BUSHDUCKS COLORADO JEEP TRAILS
WHEN ARE THEY PASSABLE?
DATES FOR 2009

The status of many popular high elevation 4x4 trails in Colorado is listed below and updated as the trails open or close. The list includes the main trails plus some 2wd access roads. The voluntary updates come from many sources, including the National Forest service, the BLM, and interested individuals. As the Colorado mountain weather can be highly unpredictable, please check with the relevant information body yourself for any recent changes. Conditions can change without notice. It is also subjective - a trail one person says is open, may be considered too dangerous to travel by another.

As a guide, you can view the dates and information from the 2008 season, 2007 season, 2006 season, 2005 Season, 2004 Season,2003 Season, the 2002 Season or the 2001 Season.

This list is intended as a guide only and no responsibility is taken for any incident arising from mis-information. The ultimate responsibility as to whether the trail is safe to travel, within the capabilities of yourself and your vehicle, or indeed open at all, is taken by YOU. If in doubt, DO NOT TRAVEL. The inclusion of any trail on this page does not mean it is open or legal to travel. Conditions change, and trail status may change, sometimes without warning. Use common sense, and do not go around closure barriers.

. 5/31/09 - Open only about 1/4 mile from winter trailhead parking area. We hit snow almost right away, and turned back after passing the Butler Gulch entrance, but before the big clearing. Some quads appeared to have traveled farther up, and it might have been possible to continue in a truck to the clearing, but probably not any farther than that. 6/19/09 - Open all the way past the Carson townsite and over the top. This area is all clear and dry. The only snow is at the top of the pass where it has been plowed through.

TRAIL NAME	NATIONAL FOREST NAME/DISTRICT	PHONE NUMBER	STATUS	DATE UPD.
Alta Lakes Road	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Open and clear all the way to the lakes. We took a jeep up Saturday the 20th. It was easy and clear. There are some mud holes on the back side of the lake trail. Use caution when crossing them. We did our best to drive around them and still touched frame in one hole. Rubicon with 2" lift. 5/1/09 - Road is only passable for a bout 200 yards from Hwy 153. Encountered a problem right off the bat: a bout 200 yards up the hill from Hwy 153, a good-sized boulder (about 36"+ in diameter) has landed in the middle of the road and, to make matters worse, about 1/2 the roadway just past the boulder has washed out. The sum of those two related events is that the road is impassable by 4x4. I suppose you could make it on a mountain bike but it's going to need shored up before anyone will be getting up there this year. We didn't try to get up to the lakes from Mountain Village, but I've heard you can get there via san joaquin rd)
Argentine Pass/Waldorf Mine	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400	Partially Open	6/28/09
COMMENTS: 6/26/09 - Clear for a ways above Waldorf Mine. Some snow still on road. Did not try the snow from going up from the Guanella Pass side. As I was coming down, 2 forest service ATVs and about 6 4-wheelers were headed up. Maybe they cleared the road (just hoping). 6/6/09 - Open to Waldorf Mine. The first curve beyond the mine towards the pass covered in 2-3' of snow still.
Alpine Tunnel	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	6/13/09
COMMENTS: 6/13/09 - Open all the way to the top. Some drifts and in some spots it can get narrow. Wet and snow pack in few spots. 5/25/09 - Trail is open up to the Palisades.There are a couple of snow drifts on the way up that stock 4x4's can handle. I would not advise tackling the drifts near the Palisades - you might slip and tumble hundreds of feet!
Ballard Road	Fort Collins Region
COMMENTS:
Bangs Canyon	BLM
COMMENTS:
Bill Moore Lake	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Birdseye Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300
COMMENTS:
Black Bear Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Partially Open	6/17/09
COMMENTS: 6/17/09 - Was able to get to the pass but the Telluride side has not yet been plowed. Trail was in good condition, but you have to go through several deep cuts in the snow, to get to the pass. The last cut just before the pass is above the top of my lifed TJ. 6/6/09 - Closed.
Blowout Pass	Rio Grande/Divide
COMMENTS:
Bolam Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/29/09
COMMENTS: 6/29/09 - There is a sign saying the road is closed, but we had no trouble. The road was very rough but doable. Some snow still on the ground but the road is clear.
