked a ways in, down the counterclockwise direction. Didn't see any tracks heading that way or coming back out. Saw a few trucks come out from the clockwise direction where there were a lot of tracks.
The Chutes (12/15/2020)
Due to snowy and icy conditions, this section of trail might be impassable to traverse or even reach at this time of year.
Strawberry Road (12/15/2020)
This trail is now under seasonal closure until June.
Rock Creek (12/15/2020)
Snow packed and icy throughout the entire trail. Although open, the terrain makes this trail very difficult to run in the snow. It is extremely popular and busy with cross country skiers, Best to leave this trail to them for the winter. It's just not a worthy winter wheeling spot.
Cascade Creek (12/15/2020)
Snow packed and icy throughout the entire trail. Do not attempt from the west side. Snow busting should only be attempted from the east side out of Idaho Springs. Not recommended for stock vehicles. Go prepared to get stuck and self recover.
Sidewinder (12/15/2020)
The Wolford Mountain area is now under its seasonal closure. See you in April!
Sugarloaf Mountain (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted and the trail is back open.
Pierson Park North (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Miller Rock (12/04/2020)
As of Dec 4th, the Calwood Fire closure has been lifted and thus this trail is open again. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/arp/alerts-notices/?aid=62734
Johnny Park Road (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Button Rock (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Panorama Peak (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Solitude Creek (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Kelly Flats (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Cherokee Park Road (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted. Trail is back open for use.
Acme Creek Road (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Pennsylvania Gulch (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted and the trail is back open.
Pierson Park South (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect.
Pearl Beaver Road (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted, but the seasonal closure is now in effect. The dates at the top of this guide are incorrect. Seasonal dates are 6/15-11/30 for being open.
Switzerland Trail (12/04/2020)
Fire closure has been lifted and the trail is back open.
T-33 Plane Crash (12/01/2020)
Seasonal Gates have been closed.
Bunce School Road (12/01/2020)
The seasonal Gates have been closed. This closes the southern portion of the trail between Waypoints 12-14. You can still access the Northern end of the trail which remains open all year.
My Trails (108)
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