Trip in CO? August (14-15)

For real though, not just "I wish"ers Here's what I'm thinking;
Subarus only, 3 day weekend in August, off pavement (mostly), camping, road trip style, trails and route TBD based on interest (possibly around Buena Vista?). High country should be without or with minimum snow so most trails will be accessible. So, who's in? I'm not great at planning (otherwise I'd have a detailed plan already), but I can give it my best once I see interest. Colorado is beautiful and in August the high country is pleasant to be in. Y'all have seen how much fun we've had last Summer and that was just in the foothills - aka low country

Edit: I have a similar thread going on SF.org too: https://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f102/who-would-interested-trip-co-74095/

The date for this trip is tentative but probable: August 13th-15th, 2010.

I would love to visit Colorado! one day...

I'm interested, but I haven't camped in a long time, and I don't have much camping equipment. I'd be willing to do a 1-night trip...it'd be interesting to see if I can sleep in my Outback Sport ;-) My Subaru is my dd, so I'd need the trails to be pretty mild, too :-/ Judging from the location, you must be planning on driving through Traildamage.com's Carnage Canyon ;-)

rocky said:

Judging from the location, you must be planning on driving through Traildamage.com's Carnage Canyon ;-)

Click to expand...

I think we can do that no problem But what makes you think that?

This trip being a multi day excursion will focus on getting around CO and covering as much ground as possible in one piece, therefore the route will be pretty mild (trails rated up to 3 at the most, if any). I would like to start on the East side of the Rockies (ie Denver area), make our way West and circle around back East. Which way, I haven't decided yet. Stay tuned.

I would love to come out But the economy is hard on the family's budget If you and Smash still live out there in a year or two I love to do a 2 or 3 night camping trip in the mountains That would be a trip of a life time for the boy and I.

Nate

Ok, wheels are starting to turn... I'm thinking Denver as a starting point, go west on 285, do some passes up around Jefferson, Breckenridge, Alma, towards Leadville, down to Buena Vista, Salida, Royal Gorge Bridge, Gold Belt Byway, Garden Of the Gods, etc. I'll get more specific later and will start another thread (this was just to gauge interest). So, what do you think?
(google map of a rough draft route)

Tinknocker, just let me know when and we can make it happen :iconwink:

SubaCool said:

Ok, wheels are starting to turn... I'm thinking Denver as a starting point, go west on 285, do some passes up around Jefferson, Breckenridge, Alma, towards Leadville, down to Buena Vista, Salida, Royal Gorge Bridge, Gold Belt Byway, Garden Of the Gods, etc. I'll get more specific later and will start another thread (this was just to gauge interest). So, what do you think?
(google map of a rough draft route)

Click to expand...

If you want more dirt and less pavement, you could include Boreas Pass (connects Breckenridge to Como). It's mostly a flat dirt road with a bunch of potholes, though. Como has a quirky little inn/restaurant, but it's not open every season. Ditto for including part of Rampart Range Rd--the southern end is pretty interesting. It's slightly rougher, it's made of red dirt, and there's some scenic overlooks. It connects Woodland Park to Garden of the Gods. Both these roads are nice and wide.

...And if you're going to get on Rampart Range Rd at Woodland Park, you've gotta do Ensign Gulch Rd! It's my current favorite, and it's right there Much bumpier and steeper than Boreas & Rampart Range, but the bumps aren't made of rock. It's 1.5 lanes wide.

Do you know if the rockslide on Guanella Pass was cleared? A few months ago, it made that road a dead-end, and I didn't get the impression that anybody was in a hurry to fix it.

Subacool the rout looks nice and long but where on the map would you plan the the camping, and do you have vids or pics of some of the sites. also will be stops on the rout with things to see.
What will we need to bring other then the regular camping equipment? camping car parts etc.

Sorry for all the questions but if I can make it this would be my first trip like this.

Nate

PS My Sister en-law just moved from Littleton CO.

That was just a rough draft to give an idea on the areas/route in mind. That will be the general direction we will go. Boreas is on my list and will probably be the first patch of dirt we hit :iconwink: There will be plenty to see and places to stop. We will stick to mostly easy roads but I might throw in some optional "harder" stuff too. As far as camping goes, I'd like to do primitive (aka, no KOA) but predetermined. Again, TBD and negotiable (wife doesn't like going without shover for more than two days).

