Quick Colorado Trip

[Lexjrob]

My wife and had terrible luck all the way from March - July on trying to get a vacation planned and we finally said it is time to do something before it gets too cold to do anything. We are wanting to head west to Colorado just to get away for a while. We talked about just taking her 2018 JLU (No mods, radial tires) and trying to hit some easy trails. I also have a 2019 Ford Raptor (stock as well) and maybe renting a camper to pull.

Anyone have any recommendations on trails that would be fun trails to go on or insight to camping spots etc? This would really be our first off-road trip and really don't have any recovery gear. Just looking for something fun to do to kill some time.

 

[GordoJay]

Campgrounds are filling really early and really quickly right now. Informal camping can also be a challenge because of all the people that drove out here this summer. Make a plan and have a contingency. Don't wing it. Usually things get better after Labor Day ...

 

[Lexjrob]

Campgrounds are filling really early and really quickly right now. Informal camping can also be a challenge because of all the people that drove out here this summer. Make a plan and have a contingency. Don't wing it. Usually things get better after Labor Day ...

Absolutely, we are trying to head out September 20-26 so we are trying to get our ducks in a row now to get this all figured out.

 

[Proflyer]

We just went and camped up off Georgia Pass. Lots of dispersed camping in the area. NO FIRES, so if you do want something you'll have to get a propane fire pit. I got one at Lowe's and it's actually pretty nice. You can't even smoke outside if you're a smoker, so no cigars for me. It's that dry. Tons of fires right now and the smoke is pretty bad. Really not a good time overall to head this way...

 

[pierre]

> wanting to head west to Colorado
do you know which part of Colorado?

 

[Dane]

I'd recommend the Alpine Loop. Always a favorite and the Raptor is great for it.

 

[911 Crazy]

Emerald Lake trail in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. It's my wife's favorite spot on planet earth.
The Maroon Lakes trials near Aspen is a post card of a hike. Steamboat Springs is a cool cowboy mountain town with nice shops and dining. Ouray-Silverton-Durango is a very beautiful drive. South Fork to Lake City with a stop in Creede (old silver boom town) is another great day!

 

[Lexjrob]

So we ended up booking a place in Winter Park area we wanted to try and avoid a full days drive to our location, we will be out there Sept. 21-24. We have been using https://www.trailsoffroad.com/states/CO & https://funtreks.com/ to find some easier trails to run in the area. I have been having the wife look at a few that she would feel comfortable driving to pick some out. Looks to be quite a few nice trails in the area. Will update more once I have a better idea of which ones we are going to head out on.

The wife is pushing hard to take her Jeep out there.

 

[Proflyer]

If you're going to stay in WP, Rollins Pass West is a great trail to run up. It's the old train route and there's a cool tunnel up there (closed off, so you can't go over the pass) but some great lakes up there as well. The Raptor will handle all of that easily. There are a TON of trails around CO. Meadow Creek outside of Tabernash (just north of WP) is cool too, goes around a large alpine lake.

Run up to Hot Sulphur Springs too for an evening dip.

 

[Dane]

So we ended up booking a place in Winter Park area we wanted to try and avoid a full days drive to our location, we will be out there Sept. 21-24. We have been using https://www.trailsoffroad.com/states/CO & https://funtreks.com/ to find some easier trails to run in the area. I have been having the wife look at a few that she would feel comfortable driving to pick some out. Looks to be quite a few nice trails in the area. Will update more once I have a better idea of which ones we are going to head out on.

The wife is pushing hard to take her Jeep out there.

North Sand Hills is about two hours from Winter Park. There's basic free camping there and the sand dunes are fun to bomb around in the Raptor.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

So we ended up booking a place in Winter Park area we wanted to try and avoid a full days drive to our location, we will be out there Sept. 21-24. We have been using https://www.trailsoffroad.com/states/CO & https://funtreks.com/ to find some easier trails to run in the area. I have been having the wife look at a few that she would feel comfortable driving to pick some out. Looks to be quite a few nice trails in the area. Will update more once I have a better idea of which ones we are going to head out on.

The wife is pushing hard to take her Jeep out there.

The jeep will be cheaper on gas for sure. Do you have a sunrider top for it, if you take the front panels off? I leave my panels off all summer with the sunrider top on, never need the a/c on, even in high 80's. I keep a first aid kit and a tow rope in my jeep and Raptor. I carry an impact gun for flat tires too. Good luck on your trip.