Boreas Pass	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400	Open	6/24/09
COMMENTS: 6/24/09 - Road is fine. Accessible all the way from Como to Breckenridge. Did not notice any adverse road conditions that would interfere with travel for most vehicles. 6/609 - According to the USFS South Park Ranger District, Boreas Pass opened on 6/4/2009. The sign at the start of the pass on the Como side also says open. We did not ride it as the East side is only open to street legal vehicles.
Breakneck and Browns Passes	Pike/Fairplay	719-836-2031
COMMENTS:
Bunce School Trail System	Boulder	303�541-2500	Open	5/17/09
COMMENTS: 5/17/09 - Trail Open All The Way. 2 Mudpuddles about 18" deep.
California Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300
COMMENTS:
California Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/19/09
COMMENTS: 6/19/09 - Road open from Animas Forks across California Pass, Hurricane Pass and Corkscrew to 550 Road was wet with melting snow and some minor washouts. Awesome drive through cleared snowfields. No problems with stock Jeep JK. 6/6/09 - Open according to the Forest Service. 6/4/09 - Road open from Animas Forks to California Pass with the dozer almost to Hurricane Pass Muddy and wet but never needed lockers and barely low range. 5/28/09 - Approached from east or Animas Forks. Trail is open to flats below pass only. A CAT is working down there to clear the trail. So not near California Pass. Snow drifts have mud in them and just get through them. I expect the CAT will rework the road after California Pass is opened. Most snow fields have brown dust, which I have never seen in 20 years, on them unless it has just snowed. Temps were in 50s at noon so there is much melting due to both conditions. Animas, Alamosa, Conejos, Uncompahgre, Rio Grande, Gunnison, North Fork of Gunnison and Colorado seem to be extraordinarily high at the moment.
Caribou Creek	Boulder	303�541-2500	Closed	6/4/09
COMMENTS: 6/4/09- gate closed at Caribou. Several snow drifts still on trail. lots of puddles from run-off also on trail. 5/17/09 - Gate Locked At Rainbow Rd
Carnage Canyon	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open all year
COMMENTS: Completely open all year.
Chinaman Gulch	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open all year
COMMENTS: Completely open all year.
China Wall	Pike/Fairplay	719-836-2031	Open all year
COMMENTS: Completely open all year.
Cinammon Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Trail is open all the way. We traveled from Lake City to Silverton the pass was in great shape. It did snow 2 inches that day but none stuck on the pass road itself. 6/6/09 - The Alpine Loop is open from Ouray to Lake City and back to Silverton. Trails were mostly dry (some continuing snow melt, but not much mud). The spring foliage was amazing. 5/23/09 - Trail is open and plowed all the way.
Coney Flats	Boulder	303-541-2500	Open	6/20/09
COMMENTS: 6/20/09 - Open.
Corkscrew Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Open all the way. It was still wet and a little muddy with runoff but we made it all the way up from 550 to Hurricane Pass. Then onto California to Animas Forks where we took Engineer back to Lake City. 5/23/09 - Trail is open all the way. Muddy in spots. 5/22/09 - Lower Corkscrew is reputed to be muddy and slick when wet. It was wet when we drove it , but not very slick and certainly not dangerous. The switchbacks were wet, but again, challenging but not dangerous. The usual washouts along the switchbacks had recently been graded and were not a problem.
Cottonwood Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	5/27/09
COMMENTS: 5/27/09 - Muddy on the Gunnison side.
Cumberland Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	6/13/09
COMMENTS: 6/13/09 - Trail is open all the way from Tincup to Pitkin. Some snow pack and mud/wet spots along the route. Ok for 2 wheel drives. 5/23/09 - From the Silver Plume in Pitkin made it exactly 9 miles up before turning around. In stock Dodge Mega Cab pickup (not a snow buster) we stopped at 9 miles up. Snow was not real deep, but no tracks busted thru it either.
Cunningham Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	5/23/09
COMMENTS: 5/23/09 - Trail is open all the way.
