Visiting Colorado? This is your Local Information Thread!

Oh wow, when was that?

We did the via ferrata today, BB/Imogene tomorrow.

 

looks like someone needs a new pair of pants

 

"Fetch me my brown pants."

 

It was just a few days ago. It's really not a difficult trail, people just don't pay attention and dumb stuff happens.

 

Do you think he had to moxie to try and get his Jeep badge after almost falling off the trail?

 

I just don't understand that Jeep thing.

 

Update for the road between Ouray and Silverton.

US 550 Red Mountain Pass lengthy closures set for power line reconstruction
July 16, 2021 - Utility project will impact travel for next few weeks
SOUTHWEST COLORADO —Travelers will encounter lengthy road closures on US 550 Red Mountain Pass over the next few weeks to allow for electrical utility work. San Miguel Power Association is clearing timber in preparation for a power line reconstruction project. Work is taking place on the north side of the pass summit between the communities of Ouray and Silverton. Significant closures are required to allow for safe helicopter operations to take place above the highway. (see attached flyer for project details)

Visit forest service websites or contact the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, and the San Juan National Forest for information about potential closures of forest roads and trailheads on public lands.

Travel Impacts
Travelers will encounter two four-hour closures, weekdays in the mornings and afternoons. When departing Silverton, northbound the closure point will be located near Engineer Mountain Trail, MP 89.5. When departing Ouray, the southbound closure point will be just south of Ouray, MP 92. The highway will remain open overnight and on weekends. If travelers cannot reach the closure points before the set closure times, they may consider the western alternate route via CO highway 145 through Telluride. Motorists are urged to take it slow and watch for flagging personnel and other workers on the roadway.

July 19 - 30 (open on weekends)

• CLOSED 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• OPEN 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
• CLOSED 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
• OPEN nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.

August 9 - 20 (open on weekends)

• CLOSED 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• OPEN 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
• CLOSED 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
• OPEN nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Stay Informed About this Utility Project

• San Miguel Project Website: www.smpa.com/content/red-mountain-electrical-reliability-and-broadband-improvement-project
• San Miguel Power Association: 970-626-5549
• Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests: www.fs.usda.gov/gmug
• San Juan National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan

 

Hey, I'm in Colorado Springs for two weeks and have a free weekend. My rental is a TRD Offraod 4Runner and I would like to take a nice scenic, stock friendly trail this coming Saturday. Im at Ft Carson and would appreciate any recomendations.

If there's anyone already planning a trip, I would prefer a second vehicle just in case. Thanks!

 

Keep in mind that you probably have thin street tires, so watch out for those sharp rocks here!

 

I’ve never done Black Bear so I guess I don’t have much room to talk but I’m kind of baffled as to how this even happened.

 

Yeah, they're Dunlap AT20's so nothing crazy. I'm just looking for a day trip to a scenic spot that's not paved and crowed with tourists.

 

id say go over old stage road from colorado springs (broadmoor area) to cripple creek. they may have taken the bet limit of $100 away too, so you can lose all your money at once now. old stage would be around 2-3 hours for the loop. theres pancake rock? or mt baldy up there if you wanna try off roading with a rental

or go up rampart range. if you drive through garden of the gods, theres a dirt road (rampart range road) by balanced rock that goes up pretty high. if you're feeling adventurous, you can explore some trails up there. id say use a gps app or a map to go on actual roads, not social trails (stay the trail). then you can pop out in woodland park or go up north to monument. since you're military, you can go drive around farish and fish if youre interested.

 

Thanks, I'll look into all of that!

I found a pikes peak sticker in the 4runner so I know it's been take up there

 

Good News!

The planned road closure has been delayed thru end of August at least.

From the mayor of Ouray on July 16th:

Important Update to the Proposed Closure of 550!

Thanks to a team effort, we were able to delay the work that would have had significant daily closures of 550 during the peak of our season. We hope to be meeting with representatives of SMPA and CDOT in the near future to find a schedule for the project that is less impactful to our community.
From the City, I would like to thank Mayor Pro Tem Wood, Councilman Boyd and Administrator Clarke for their support in making this happen. I’d also like to thank those from Silverton, San Juan County and various state entities for their support when I called. And thanks to the Board and Engineering Manager from SMPA as well as CDOT for listening and responding to our concerns.
We will provide updates as more information becomes available.

 

Both of those roads are scenic, but beware that they're heavily-traveled--don't be surprised if you see a few busted '90s sedans along the way.

Between the two, I'd take Old Stage Road any day. The road condition is usually rough (lots of washboards) from Colorado Springs up to St Peter's Dome, but improves drastically after that. There are some 4x4 trail offshoots as you get closer to Cripple Creek, but I haven't driven them and can't offer any advice on what could be done on street tires.

If you take CO67 toward Divide from Cripple Creek, you can do some hiking around Pancake Rocks/Horsethief Falls, The Crags/Raspberry Mountain or the Catamount Reservoir. You could then choose between US24 or Rampart Range Road to get you back to the springs.

You could also take Phantom Canyon Road or Shelf Road from Cripple Creek down to Cañon City. I understand that they're scenic and non-technical, but I haven't driven either and can't tell you any more about them than what you'll find on the internet.

 

heads up, horsethief and pancake rocks are currently closed due to land disputes
https://gazette.com/news/popular-hi...cle_393f6636-e4e1-11eb-ba65-ef2845d90aec.html

 

Ugh. I leave town for a week... this is why we can't have nice things. Thanks for pointing it out.

I didn't realize that area was accessible from CR62/The Crags. I'll have to check it out... it might actually be a more interesting (albeit longer) route. If I'm understanding correctly, the part of the trail that's closed was a bit of a boring slog to get to the good stuff anyway.

 

Black Bear Pass - 15 July 2021 - clear and open again - Stay Safe

 

Anyone got any info on Webster pass to handcart gulch? People on all trails were reporting Webster was still closed. I will be in Colorado for my Son's and Dad's birthdays in September and that seemed like a fun run while we are passing through to Centennial.