Bucket list

[Jaycifer]

After my wife was diagnosed with cancer we decided our time in CO is limited and we’d be moving closer to family back east. She has a few places she wants to see/hike before we leave. Saint Mary’s glacier being one, can anyone help me plot a route through Yankee hill area? We’d be taking the wj on 31s with up country and skids. I tried to plot it out on Avenza but not sure about where to end and which roads to take. Any help would be rad!

Also we’re trying to find other day trips, easy/moderate routes with sight seeing and landmarks. Happy to camp and do an overnight if the drive is too far as well.

let me know your bucket list places to see if you had 3 months before you moved


thanks for your help,
Jayce

[newracer]

Wheeler Lake is a must do IMO. Also many roads down in the Ouray/Telluride/ Silverton area.

Best wishes for your wife.

[RockyMtRebel]

Saint Mary's Glacier is nothing special at all...... just drive up Fall River road to the end and there it is. You can do the entire Yankee Hill route and it exits in Alice, which is just east of Saint Mary's

I would take a week long or two week long trip to Moab area, the most amazing trails and scenery in the world in my opinion!

[Jaycifer]

Wheeler Lake is a must do IMO. Also many roads down in the Ouray/Telluride/ Silverton area.

Best wishes for your wife.

we have a plan for a few day trip to Mesa verde because she wants to see all the Pueblo buildings. I’d love to check out wheeler but I think we have vastly different ideas of what easy/moderate Is in terms of trail difficulty. And my wife certainly won’t do that road

[Jaycifer]

Saint Mary's Glacier is nothing special at all...... just drive up Fall River road to the end and there it is. You can do the entire Yankee Hill route and it exits in Alice, which is just east of Saint Mary's

I would take a week long or two week long trip to Moab area, the most amazing trails and scenery in the world in my opinion!

while Moab is on our list, it absolutely won’t happen while she’s getting treatments. She’s highly susceptible to infection during this time and that place is PACKED. Landmarks are key in this, the road is just so I can stay occupied. She gets nauseous easily and two night maximum camping so we can stay sanitary.

[Tom]

[QUOTE=Jaycifer;337859]After my wife was diagnosed with cancer we decided our time in CO is limited and we’d be moving closer to family back east. She has a few places she wants to see/hike before we leave. Saint Mary’s glacier being one, can anyone help me plot a route through Yankee hill area? We’d be taking the wj on 31s with up country and skids. I tried to plot it out on Avenza but not sure about where to end and which roads to take. Any help would be rad!

Also we’re trying to find other day trips, easy/moderate routes with sight seeing and landmarks. Happy to camp and do an overnight if the drive is too far as well.

let me know your bucket list places to see if you had 3 months before you moved


thanks for your help,
Jayce[see/QUOTE]
Pm me with your email address and i will send an mvum image with the track I usually take to alice st marys

[RockyMtRebel]

Well, the trails outside of Moab are not packed but yes, the town itself is..... I don't even like the town to be honest, every time I go (unless my wife is with me) I camp outside of town. Onion Creek is easy and amazingly beautiful. There are many others also, too many to list but if you like the desert in the fall and you like jeepin it is THE place to go.

For easy / moderate front range trails..... Switzerland trail west of Boulder is long-ish, easy and has great views in many areas. It's a beautiful way to spend a day and have a picnic and be out in the mountains and yet be back home for dinner, but I would do this during the week because it's very popular. Same with Yankee Hill, that trail is more moderate and rocky and gets you to high elevation but it's also very popular on weekends so recommend doing it during the week. There are MANY off shoots from Yankee Hill that you can take and you can spend a weekend (or a week) camping in different spots and exploring the whole area. Its literally 45 minutes from Denver and has a dozen or more easy/moderate trails and you can feel "out there".... during the week highly suggested.

If you come up near Estes Park, there's Johnny Park and the two Pierson park trails that are easy/moderate and you could spend a few hours or camp for a night......... these all have amazing views of Longs peak and the continental divide.

[Tom]

Kingston Peak and Argentine Pass are must doos near the metro area. Argentine has lots of interesting history.

Peru Creek near Montezuma has two very interesting trails and the peru creek road doable in a two wheel drive has lots of mining relics. One of the other two go up to an old mine. Near the end of peru there is an old ore processing building. There is another trail starting there on the mvum. It no longer goes as far as it shows on the mvum but there is another interesting old mine on it that you can reach.

