Good 4WD rides near Boulder/Denver!

[Moto]

On Sunday, had a great ride in the Rollinsville/St Mary's Glacier/Central City area. IMO, FSR 353 that links Rollinsville to Alice is one of the best rides in the front range. Difficult, though! Amazing views, and some steep hills. Lots of rocks. But wow, amazing mountain riding and a super view of James Peak. North of there around Nederland, I've ridden the 105 and 505 which are pretty fun too. 353 is harder than either of these. Johnny Park between 36 and 7/72 is also a hoot! These are all blue to black 4WD roads. Switzerland Trail is green, and is a cool beginner ride. Stop in Gold Hill for a beverage. 

 

Anyway, my top recommendation for an awesome 1/2 day of riding is Central City to Alice (St Marys) to Rollinsville. This route is easier than the reverse (which I did) because from north to south there are two big hills. Going up Kingston Peak and over the pass was very steep, loose, and rocky. I made it with some iffy dogpaddling. My stock rear tire is almost worn out, and it SUCKED big. With a decent rear like a knobby these hills would be substantially easier. After Kingston, there's another ridge to go over, that, while shorter, is steeper and looser. I tractioned out about 2/3 up, and had to push and dogpaddle my way up. It was ugly. With a knobby, I'd have probably made it. No way was I turning around, though. The only thing worse than going up a steep hill with bad rear tire is going down one. Especially with these heavy machines.

 

You gotta ride the 353 if you like challenging 4WD roads. It's 5 stars. I'd rate the hills "black diamond" obstacles, which I usually attempt when I see them on maps. Some are truly challenging, and others are... "this is black? Not." There's a (black) bog on Middle St Vrain Road above Peaceful Valley where I turned around. It was a 20 yard stretch of 2 feet deep water and the bottom felt soft with a stick. I was by myself and didn't want to be stuck in mud. I'd still be there. That road's also got rocks. I want to try it again with a buddy who can push and wear mud if necessary.

 

Back to the 353 aka Hill Top Road. From Alice you go to Central City on FSR 175/176 past Yankee Hill. This is a blue 4WD road, and at times a rock fest. Not as hard as the 353 overall because there are ride arounds on the toughest spots. That said, like Yankee Hill (which you don't have to go up - I didn't try it), there are black diamond spots to check out if you're so inclined. Lots of trails! Route finding is tricky in this area. Get the User map. I didn't have it, but a nice UTV driver let me look at his when I didn't know which road to take.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Moto

[Moto]

Here's  a pic of the bog I mention above. It's on Middle St Vrain Road above Peaceful Valley. PM me if you live in the area and want to try this too! I'll pull your bike if you pull mine

[Landshark]

Thanks for taking the time to write that up and posting pictures.  I have ridden trails like that without the mud bog.  There a hoot.  If you have a GPS route you could post, that would be great.

[Moto]

Thanks for the note, Landshark. I'm still old-school and use paper maps. Maybe one day I'll join the modern world...

[mpatch]

Shoot me a message if you ever want to venture north. From my experience anything south of me has too many people. 

[Moto]

Cool, mpatch. Got any favorite rides up north?

 

Just FYI, Sunday was prime leaf-viewing weather, but on the 353 I only passed 3 small bikes, like 25os. No jeeps or UTVs at all... I agree, though, that popular trails (e.g. Switzerland) get busy. That said, the local trails with blue-black obstacles don't get near the use, and I've seen less traffic than, say, up on the jeep roads around Breck/Summit County.

[mpatch]

23 minutes ago, Moto said:

Cool, mpatch. Got any favorite rides up north?

 

Just FYI, Sunday was prime leaf-viewing weather, but on the 353 I only passed 3 small bikes, like 25os. No jeeps or UTVs at all... I agree, though, that popular trails (e.g. Switzerland) get busy. That said, the local trails with blue-black obstacles don't get near the use, and I've seen less traffic than, say, up on the jeep roads around Breck/Summit County.

During the week most places are quiet, weekends are another story. 
I have no favorites. Normally I head west and try to find something new.