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How to find trails in Colorado

Discussion in 'Colorado' started by gottaToy, Aug 23, 2015.

  1. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:21 PM
    #1
    gottaToy

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    gottaToy [OP] Well-Known Member

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    What's the best way to navigate trails in Colorado? I bought a trail map book and it SUCKS. It only shows the trail you are on and not the side roads. just about went the wrong way on Mosquito Pass, luckily some guy in a jeep came along and knew the way.
     
    gottaToy, Aug 23, 2015
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  2. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:24 PM
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    GroupW

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    GroupW Well-Known Member

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    Get a better trails book I guess. There's plenty of good ones. Which one steered you wrong?
     
    GroupW, Aug 23, 2015
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  3. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:29 PM
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    Pigpen

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    Pigpen My truck is never clean

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    Check the internets for a local 4x4 club. They usually have printed maps that are much more detailed. You'll make some trail buddies too!
     
    Pigpen, Aug 23, 2015
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  4. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:36 PM
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    mike2810

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    mike2810 Well-Known Member

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    Contact the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management. Many times the local offices have decent trail maps.
     
    mike2810, Aug 23, 2015
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  5. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:38 PM
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    Skywalker

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    Skywalker Set the gear shift to the high gear of your soul

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    Traildamage.com is a good website for trails here in Colorado. I also have maps for each National Forest that show forest service numbered roads as well. You can try posting in Colorado bs thread and I'm sure someone can shed some more light over there as well.
     
    Skywalker, Aug 23, 2015
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  6. Aug 23, 2015 at 1:38 PM
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    GroupW

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    GroupW Well-Known Member

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    Its always a good idea to check your guidebook against a forest service map. MVUM's are handy as well.
     
    GroupW, Aug 23, 2015
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  7. Aug 23, 2015 at 2:53 PM
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    gottaToy

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    gottaToy [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel drive Trails by FunTreks Guidebooks. It REALLY sucks, did some trails around Monument and it wasn't much help there either. it had a 4 star rating on Amazon. must have been reviewed by the writers? I did successfully do Peak 10 and Keystone Gulch with the book. Mainly because the are "out and back" trails and the ski resorts have all the other roads blocked.
     
    gottaToy, Aug 23, 2015
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  8. Aug 23, 2015 at 3:31 PM
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    gottaToy

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    gottaToy [OP] Well-Known Member

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    gottaToy, Aug 23, 2015
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  9. Aug 23, 2015 at 3:53 PM
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    Jefes Taco

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    Jefes Taco Well-Known Member

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    Jefes Taco, Aug 23, 2015
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  10. Aug 23, 2015 at 3:58 PM
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    Jefes Taco

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    Jefes Taco Well-Known Member

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    Should always have a paper map if possible.
     
    Jefes Taco, Aug 23, 2015
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  11. Aug 23, 2015 at 4:10 PM
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    spitdog

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    spitdog Well-Known Member

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    National Forest maps will be the best to use. You can get an individual map for each forest. We would get them and make copies of each so we could high light them in yellow for where we wanted to go.

    This was in my dirt bike days when I lived there. They would usually be trashed by the end of the day anyway from pulling them in and out of our back packs. Thuss the reason we copied them.
     
    spitdog, Aug 23, 2015
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  12. Aug 23, 2015 at 4:19 PM
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    smd3

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    smd3 Well-Known Member

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    Traildamage.com, a Benchmark Road and Rec Atlas, Garmin GPS with the Colorado 10K maps, and National Forest Service OHV maps are the primary tools I use.
     
    smd3, Aug 23, 2015
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  13. Aug 23, 2015 at 4:26 PM
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    spitdog

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    spitdog Well-Known Member

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    No I know what those are, I'm a land surveyor. The ones I'm talking about are the National forest service maps for the individual forest. Like the White river NF, Arapahoe NF, Gunnison NF and so on.

    They have the trail numbers on them that correspond to the trail markers on the actual road/ trail. Topo maps in Co. don't.

    The forest service publishes maps for its own forest.
     
    spitdog, Aug 23, 2015
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  14. Aug 23, 2015 at 4:34 PM
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    spitdog

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    spitdog Well-Known Member

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    Yep. There good maps with the most updated info. as far as road closures.
     
    spitdog, Aug 23, 2015
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  15. Aug 23, 2015 at 4:39 PM
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    spitdog

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    spitdog Well-Known Member

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    A Topo map will always have more detail as far as contour lines , streams , elevation and so on, but a forest service map will help the off roader more because of the marked roads and trails that correspond to whats actually there.
     
    spitdog, Aug 23, 2015
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  16. Aug 23, 2015 at 8:26 PM
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    acidchylde

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    acidchylde Well-Known Member

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    Most of the MVUM maps are on the forest websites if you go searching. I've found the actual forest maps are kind of hit and miss - either it's an online only viewer or can't get a pdf of it, or just a link to purchase hardcopies. I keep a copy of
    $22 Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer
    Delorme's Gazetteer in my truck, though I can't remember the last time I used it. I've used my GPS more, but it's got data on it based on topo quads, so... Of course, as already mentioned some of the roads tend to move or not appear on any map in the mountains/mining areas. I've definitely done some more 'exploring' than planned a few times and gone down roads where I was like 'I don't remember this' only to have it come out in the right place. Traildamage, as mentioned, highlights the route on topo quads. I've yet to buy any guidebook. Traildamage and local visitor center pamphlets are all I've ever used.
     
    acidchylde, Aug 23, 2015
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