Trails around Frisco, CO

jastutte

Well-known member
Nov 10, 2009
461
71
i'll be headed to Frisco, CO at the end of May with my family and two Discoverys. one stock, one lifted. are there any easy trails that are usually clear of snow this time of year?

i'm hoping to take at least one day to ride some trails with my kids . i don't have my winch on the truck right now and not sure i'll have time to hook it up before we leave. so, easy trails that we can safely drive alone would be great.

Thanks,
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
we have gotten hammered with snow this year, so my guess is no.

You may look into some other lower elevation trails like Yankee hill in Idaho Springs.
 

CORover

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2007
745
65
Colorado, USA
Parts of Summit County have had feet of snow in the last few weeks, we might even have 3 ski hills still open by that time, so not likely. Some trails around Georgetown clear out sooner, Idaho Springs or a little lower and further away like Boulder or Colorado Springs will have trails open at that time.
 

jastutte

Well-known member
Nov 10, 2009
461
71
thanks, guys. i figured the snow would be an issue for trail riding.

any specific trails around Idaho Springs or should i just google?
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
thanks, guys. i figured the snow would be an issue for trail riding.

any specific trails around Idaho Springs or should i just google?

well, its snowing right now.

Yankee Hill is probably your best bet

Checkout the FB group called

Colorado Land Rover/Range Rover Owners Club.
 

Jimmy

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2006
740
64
Aurora, CO
One resource which is free (just have to make an account): https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ Some stuff is tucked away for paying members.

Here's another resource which went to paid, but via Archive dot org you can access the info (which doesn't change too much over time): https://web.archive.org/web/20170305151734/http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php

A couple of others: https://trails.colorado.gov/ and there's some stuff on https://www.alltrails.com/

For USFS (IIRC) lands, download the MUVM (Motor Vehicle Use Map) for the area you'd like to explore. That's the legal reference.

Many of the trails/roads have seasonal closures, so checking with the applicable USFS office ahead of time for those should save you some time by not showing up to find a locked gate.

Matt and Thom have already covered the snow issue, particularly for this year. The area between Idaho Springs and north to the Nederland area is at a lower elevation and should have some passable roads, but I haven't gotten up there yet.

It's a longer trek, but if you go south to the Buena Vista area, there should be plenty of clear, easy roads to explore down there... as any snow falling there over the next few days will be gone by the end of the month. There's a popular, difficult, trail down there that had no snow as of three weeks ago.
 

jastutte

Well-known member
Nov 10, 2009
461
71
both Rovers made it to Frisco with no major issues.

depending on the weather, i may start looking for trails to ride on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. all ready looking at a few close by.

planning on driving Guanella Pass just for fun. drove that years ago in a '77 VW bus. the roads were all gravel and "Travel at Your Own Risk". but we had a great time and now that the kids are considerably older we can do some hiking.
 

Jimmy

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2006
740
64
Aurora, CO
both Rovers made it to Frisco with no major issues.

depending on the weather, i may start looking for trails to ride on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. all ready looking at a few close by.

planning on driving Guanella Pass just for fun. drove that years ago in a '77 VW bus. the roads were all gravel and "Travel at Your Own Risk". but we had a great time and now that the kids are considerably older we can do some hiking.

Guanella Pass should be neat. I've seen some pics from up top, and you'll be driving between walls of snow much higher than the vehicles.
 

jastutte

Well-known member
Nov 10, 2009
461
71
I don't get it.
I bought a car so I wouldn't have to walk anywhere.
So you're saying people "voluntarily" get out and walk?
we hiked everyday this week. can definitely tell we live at sea level. seven days in and we're almost acclimated.

i did get to drive a little bit of Beaver Ridge in both Discoverys, if that counts.