Eagle Rock	Teller County	Near Colorado Springs
COMMENTS:
Elwood Pass	Rio Grande/Conejos San Juan/Pagosa	719-274-8971 970-264-2268
COMMENTS:
Engineer Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Partially Open	6/6/9
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - The Alpine Loop is open from Ouray to Lake City and back to Silverton. Trails were mostly dry (some continuing snow melt, but not much mud). The spring foliage was amazing. 5/28/09 - Open all the way. Previous afternoon snowed so we were first over from Lake City in 1" of fresh snow. Usual 20 ft. high drift east side of engineer pass. Oh, Point! not open yet. East side just below pass on flats is muddy so just ride the ruts. West side is rock so no problem. 5/25/09 - Trail is open and plowed all the way. 5/23/09 - Mineral Creek portion from 550 to the Mickey Breene Mine has been bladed, so we went that far with no problems in a stock Rodeo. Stopped just past the mine due to darkness. Relatively fresh bulldozer tracks to the mine, and beyond. Drove in light rain but the road was in good shape. No washouts but numerous small runoff crossings. 5/22/09 - Open to pass. Weather prevented our going any further. Lower Engineer is a s bumpy as it has traditionally been. Several water crossings were deeper than usual, but presented no problem. THe switchbacks leading to the pass were wet, slippery,and icy in places. The fog rolled in about half way up and added an element of concern. Visibility was almost zero in a few places. When we reached the top we turned around and returned home via Animas Forks and Silverton.
Fourmile Travel Area	San Isabel	719-486-0749	Partially Open
COMMENTS: The majority of this region is open all year.
Georgia Pass	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400	Partially Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Traveled up Tiger Run and South Fork and gate was open to top. Large hard drift and 2 long snow packed areas prevented travel to top. Reached Meadow located before top.
Gold Hill/Switzerland Trail	Boulder	303�541-2500
COMMENTS:
Governor Basin	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300 970	Closed	5/12/09
COMMENTS: 5/12/09 - Trail is not open. Cleared only to locked gate where dozers are parked less than a mile past start of trail.
Grizzly Lake	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	6/29/09
COMMENTS: 6/29/09 - Has been open for 2 weeks. Trail the same as always, difficult creek crossing at the start. Fishing as excellent as always.
Guanella Pass	White River/Dillon Pike/South Platte	970-468-5400 303-275-5610	Open	6/28/09
COMMENTS: 6/28/09 - Open, but construction on Georgetown side. Slow in the 2 one-way road areas. Closed 9pm-6am and in the morning and afternoon weekdays for a couple of hours (sign on Grand Side). Other than that, a decent, quick drive. 5/17/09 - Pass closed about 12 miles from Georgetown coming from Bailey. Roads good.
Gunsight Pass	White River/Sopris District	970-963-2266
COMMENTS:
Hagerman Pass	San Isabel/Leadville White River/Sopris	719-486-0749 970-963-2266	Open	6/29/09
COMMENTS: 6/29/09 - Finally opened yesterday from the Leadville side. A giant cat with the largest snowplow I have ever seen cut thru 12 feet of snow at the top. It is a site to see! Just a narrow cut through the deep snow for about 200 yards. Without that happening I doubt the pass would have opened this year at all. Other than wet and muddy in spots it is good to go from Leadville all the way over to Aspen now. Lots of traffic on it this date, both ways. 6/20/09 - Trail is now open 3.4 miles past the tunnel and staging area, where the 4x4 road starts. Almost at the top, there is a hugh snowdrift across the road where the north facing slope curves to the west. This is the usual problem area every year. 6/14/09 - Can get only 2.6 miles up from the Carlton/Ivanhoe tunnel (staging area where the 4x4 road starts). Huge drift of snow over the road at this point. I walked another half mile up from there and only small drifts across the road,but until this big one melts or is plowed, that is the end. 5/26/09 - At the Ivanhoe Tunnel, where the 4x4 road starts up the pass (Leadville side), there is deep snow still on the road over 2 feet deep. It rained/snowed all Memorial Day Weekend so nothing melted up there. 5/23/09 - Plowed to junction with Ivanhoe Lake (from Fryingpan valley). Still covered with 2-3 feet of snow where rough road starts (Lyle Lake Trailhead).
