Let me say that I am posting this message in the Polaris section because:

1. I own a 2000 SP500 and 1989 TrailBoss
2. Apparently many of the folks who post here are from CO.

I was wondering if someone might advise me on some of the better places to ATV in CO. I am looking for some scenic areas viewable over a 2 to 3 day period. I own 2 2WD quads and have a 9 year old rider along with my wife, but we'd like to ride in some areas more entertaining than old dirt roads.... ATV trail areas suitable to the above conditions....

Any advice or areas I should consider?

Thanks alot in advance!

 

Welcome to Colorado. Where's Monett? ChickenMan is trail guru for Colorado. Maybe we can all get together for a ride.

 

Thanks for the reply Chopper... Hopefully ChickenMan will reply.

Heard of Branson? Monett is in SW Missouri about 30 miles NW of Branson. Lots of good riding here in the Ozarks especially in Mark Twain National Forest. But my wife is from Ft. Collins and I went to college at CSU, so we miss being in CO. Have family there too... so... riding in the CO area of the country just makes sense for us.

 

Lots of places to ride up the Poudre Canyon just a few miles up the road from Fort Collins. There are scenic and challenging trails all close bye.
Misread your profile, thought Monett was in Colo.

 

Fort Collins Area,

There are a bunch of trails around Fort Collins if you plan being around there. The Buckhorn Canyon has Moody Hill which ties in with Crystal Mountain. The first part of Moody is steep but after that it is a fun easy going trail. Crystal Mountain has difficult as well as easy trails. Further up the canyon is Balard Road. It has a few miles worth of trails. They start out easy, basicaly fire roads and get more difficult.

If you go up the Poudre there is Seven Mile Creek, Bald Mountain Road and Green Ridge trail. All of these tie in together. Green Ridge is 27 miles long by itself. If you take all of the trails that are there you would be there for days. This area is kind of rocky and Green Ridge is famous for it's big mud pits. Each mud hole has a by pass though for less capable machines. If you like sand riding Walden is about 45 minutes from Green Ridge trail. There are sand dunes there. I spent last weekend up there and it is full of trails and the dunes were a blast.

I have seen pictures of Chicken up at Left Hand. It is a few miles north west of Boulder. It has a bunch of different obsticles ranging from easy to what the hell were they thinking.

These are the ones that are closest to the Fort Collins area. If you are staying in norhtern Colorado these are probly the most known trails in the area. I am sure there are others but none that I am familiar with.

 

I recommend that you pick up an excellent book

"Guide to Colorado backroads & 4-wheel drive trails" by Charles Wells. Volume 1 covers southern Colorado. Volume 2 covers northern Colorado.

amazon.com

You didn't mention what part of Colorado you are going to visit. In the central part of the state, I'd recommend the Pitkin area. You can pick up a trails map of the region from the Pitkin general store. If you have the time, try the tincup pass/hancock pass/alpine tunnel/cumberland pass loop. It will take you a full day with alot of mining history and scenery along the way. The aspens were starting to change last week. I'd expect that the next couple of week-ends will be prime.

There's an extensive atv trail system in the Divide and Texas Creek area.

My favorite trail that I've discovered so far, is McAllister's gulch. It's a great combination of stream crossings, moguls, and the best 360 degree view at the top of the pass. It's not suitable for a family however.

Fall is in the air in the mountains. Make sure you bring a few layers of clothing. I've already used my hotgrips this season.

 

"4"
Chickenman here!!!!!Where you want to ride?I would think if you didn't want to get to far from FT COLLINS that the Rollins Pass area is real good and fairly close.has some good trails with some challenges thrown in.Plus great scenery.Bring warm clothes as it was 34 saturday morn when we got up.Chopperbill and I are in GREELEY so are close,give me holler and let me know how far you want to travel,we'll head you the right way.
Janderson,did you do Alpine and PITKIN last weekend thats where we were.camped just north of PITKIN.CM

 

I agree, Pitkin area is nice, and has a lot of trails. When we were there last week the aspen were already changing colors ... overnight!.
There are a lot of trails that are easy for 2wd quads .. but also a lot of just plain dirt roads. I guess those are everywhere though.
The Silverton/Ouray/Telluride area is nice too. Lots of trails. Either way, make sure you re-jet the quads for at *least* 10,000' - 12,000' elevation and expect to go over some passes that are above 13K. Actually, there are good trails *everywhere* around here. Just let us know when you are coming, and what part of the state you want to see. Be carefull of that Chickenman feller though ... he might lead you places where 2wd won't cut it! ... just wait till he posts the video from Pitkin rides.

 

CHICKENman,

We rode trail #767 just north of Pitken last Saturday and probably passed by the campground you were staying at. Ran into the QuadDuster's club who were also staying at this campground. Small world huh?

We discovered Tomichi pass also last week-end. It's a good ATV trail dispite the expert rating.

 

For light to intermediate riding there are many miles of trails around Poncha Pass--about 30 miles south of the St. Elmo/Hancock Pass/Pitkin route. It is 99.9% 2wd ridable (when there's no snow) and lots of old mine stuff around Bonanza.

Take the other guys' advice, though, about the impending cold weather. Wouldn't hurt to go back through some of the older posts about what to carry for backcountry riding in Colorado.

Maybe we will see you on the trail.

99 Scrambler 500's (2)