All the trails I have mentioned are easily doable in a stock wrangler.

[newracer]

we have a plan for a few day trip to Mesa verde because she wants to see all the Pueblo buildings. I’d love to check out wheeler but I think we have vastly different ideas of what easy/moderate Is in terms of trail difficulty. And my wife certainly won’t do that road

There is only two moderate/hard obstacles and each has an easier line. They are also both short so she could get out if needed. The views are incredible and the lake at the top is awesome.

[Jaycifer]

Well, the trails outside of Moab are not packed but yes, the town itself is..... I don't even like the town to be honest, every time I go (unless my wife is with me) I camp outside of town. Onion Creek is easy and amazingly beautiful. There are many others also, too many to list but if you like the desert in the fall and you like jeepin it is THE place to go.

For easy / moderate front range trails..... Switzerland trail west of Boulder is long-ish, easy and has great views in many areas. It's a beautiful way to spend a day and have a picnic and be out in the mountains and yet be back home for dinner, but I would do this during the week because it's very popular. Same with Yankee Hill, that trail is more moderate and rocky and gets you to high elevation but it's also very popular on weekends so recommend doing it during the week. There are MANY off shoots from Yankee Hill that you can take and you can spend a weekend (or a week) camping in different spots and exploring the whole area. Its literally 45 minutes from Denver and has a dozen or more easy/moderate trails and you can feel "out there".... during the week highly suggested.

If you come up near Estes Park, there's Johnny Park and the two Pierson park trails that are easy/moderate and you could spend a few hours or camp for a night......... these all have amazing views of Longs peak and the continental divide.

moab will happen once covid is over, unfortunately we’ll be gone by September and heading back to the very wheeling limited area of CT. I will have to travel considerably for anything decent so might as well make a trip back out in a year or so.

I did have those near Estes on my radar so thank you for confirming a couple other day trips to make The most of our time. We plan to do m/w/f adventures for the foreseeable future

[Jaycifer]

There is only two moderate/hard obstacles and each has an easier line. They are also both short so she could get out if needed. The views are incredible and the lake at the top is awesome.

I will certainly entertain the idea and if not this year, maybe in the near future we can make some road trips back out and start ticking them off the list

[FINOCJ]

If the Salida/Buena Vista area is an acceptable distance, then trails like Mt Princeton and Mt Antero are amazing.

[Jaycifer]

If the Salida/Buena Vista area is an acceptable distance, then trails like Mt Princeton and Mt Antero are amazing.

As rockhounds Mt Antero has been on our radar for some time, stoked to hear good things! If the fatigue isn’t too bad with her chemo this next round we may give it a go.

[FINOCJ]

As rockhounds Mt Antero has been on our radar for some time, stoked to hear good things!

Antero is the better trail over Princeton - but its a bit longer. Can visit St Elmo up the road. Aquamarines, smokey quartz and phenakite is the truly unique one....remember most of the area has legal mining claims (and some grumpy claim holders) so use judgement when rockhounding.

[Jaycifer]

Antero is the better trail over Princeton - but its a bit longer. Can visit St Elmo up the road. Aquamarines, smokey quartz and phenakite is the truly unique one....remember most of the area has legal mining claims (and some grumpy claim holders) so use judgement when rockhounding.

To be honest I’m not sure with the chemo fatigue she’ll be able to do much digging so likely I won’t either, but then again there’s always next time we travel out here if we don’t get things done now. Kingston peak looks great, probably give that a whirl in the next week or two.

Quite a few nice roads for me to enjoy, but what about landmarks other really unique features worth taking photos of? Looks like a trip to black canyon is in our near future as well. Dirt travel at this point is just a bonus, likely a trip out to grand junction before we leave too.

[Jim]

There is only two moderate/hard obstacles and each has an easier line. They are also both short so she could get out if needed. The views are incredible and the lake at the top is awesome.

I second the recommendation - the end is worth it. You can also do the short strole to the hard rock adit at the lake.

Down southwest - Lake City / Ouray way... Cinnamon Pass with perhaps a stop at American Basin. Cinnamon Pass is easy and nicely scenic. Engineer Pass, to the north of it, is slightly (ever so slightly) more technical, and while quite scenic, I think it takes a second place to Cinnamon. A vista stop at Odom Point (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Odom+Point/@37.9699001,-107.5938066,240m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x873ee1ca1fa319fd:0xbbc8a 1f26fa94a00!8m2!3d37.9698712!4d-107.593474) is worth it if you're near the western end of Engineer Pass or are at Animas Forks.