Halfmoon Creek	San Isabel/Leadville White River/Sopris	719-486-0749 970-963-2266
COMMENTS:
Hancock Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Partially Open	6/30/09
COMMENTS: 6/30/09 - ATV's are getting through but there are still some snowdrifts that may slow down jeep travel. Please stay on the designated road and don't drive off-road to avoid mud puddles. 6/21/09 - The trail is open to the treeline and first switchback where it is still blocked by snow.
Hayden Pass	Rio Grande/Saguache San Isabel/Salida	719-655-2547 719-539-3591	Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - Hayden Pass is now open! 6/3/09 - Still closed by snow at the top of the pass.
Holy Cross City	San Isabel/Leadville White River/Sopris	719-486-0749 970-963-2266	Partially Open	6/13/09
COMMENTS: 6/13/09 - Trail is open to Cleveland Rock, however there is still a lot of drifts to negotiate, try to stay on top of them. Be careful know your limits and stay on the trail. French Creek has changed a lot this year. Plan on spending some time to get over it. It's even fun for the buggys again.
Hurricane Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - No problem at all traveling the entire pass. There are still tall walls of snow near the summit to drive through. The summit sign is laying on the ground, so you need to look for it if you want a summit sign photo. 6/19/09 - Open from Animas Forks to 550 through California Pass, Hurricane Pass and Corkscrew. From the east side approach to California Pass, through Hurricane pass, the road is wet in spots with snowmelt, but the snowfields were plowed and it is now passable. 6/6/09 - Open according to the Forest Service. 6/4/09 - Road open from Animas Forks to California Pass with the dozer almost to Hurricane Pass Hurricane looks like it should be open by the weekend Muddy and wet but never needed lockers and barely low range
Imogene Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Partially open	6/26/09
COMMENTS: 6/26/09 - Officially open 06/26/09 per the San Miguel County Road and Bridge Dept. There was a mudslide earlier today that had to be cleared, so use caution due to the large amount of rain in the area. 6/19/09 - Imogene Pass was still closed at the top by a cat sitting in the entrance to the last cut through the snow. Apparently, there is still a problem. There is a turnaround just before the closure which is at about 12,000 ft. which makes for a nice trip even though one has to turn around. 6/17/09 - From the Ouray side the trail was open to the overlook that is just above timberline. The plow was working above and one of the crew said that the pass should be open in a couple weeks. Trail was in good condition and the water crossings were only slightly higher than they are in late summer. 6/13/09 - The trail is plowed, but it's closed. It's plowed all the way up, but it's blocked up at 12,000 feet - snow slid over the road.Mmuddy up around 10,500 feet. Didn't need lockers to get to the snow. There is a cat sitting up there, looks like they're working on it. 5/23/09 - Open to Yankee Boy Basin. 5/12/09 - Closed. Snowpacked at entrance on Yankee Boy side.
Independence Trail	Canyon City
COMMENTS:
Iron Chest	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - The trail is open all the way to the top.
Italian Creek Road/Upper Reno Divide	Gunnison/Gunnison	970-641-0471	Partially Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - The trail is open from the Taylor Park side past the mine to the trees. From this point it is blocked by snow.
Jenny Creek Trail	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Jones Pass	Clear Creek	303-567-3000	Closed	5/31/09
COMMENTS:
Kebler Pass
COMMENTS:
Kelly Flats	Canyon Lakes	970-498-2770
COMMENTS:
Kendall Peak and Kendall Mountain	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300
COMMENTS:
Kennebec Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/19/09
COMMENTS: 6/19/09 - Open to top of pass. Dry. 6/4/09 - Closed.
Kingston Peak	Clear Creek	303-567-3000	Partially Open	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - Trail is open and in good shape from Alice until you get about 1/2 mile from James Peak Trailhead. 3 large snow drifts block the trail. Looks like some tried to go around the first, but were stopped by the second drift.
Lamartine/Saxon Mountain	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Lead King Basin	White River/Sopris District	970-963-2266
COMMENTS:
Left Hand Canyon	Boulder	303�541-2500
COMMENTS:
Maggie Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - Open according to the Forest Service.
