Ryan Boudreau

Mapping Crew - Colorado

Trail Reviews: 54300 points

Questions Answered: 6600 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 (85)

(within last 6 months)

Hope Gulch (09/25/2021)

I wish I would have read this guide before I ventured out today. I ran this trail totally by chance and as the user before me stated, I stopped not long after the MVUM. Which from my maps I could tell stops as it enters some private property parcels, but the road continues well beyond and has historically thus its validity. Still, the portion I drove was great. Yes... SUPER narrow and hard to pass if you come across someone. But... still a very nice trek.

Jones Mountain/Ptarmigan Lake (09/25/2021)

One word... EPIC!! This trail has totally epic views. The road up is a super steep, super rough, slow slog, but it is totally worth it. I can't really describe it, you just have to see it yourself.

Mineral Basin (09/25/2021)

Great trail for the views. Tons of camping along the road up, but it was very busy with campers. Not sure if it's usually that busy, or just the typical "covid" busy from the last year. Fall colors are definitely at their peak, maybe a little past this weekend.

Homestake Collection System Road (08/03/2021)

Homestake Road has experienced a washout which has closed the road, affecting access to Holy Cross.

East Brush Creek (07/31/2021)

Super easy dirt road that should have some fantastic fall colors based on all of the aspens I saw. I traveled this on a rainy weekend and it was still pretty busy. The campgrounds in the area are pretty small, so don't be surprised if they fill up fast.

Nolan Creek (07/31/2021)

Pretty limited traffic on this road and it doesn't have a lot of excitement, but it does have some really nice camping spots and offers a lot of seclusion and great hiking trails into holy cross wilderness. Fulford is a really cool town. A bunch of off grid cabins.

Camway Trail (07/30/2021)

Due to mudslides related to the East Troublesome Fire, waypoints 9-10 are closed

Stillwater Pass (07/30/2021)

The western side of Stillwater is closed again due to mudslides related to the East Troublesome Fire.

NFSR 815.1 (07/30/2021)

Trail is once again closed due to mud slides related to the East Troublesome fire.

Webster Pass (07/11/2021)

The final section of snow blocking the pass was shoveled open by users on Sunday, 7/11/21. Open to everything now including Jeeps.

Camway Trail (07/09/2021)

Stillwater has finally opened back up after the fire. Not all roads in the area are back open, so be sure to check the closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD930052&fbclid=IwAR31lE-KTMonx2qxlTwtz7r1zelsg51bOcy76TPQWzVmnCZ7-ugC2EOEUCs

Stillwater Pass (07/09/2021)

NFSR 814.1 (07/09/2021)

Updated closure info was released today, and this trail still remains closed from last year's fire. Although some roads in the area are now open. Please refer to the closure order for specifics along with a map. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD930052&fbclid=IwAR31lE-KTMonx2qxlTwtz7r1zelsg51bOcy76TPQWzVmnCZ7-ugC2EOEUCs

Gravel Mountain (07/09/2021)

Gravel Mountain has finally opened back up after the fire. Not all roads in the area are back open, so be sure to check the closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD930052&fbclid=IwAR31lE-KTMonx2qxlTwtz7r1zelsg51bOcy76TPQWzVmnCZ7-ugC2EOEUCs

NFSR 815.1 (07/09/2021)

This trail has finally opened back up after the fire. Not all roads in the area are back open, so be sure to check the closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD930052&fbclid=IwAR31lE-KTMonx2qxlTwtz7r1zelsg51bOcy76TPQWzVmnCZ7-ugC2EOEUCs

Little Gravel Spur (07/09/2021)

Mosquito Pass (07/07/2021)

Open all the way

Schofield Pass (07/07/2021)

Open all the way

SOB Hill (07/07/2021)

Trail is open and passable for the season

Iowa Amphitheater (07/03/2021)

Although this trail is extremely short, I really enjoyed it. The views are spectacular and there is very little traffic along the Iowa Gulch drainage. We had this particular trail all to ourselves on a holiday weekend. The mining remains are slowly disappearing into the land, so I am not sure how many more years you will be able to see them. In a few instances, all that remains are a few piles of lumber and some steel bracing. Great trail for those that want to explore more of the rich mining history of leadville.

Lower Iowa Gulch (07/02/2021)

This trail is cool and provides great scenic views. And the Hellena Mine is really cool to see as well. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to do this trail by itself. Just connect this with the other roads in the area and make it a full day of exploring the mine history Leadville has to offer.

Ptarmigan Pass (06/27/2021)

Waypoints 1-4 still remain closed due a closure order. I walked that portion of the trail and found little reasoning behind the closure. The landslide that is mentioned is only 15 yards wide, and only partially blocks the original trail. I urge all users to contact the White River National Forest and ask for clarification on this closure, and when we can expect to see the trail opened again. Besides that partial closure, the remainder of the trail is open for travel.

Halfmoon Creek (06/25/2021)

Road is still closed while crews do work to clear trees and widen the road. The Forest order closing it has been extended to the end of August. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd933811.pdf

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

Gypsum Creek 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

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.

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.

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 Road (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!

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.

West Magnolia (05/21/2021)

Confirmed with Forest Service the road is open for the season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Crystal City (04/25/2021)

Still under seasonal closure under 5/21.

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.

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.