Kingston Peak was mentioned - I enjoy that one a bit more north to south (either is grand!) as I feel the vistas of the mountains south of I-70 present a nice view.

A short, local trail for a nice sunset viewing is Pole Hill. You could run only from trailhead to the vista point which would cut out about 1/2 of the trail.
www.JimWilliamson.net/automobile/2019-09-29--trail--pole-hill-sunset/ (https://www.jimwilliamson.net/automobile/2019-09-29--trail--pole-hill-sunset/index.html)

[FINOCJ]

Another one that hit me....Mosquito Pass is great. highest pass in Colo as well as has lots of cool mining remnants and you end up in Leadville on the west side which is neat in its own right.

[Jaycifer]

I second the recommendation - the end is worth it. You can also do the short strole to the hard rock adit at the lake.

Down southwest - Lake City / Ouray way... Cinnamon Pass with perhaps a stop at American Basin. Cinnamon Pass is easy and nicely scenic. Engineer Pass, to the north of it, is slightly (ever so slightly) more technical, and while quite scenic, I think it takes a second place to Cinnamon. A vista stop at Odom Point (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Odom+Point/@37.9699001,-107.5938066,240m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x873ee1ca1fa319fd:0xbbc8a 1f26fa94a00!8m2!3d37.9698712!4d-107.593474) is worth it if you're near the western end of Engineer Pass or are at Animas Forks.

Kingston Peak was mentioned - I enjoy that one a bit more north to south (either is grand!) as I feel the vistas of the mountains south of I-70 present a nice view.

A short, local trail for a nice sunset viewing is Pole Hill. You could run only from trailhead to the vista point which would cut out about 1/2 of the trail.
www.JimWilliamson.net/automobile/2019-09-29--trail--pole-hill-sunset/ (https://www.jimwilliamson.net/automobile/2019-09-29--trail--pole-hill-sunset/index.html)

Being a former engineer in the army I have a huge desire to go drive that pass but doubt it will happen on the time crunch we’re at. It’s more for landmarks and memorable sights, she’s never had any real enjoyment from any of the trails we’ve done thus far. Black canyon is another that’s top on her list of things to see.

I have a feeling we’ll be up towards Estes once more before we head out so those up there might happen.

i would most definitely want to get to Kingston, we’re going to Nederland area for Switzerland and she would like to see ghost towns if possible.

[Jaycifer]

Another one that hit me....Mosquito Pass is great. highest pass in Colo as well as has lots of cool mining remnants and you end up in Leadville on the west side which is neat in its own right.

this and argentine I want to so badly, nervous about going solo though but who knows

[Tom]

Why solo? I for one could do it almost anytime if you want another rig along.

[Jaycifer]

Why solo? I for one could do it almost anytime if you want another rig along.

oh solo because we’re weird loners and to limit her exposure, but we both agree it’s easily accomplished with a few rigs and keeping the people count low. The help in recovery and general knowledge for sure will be welcomed. I’m going to have her decide where we’ll go but looks like Argentine is a contender. We’ll be in an upcountry WJ on 31s and skids.

it looks like this Tuesday we’re deciding to go to Estes for some sights up there, or boulder/Nederland. Might be Thursday or most likely next Tuesday we do this if you or anyone else is open to coming along!

[Jim]

If you wish to head out solo, but would wish some non-present backup, get in touch with someone (PM/eMail/Phone) and schedule details for them to check on you (drive the trail) if you don't check in at an appointed time.

A little used forum here is the "Check-in thread", it might be of interest:
www.FrontRange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?20251 (http://www.FrontRange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?20251)

[Jaycifer]

If you wish to head out solo, but would wish some non-present backup, get in touch with someone (PM/eMail/Phone) and schedule details for them to check on you (drive the trail) if you don't check in at an appointed time.

A little used forum here is the "Check-in thread", it might be of interest:
www.FrontRange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?20251 (http://www.FrontRange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?20251)

i appreciate this info very much, thank you!

[Tom]

I just thought of Rollins Pass East.

Your wife might really like it. It an old railroad grade that was used before the Moffat tunnel. There are still lots of old trestles, remnants of the old maintenance and snow removal site and an old tunnel. Back when I was a child one could drive the entire route, Rollinsville to Winter Park. My family drove it several times, the tunnel and trestles were study enough for the family station wagon.