Marshall Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Likely open	5/27/09
COMMENTS: 5/27/09 - Likely open all the way, but went 10 miles up from Monarch Pass side. Very muddy and slippery. Four wheel drive required. Runoff is primary cause of mud and streams in the area are blown out. Extreme caution is required both for safety and to keep from tearing up the muddy road. 5/21/09 - Drove 10 miles up from the Monarch Pass side. Very muddy and slippery from run off and rain. Four wheel drive required most areas due to extreme mud. Significant caution is required both for safety and to prevent damage to road.
McAllistair Gulch	White River/Holy Cross	970-827-5715	Partially Open	6/24/09
COMMENTS: 6/24/09 - Made it up 3/4 of the way before encountering snow and deep mud across trail preventing further travel. Some mud but generally in good condition most of the way.
Medano Pass	Rio Grande/Saguache San Isabel/San Carlos	719-655-2547 719-269-8500	Open	5/30/09
COMMENTS: 5/30/09 - Traveled the pass North to South 5/30 but a large mud hole exists just to the Dunes side of the pass which was stopping all stock trucks. Lifted, locked Land Cruiser made it without help. Ranger at the Dunes mentioned that they might be closing for repairs at this section, call before attempting. Water on Dunes side was no more than 18" deep.
Metberry Gulch	Teller County		Open	3/8/10
COMMENTS: Open all the way. A few mud puddles. We cleared the downded trees.
Middle St. Vrain	Boulder	303-541-2500	Open	6/20/09
COMMENTS: 6/20/09 - Open.
Mill Creek/Red Elephant Trail	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Minnie Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Closed	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - Closed.
Moody Hill	Canyon Lakes	970-295-6700	Open	5/24/09
COMMENTS: 5/24/09 - Open all of the way and VERY popular! Did not drive Crystal Mountain as it started to rain heavily. Better safe than sorry! Condition is good. A couple of rock minor obstacles will be a challenge.
Mosquito Pass	Pike/South Park San Isabel/Leadville	719-836-2031 719-486-0749	Nearly there!	6/29/09
COMMENTS: 6/29/09 - We traveled from Leadville up 7th street to Mosquito Pass. On the backside there is a very large snowfield covering the road. We were able to navigate off road around it but as we descended an additional 150 yards, encountered an additional snow field that blocks the road. Couldn't safely go around that one because it is on a 30 degree slope and too much risk involved in trying to plow through it. Probably 3 ft deep and could have slipped of with a 200 foot drop and roll. Didn't want to take the chance with my suburban, so we turned around and went back to Leadville. It was sleeting on the way back down. No other vehicle tracks evident so we felt we had accomplished a little. Took about an hour to reach the pass. There are some snowbanks at two hairpin turns covering the road going up from Leadville that took some maneuvering around to get past. 6/27/09 - Still just one bad spot with snow drifts across the road about one eight of a mile below the top from the Leadville side. Believe this is at the final switchback before the top. Some snow at the switchbacks near the top, but you can get thru that except for the last drift. I suspect by July 4 it will be open from Leadville, but dont know anything about the east side towards Alma. 6/13/09 - From the Diamond mine where the 4x4 road starts, you can get only 2.1 miles up to the first switchback where the snow is very deep and continuous.It was 12,160' elevation there. Need to have some warm sunny days with no rain/snow before this gets better. It snowed on me midday while I was up checking on the road. 5/26/09 - From Leadville you can only go 3.2 miles past the pavement. You can make it about .75 miles up the 4x4 part of the road to just opposite the Diamond Mine and Diamond Lake. Usually the switchbacks above this point are the obstacle but you cant even get up to them now. 5/17/09 - The road traveling west to Mosquito Pass is clear to about 3/4 of a mile before the section that crosses the stream. After that there is snow on the road but also spotted at least one set of tire tracks through the snow.
Mount Antero	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Open	6/30/09
COMMENTS: 6/30/09 - The road is open all the way to the top. 5/30/09 - Less than a mile after the Baldwin Gulch crossing the drifts haven't been touched. Baldwin Gulch crossing was only about a foot deep.
