S Colorado Vacation

[andyr354]

I am leaving for southern colorado the second weekend of september for a 1.5 week vacation. Planning on going through colorado springs, pikes peak, cripple creek, gunnison area, ouray, silverton, sand dunes, ect...

I am just looking for tips on must see attractions. I will be driving my stock 98XJ. I am gonna bolt on a set of the older aluminum XJ mags with 235 tires for the trip.

Deffinately wanna hit the alpine loop trail so far. Are there other interesting trails that I can easily navigate in this rig? If I have to unbolt the swaybar I will, but would prefer to just stay with easier stuff. It does have a trakloc in the rear.

 

[RTicUL8]

Take a look at Medano pass. It runs from the Great Sand Dunes and heads east over to hwy 69. On a senic scale of 1-10 I give it a 10. Difficulty is about a 4. Most people air down by the dunes to get thru the sandy parts.

 

[RTicUL8]

One other - Running from Ouray to Lake City is engineer pass. You must stop by Animas Forks - and old mining ghost town. This pass on a senic scale of 1-10 is about a 17!!! It will take your breath away. And If you even think about leaving your camera at home you will curse yourself! Here's just one link with some pics: http://www.4x4now.com/a4f98b.htm

 

[LRRH]

I was on Engineer last year. I wouldn't recommend taking a stock XJ there unless you had some skid protection. There are some nasty rocks on that trail.

Animas forks is very nice. Pretty easy to get to if you come from the Silverton side.

A few other easy trails in the area are Maggie and Minnie Gultch. The view can be seen here:

 

[LRRH]

oh...and inbetween Ouray and Silverton is the Red Mountain or something. Very cool. There is a train ride that runs up the mountain (in case the family is sick of the Jeep!)

 

[Bones]

I am leaving for southern colorado the second weekend of september for a 1.5 week vacation. Planning on going through colorado springs, pikes peak, cripple creek, gunnison area, ouray, silverton, sand dunes, ect...

Andy, it would help to know some of your interests and goals while in CO. There is so much to do in CO that you can't see it in 10 days especially if that week and a half includes your to and from time.

How many are in the XJ (you/you and SO/you, SO, and kids)?
Do you camp or hotel it? Fish? Hike? etc.

I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Charles Wells' book "Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails."

A stock XJ on 235's can do anything in Wells' book up through at least Tomichi Pass with undercarriage protection (t-case skid at least, rockrails to be safe though probably not needed with careful driving).

I did up through Poughkeepsie gulch on 235's and an OME 2" lift with open diffs. There aren't many trails in cent and south CO I haven't been on with 235's (more than I have been on with 33's).

Check out a post I did for Crunch a while back (http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7517). I don't know if you would want to do Poughkeepsie but the rest is all Stock XJ accessible (though you might want to stay off old Tincup, which is optional along Tincup pass).

Knowing what you want to do on the trip, I can give you recommendations that are more specific. There is everything from narrow gauge trains through cliff dwellings to see in the SW corner, and the gorge is a nice day trip near CS. Though I'm not much on the dunes or Pikes Peak, (the peak is way too commercial for me. Antero isn't nearly as crowded) the garden of the Gods in the springs is also a great place to see.

I have some pics on the net of places in CO I've been (http://public.fotki.com/Bones/jeep_stuff/colorado/). Take a look and if any seem like some place you want to see let me know and I'll give you directions.

Bones :skull1:
#6

 

[andyr354]

I will be by my lonesome. I tent camp for most of the trip maybe checking into a hotel a couple of times to take a hot shower.
I don't wanna take any trails that could damage this jeep (98XJ). Maybe in the next years vacation my 89xj will be ready for a longer trip and I can take some of the rougher stuff.
I don't fish, I do some very light hiking (I am to out of shape!), and some photograpy. I am also a history buff so the ghost towns and such are very interesting.
I have ordered a few books, I hope they are here today.

Andy


Just read the other post. Awesome stuff!