Pics and videos? Only what I'll find online and from friends. I actually haven't done 90% of this but I always do my best to research where I'm going, so no worries there. If you've read my journal, you know :iconwink: I might actually take an early trip out that way beforehand if I can't get info on everything.

What to bring? TBD, but use common sense. First aid kits, tire kits, spare tire(s) (and not just the dognut), shovel, straps, food, drinks, camping supplies, fuel can, tools, etc. Basically anything you can think off that will be needed on a road trip. Make sure your car is in top notch shape to prevent the preventable and to deal with the unexpected.
Etc, etc, etc.

Keep the suggestions coming, anything and everything is welcome and might be used against/for you in the court of Subaru :biggrin:

Weston Pass

If you're looking at Weston Pass, I think you should reconsider. The east half is great, but once you pass the parking area halfway, it gets a bit nasty. The west half is hungry for oilpans.

It looks like you've got Mosquito Pass in mind though, so perhaps this suggestion doesn't apply. I've never driven Mosquito.

rocky said:

If you're looking at Weston Pass, I think you should reconsider. The east half is great, but once you pass the parking area halfway, it gets a bit nasty. The west half is hungry for oilpans.

It looks like you've got Mosquito Pass in mind though, so perhaps this suggestion doesn't apply. I've never driven Mosquito.

Click to expand...

Do you have pictures of the so called nasty section? Traildamage shows it a 2 (God knows how old their reports are though). Oil pans? Don't drive over what you can't clear, or get a skidplate I don't know if I'll include either of those, stay tuned. But expect to get dirty

SubaCool said:

Do you have pictures of the so called nasty section? Traildamage shows it a 2

Click to expand...

Heck, it almost qualifies for a rating of "1" but (on the west half) there's small boulders embedded in the road, and every 150 feet, I encountered one that was impractical to drive around. I WAS getting through successfully, thanks to a my enthusiastic spotters, but at the rate I was going, it would have taken all week to make it to the end of the road. After an hour or so, I decided it wasn't worth it, and I turned around and exited the way I entered. I'm sure it wouldn't be a challenge for you, but I don't think the west half of Weston Pass would be a good fit for your plan ("covering as much ground as possible in one piece"). I spoke to a coworker who claims to drive a large pickup truck, and he described it similarly. He found it real tedious and time-consuming to slow down and crawl over each rock.

But no, I don't have pictures :-(

I do have a skid plate, but it doesn't cover my catalytic converter, transmission, exhaust, etc, so if I hear my skid plate getting used, I know it's time to stop and change my plan. It's more of a warning device, really ;-)

Thanks for the tip! I wasn't actually planning to include Weston in this trip, but thanks for the heads up

Update: Stay tuned, some things came up and I'll be extremely busy for the next few days, so any further planning will be on hold for a few days. As soon as I have a few minutes, I'll get right back on track

The main post has been updated with tentative dates for the trip: August 13th-15th, 2010

We've pre-run the first leg yesterday, man it was fun!! Check out the slideshows from Boreas Pass and the Shrine Pass (I've divided them because I've had way too many pictures to sort through). I'm still gonna have to figure out the details, as far as overnights go, but it should be fun. I've never planned anything like this, usually just do as we go, but it's happening

I'll post up a report, hopefully tomorrow.

And btw, Weston might be getting incorporated into the trip, we'll see

^ thanks for the pics - such nice country. I think if I were to live anywhere else CO would be high on the list! The pink snow on the Rockies early morning is something I'll never forget!

Update:
New dates: Second weekend in August (14-15th)
Sorry everybody. My wife just informed me that she will be going back to work on August 2nd, therefore the three day trip will be changed into a two day outing. We're still planning on going, whether anybody wants to join us or not. We're most likely gonna camp out overnight, and the returning route will be shortened. Again, sorry, but like I've said, a trip will definitely happen the second weekend in August

And I WILL post up a report from the other week, I just need to find some time

Things are still iffy on my end.. Some project dates at work keep moving around for "mid August." If it looks like I'll be up there for your trip, I'll let you know..

Bad news Looks like the trip will not be happening, but we might be still going camping somewhere close. The money's tight and some other things came up. Sorry all
Mods, please unsticky.