Mount Baldy/Captain Jacks	Pike National Forest/ El Paso County	719-836-2031	Partially Open	5/17/09
COMMENTS: 5/17/09 - We went all the way to the clearing where Mt Baldy meets with Eagle Rock. Further along it should be open with somewhat deep snow. Give it another week or two and all should be dry. We did encounter a puddle about 8" deep from the rain the last two days and melt water. 5/8/09 - We only made it about a 1/3rd of the way. Snow hindered our progress at one point, so I cannot comment on the rest of the trail. The trail, for the section we went on, was in good condition. Everything was pretty dry. Some melt water on part of the trail. Towards 10k feet we started encountering snow on the side of the road. We decided not to proceed further as street tires don't give the best of traction on snow as the next section was still covered in snow.
Mount Blanca/Como Lakes	Rio Grande/Saguache San Isabel/San Carlos	719-655-2547 719-269-8500
COMMENTS:
Mount Bross	Pike/South Park	719-836-2031
COMMENTS:
Mount McClellan	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400
COMMENTS:
Ohio Pass	Gunnison	970-641-0471	Open	6/17/09
COMMENTS: 6/17/09 - Trail was open and dry from the top of Kebler down.
Ophir Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Open and clear all the way. I traveled this pass over to Telluride and Alta Lakes area Saturday and came back over Sunday. It is mostly dry and clear for use. 5/28/09 - Officially open per the San Miguel County Road and Bridge Dept. 5/23/09 - Open all the way. Take care on the shelf road though; it's very icy in places.
Owl Creek Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Open	6/7/09
COMMENTS: 6/7/09 - The road is open all the way,one muddy corner. We were in the area cleaning up the ATV trail at Vista Point.
Pearl Pass	Gunnison/Gunnison	970-641-0471	Probably closed	6/27/09
COMMENTS: 6/27/09 - Not sure, didn't actually travel the pass, but wanted to update. A bridge on the Aspen side of Pearl Pass above Castle Creek Road is washed out and unsafe to cross over. If you are planning on driving the pass from C rested Butte, it might be a good idea to call the Aspen Ranger District to see if the bridge has been repaired. I have not heard of an ETR.
Peru Creek Road	White River/Dillon Pike/South Platte	970-468-5400 303-275-5610	Open	6/21/09
COMMENTS: 6/21/09 - Trail is open. Water levels are slightly high due to run off. Going all the way back the stream was about 12" deep. Trail going to the right the stream looked to be around a 18"-24", didn't go through it myself.
Picayune/Placer Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - Open according to the Forest Service.
Pomeroy Lake	Rio Grande/Saguache San Isabel/Salida	719-655-2547 719-539-3591	Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - The trail is open all the way. There are some wet/muddy spots, but it is mostly dry and summer conditions.
Poughkeepsie Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Closed	6/18/09
COMMENTS: 6/18/09 - Looking down from Hurricane Pass, the top of Poughkeepsie is stilled snowed in. Hasn't been touched by dozer. 6/16/09 - Traveled up the trail from Engineers Pass road and was stopped by snow just before the main obstacle on the trail. The trail was a little rougher than normal due to runoff on the trail. 6/6/09 - Closed.
Ptarmigan Pass	White River/Holy Cross	970-827-5715	Partially Open	6/24/09
COMMENTS: 6/24/09 - Trail closed for about 600 feet at pass. Drove up from Camp Hale - able to get within 1/2 mile of crest. Road in great shape most of the way.
Radical Hill	White River/Dillon Pike/South Platte	970-468-5400 303-275-5610	Closed	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - The Forest Service gate on the Deer Creek road is still closed. Based on history it will probably be closed for a couple of more weeks.
Rampart Range	Pike/Fairplay	719-836-2031	5/12/09	Open
COMMENTS: 5/12/09 - Traveled from Garden of the Gods to intersection at Woodland Park. Road was clear and dry--very dusty. The start of the trail had some pretty good sized dips, but nothing serious. The trail all the way to Woodland Park was very washboarded. Be careful on the blind curves. A number of drivers were taking them way too fast, not expecting (caring) about on-coming traffic. 4/4/09 - Travel from Garden of the Gods to Intersection leading to Woodland Park. Only 2-3 patches of snow. Only 2-3 patches of snow.
