Tips for a Texan in CO.

Title pretty much sums it up...I'm leaving soon for Colorado (Denver specifically) and a buddy and me will start there and trail southwards until we get to Telluride/Silverton. From there, we'll wrap up the trip in Albuquerque. We're both in our mid 30s and have been around motorsports all of our lives, but have never been serious off-roaders, though we have done it at various times. Any tips or trails that stick out would be appreciated. We'll be camping each night in the tree lines (RTT). Below is a list of things I'm looking for:

Favorite trails (Truck)
Favorite trails (hiking)
Favorite restaurants
Beware of ______.
Don't do ____.
Make sure you do _____.

We have several off road guide books, so we have an idea of what we're doing, but I don't want to miss any high points if I can help it.

Please and thank you!

 

Don't spend the night in ABQ, if you can avoid it, as it has the highest rate of auto theft in the nation. If you have to stay there, I'd recommend an AirBnB in a better part of town (generally far NE side). Absolutely avoid hotels along the Interstates.

You're likely going to hit snow on the high mountain trails, so be careful. I generally watch Bush Ducks for trail status. Also be aware of fire restrictions.

Favorite trails you can run in a Tacoma: Red Cone, Schofield Pass, Pearl Pass. We just ran Mt. Antero a couple weeks ago and it was cool too. I like the trails in every other part of CO WAY better than the ones around Silverton and Ouray; you'll be there at the beginning of the off season, though, so maybe traffic won't be as bad.

 

Good stuff. Thanks for the tip on ABQ. I was thinking of staying at a KOA and rolling out the RTT, but we'll see.