Red Cone	White River/Dillon Pike/South Platte	970-468-5400 303-275-5610
COMMENTS:
Red Canyon Park	Canyon City		Open	4/21/09
COMMENTS: 4/21/09 - The main road is open to all of the day use areas, it is also open all the way through to the highway. All of the fun spur roads are also open. The main road was being graded the day that we were out there.
Rollins Pass - East Side	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Rollins Pass - West Side	Clear Creek	303-567-3000	Partially Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - Not open all the way. Snow at Rifle Sight tunnel. Snow is melting, but lots on the ground on any north facing trail.
Red and White Mountain	White River/Holy Cross	970-827-5715
COMMENTS:
Saint John	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400	Closed	6/26/09
COMMENTS: 6/26/09 - Seasonal gate is still closed. Deer Creek and Webster Pass are also still gated.
Schofield Pass	White River/Sop`hris District	970-963-2266	Partially Open	6/28/09
COMMENTS: 6/28/09 - Still blocked by slick snow on the Crystal side of the Punchbowl.
Scotch Creek	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/29/09
COMMENTS: 6/29/09 - Open all the way. Very muddy with large holes. Doable with jeep. 6/6/09 - Closed.
Sevenmile	Roosevelt National Forest	970-498-1100
COMMENTS:
Shrine Pass	White River/Sopris District	970-963-2266
COMMENTS:
Slaughterhouse Gulch	Pike/Fairplay	719-836-2031	Open all year	5/17/09
COMMENTS: Completely open all year. 5/17/09 - Road to mudpit still closed. 3/8/09 - Colby and I took his new jeep wrangler(new to him). It is a black 2008 stock jeep wrangler. The trail is open all the way. It was pretty dry for this early in the season. There are no problem spots. But the road leading back to the mud pit is closed.
Spring Creek	Pike		Open	5/30/09
COMMENTS: 5/30/09 - Trail open all the way. Trail in good condition. was dry all the way until we got to the rock garden. lots of snow melt run-off made the rock garden a muddy mess, and alot more fun! saw a little bit of snow on the trail after that, but not much. 5/12/09 - The trail was still dicey with snow and off camber pitches. We were stopped about 100 yards from the rock garden with a 5' snow drift. Dry down below, muddy and snowy about 1/3 the way up. My best guess for it to open all the way would be near the end of May.
Spring Creek Pass	Clear Creek	303-567-3000
COMMENTS:
Stony Pass	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Open	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - Open all the way to Hwy 149 on the other side of Rio Grande Reservoir. Pole Creek running 12-14" deep - no problems for our Jeep Rubicon... Lots of water crossings through the forest to the reservoir but all were easily passable. 5/22/09 - Open all the way, however Pole Creek is very high. We turned back in a stock Cherokee, as didn't feel confident to make the crossing.
Swan and Wise Trail, middle fork	White River/Dillon	970-468-5400
COMMENTS:
Taylor Pass	Gunnison/Gunnison	970-641-0471	Nearly there!	6/22/09
COMMENTS: 6/22/09 - The trail is open from the Taylor Park side within less than 50 yds from the top. There is a small area of snow that remains blocking the trail.
Tincup Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591	Partially Open	6/28/09
COMMENTS: 6/27/09 - The pass is open all the way from the West side. 50 yds over on the St. Elmo side there is a snowbank blocking the trail. 6/20/09 - The trail from St Elmo was open to above treeline. The last few switchbacks were covered in a lot of snow. It may still be a few weeks before any chance of passage. The road has been graded in the last 6-12 months and is easily traveled by stock 4x4's. I even saw a Saturn at a campsite half way up. 6/19/09 - Summitted from the WEST SIDE-with a couple 30' snowfields near summitt. Typical snowfield across the short shelf rd just east of divide, I'm thinking 6-8' right at the trail. 6/3/09 - Still closed by snow. 5/30/09 - From the Saint Elmo side, open approximately five miles up -almost to the tree line. Muddy, there are drifts to be crossed between fourth and fifth mile. It looks like the trail has been worked on. There used to be a really big mud puddle that took up half the road between the third and fourth mile, it's been filled.
Tomichi Pass	Gunnison/Gunnison	970-641-0471	Partially Open	6/28/09
COMMENTS: 6/28/09 - Trail open on north side for approximately 1/4 mile past the Hancock Pass cutoff. At least 3 or 4 significant snow banks on the shelf road prevent travel. 6/27/09 - It has recently been reported that Tomichi Pass is no longer navigable. Does anyone know if this is true?
Treasure Mountain Loop	Uncompahgre/Ouray	970-240-5300	Closed	6/6/09
COMMENTS: 6/6/09 - Closed.
Twin Cone	Pike, South Platte	719-836-2031	Open	6/14/09
COMMENTS: 6/14/09 - Trail is open all the way and the views are spectacular. Definitely one of my new favorite trails after the wind,rain,snow,sleet and hail cleared up. Trail is not for stock SUV if you're worried about damage. What an adventure we had this day.
Uncompahgre Plateau Area
COMMENTS:
Wager Gulch	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Open	6/19/09
COMMENTS:
Wearyman Creek (FS747)	White River/Sopris District	970-963-2266	??	6/27/09
COMMENTS: 6/27/09 - From the Shrine Pass road, we did not attempt the first creek crossing. Creek was over its banks and running 4"-6" deep on the trail. Probably 3 foot deep at first crossing.
Webster Pass/Handcart Gulch	White River/Dillon Pike/South Platte	970-468-5400 303-275-5610	Closed	6/26/09
COMMENTS: 6/26/09 - Still gated on Montezuma side. Saints John and Deer Creek are also still gated. Peru Creek, Cinnamon Gulch, and Santa Fe Peak are all open to the top. 6/14/09 - Gate locked. Deer Creek/Montezuma also locked. 6/6/09 - The other Montezuma area seasonal gates are a also still closed. Webster Pass and Peru Creek Road.
Weston Pass	Pike/Fairplay San Isabel/Leadville	719-836-2031 719-486-0749	Open	6/13/09
COMMENTS: 6/13/09 - The ridge road that parallels the Weston Pass road on the east side is now open . 6/6/09 - Weston Pass is open all the way through. There is only one boggy/rutted spot on the West side. The ridge road that parrallels the main road on the East side still had a few snow drifts on it. 5/9/09 - Pass is open almost to the top, from the east. Snow covers about the last 100 yards before the top of the pass but if you have 4WD you can drive around.
Wheeler Lake			Partially Open	6/27/09
COMMENTS: 6/27/09 - Trail is not open all the way. There is a large drift over the road just before you start the incline to the lake. ATV's were able to cross the drift but had to winch their way back. There is a lot of water on the trail. Obstacles are more challenging with wet tires but can be conquered.
Williams Pass	San Isabel/Salida	719-539-3591
COMMENTS:
Yankee Boy Basin	Uncompahgre/Ouray BLM/Gunnison	970-240-5300 970-641-0471	Partially Open	5/12/09
COMMENTS: 5/12/09 - Trail is open to toilet past falls. Good conditions with expected wet and muddy spots. 4WD required past the turnoff to Governor Basin due to muddy water crossings. 2 ft. impassible snowpack beyond toilet. Great runoff everywhere - prepare to get wet under overhang! Twin Falls is spectacular and highly visible.
Yankee Hill	Clear Creek	303-567-3000	Open	5/30/09
COMMENTS: 5/30/09 - This trail is open and clear of snow from Central City all the way over to Yankee Hill and Alice. However, we ran into a forest ranger who informed us that the Miner's Gulch spur was still impassable due to deep snow in some sections. Trail was dry and in good condition. Just keep your eyes peeled for the slew of dirtbikers and ATVers that are up there right now. We had a few close calls on some of the blind corners... Those dirtbikers just move way too fast.

Home  Back Country Planning  Adventure Guides  High Country Pass Status  Adventure Reports  Bushducks Land Rover  Webbed Links  Email Us

Be informed when this page is updated:

Join the mailing list Enter your name and email address: Name: Email:   Subscribe      Unsubscribe