Dominik Vereno

We ran Hotel Gulch in reverse direction, starting from Rapart Range Road. Between waypoints 4 and 5 is an extremly icy hill. Unfortunately we didn't take a photo of it. For us, the only feasible option was turning around, instead of taking the high risk of sliding down the hill. Explore this section on foot before attempting it! Other than that, the trail offers some fun and moderately challenging sections: deep ruts and rocky ascends/descends. I'm looking forward to revisiting it as soon as the ice has thawed.

Rampart Range Road is a great connector to countless more interesting trails. Unfortunately, the road suffers from extensive washboarding, making it a pain to drive in some sections. We headed northward until Hotel Gulch (Waypoint 17), but encountered a sign indicating a road closure ahead, suggesting that the northern gate is closed.

We drove the trail in reverse direction, starting from Mount Herman Road. Almost immediately, we encountered a very narrow section that was completely iced over, so be careful there. The rest wasn't problematic, but not without snow and ice in the shaded areas. I'd reconsider the optional difficulty rating of 3, we didn't encounter any (optional) obstacle that warrants that rating.

As the snow melts away and the road becomes more accessible, the number of visitors increases. Be prepared to face many other vehicles on a sunny weekend day.

Ensign Gulch is a fun and beginner-friendly trail in the Rampart Range Area. Some of the deeper ruts and bigger rocks combined with some moderate off-camber sections warrant a difficulty rating of 2. There is still some ice and snow in some spots, but nothing problematic.

Unremarkable dirt road with slight washboarding

Cruce de Parida is an easy connector trail. Even though I'd only consider it mildly challenging, I think a difficulty rating of 2 would be more appropriate. The scenic views are beautiful. There's a gate at Waypoint 2. Be sure to leave it as you found it after going through.

Arroyo de la Parida is a fun and engaging off-roading trail. It offers many obstacles of varying difficulty and is therefore fun for a range of experience levels with differently capable cars. Also, you’ll definitely get some nice views as you’re driving through cool rock formations. The primary challenge for this trail was the boulder field between Waypoint 3 and Waypoint 4. We had to choose a line carefully and patiently so as not to exceed our clearance of 11.3 inches. The second substantial difficulty was the rocky hill climb at Waypoint 4 to bypass the Narrows and the Waterfall; it made me thankful to have rock sliders and underbody protection. Because of these two obstacles, I’d consider raising the mandatory difficulty rating to 4. BTW: The narrows are pretty much impossible for our Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, so it was great to have the bypass.

Overlook Road does its name justice – the trail offers spectactular panoramas over the surrounding areas. We did the trail in reverse direction, so some of our hillclimbs may be your descents. The main challenge seem to be some of the steep rocky hillclimbs, however they were not a problem with our stock Grand Cherokee Trailhawk; still, airing down is a must. I'd consider the trail slightly more difficult than what I've come to expect from a 3 rating.

Flagstone Road is more interesting and fun than most connectors. It is more challenging than a rating of 1 would let on, especially due to some of the deep ruts, steep grades, and sharp rocks.

In the Pawnee Grasslands, you have a large choice of different routes to take – all of them unique, but largely similar. We drove most of the Willow Creek Loop on a sunny day in March and it was very dry, so traction was never an issue (I could imagine that being the case shortly after heavy rain). The roads don’t offer a technical challenge, but they are quite fun! If you don’t have too much ground clearance, you’ll have to choose your line carefully in places, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Please keep in mind that a lot of the grasslands are used as pasture; that means being considerate of animals and closing every gate you open behind you.

The trail is closed at Waypoint 10. So there is currently no way to get to RIM road and further connect to Rampart Range Road. Jackson Creek Road is mostly what I'd call a "residential dirt road". Up until the closure, there are just a few patches of snow. The part after the closure doesn't look too bad (see drone photo), so I hope they'll open it up soon. After turning around, we decided to take Hidden Valley Road (at Waypoint 6), which brought us to the open part of Dakan Road.

The trail is currently closed. You can drive a little farther than Waypoint 2, to a large parking area with toilets. Going downhill from Waypoint 1 back to the start, you'll have some very nice views.

I can only repeat the previous review by Lalo Maritinez, since we were wheeling together. Even though the snow can still be a bit of a challenge, Switzerland trail is a great experience! Don't underestimate the slope between waypoint 2 and 3, especially going uphill (reverse direction)! The 11.3 inches of ground clearance in my Grand Cherokee Trailhawk weren't enough not to get high-centered after an unfortunate line choice. Thanks to the guys in the side-by-sides for pulling me out!

Charming but very short detour from Redskin Road. The snow didn't cause any problems.

The trail connects Redskin Road to the very scenic Wellington Lake. Since there were proper tracks through the snow, traction wasn't a big issue. However, there are only a few spots to propery let oncoming traffic pass, so be prepared to swerve into deeper snow. It was still a fun snow-driving experience! Also, please do not take your trailer down this road – there is an easier way to get to Wellington Lake from the end of Redskin Road driving south east. We had someone stuck in front of us pretty severely; we couldn't get him "unstuck" and had to do a pretty tight and sketchy passing maneuver half-way off the trail.

Redskin Road feels mainly like a road for camping, not off-road driving. Even at this time of the year, it is a pretty easy drive if you have 4wd and decent clearance. Keep in mind that it is very well frequented (which has its ups and downs).

The trail is currently closed. There's a barrier at Waypoint 2. Beware of the deceivingly deep snow there – we had to pull somebody out of there.

Very easy, well-maintained dirt road with access to the impressive and "out-of-place-seeming" Ames Monument. There are only two things to highlight driving-wise: 1) Unexpected snowy spots can get sketchy if you don't reduce your speed. 2) Some parts suffer from washboarding, particularly around cattle guards.

Rankin is a fun and moderately challenging trail that winds through the forrest. Deep ruts require good ground clearance, and the off-camber sections can be a bit tricky. Especially, the inwards-leaning turns are challenging when there's still snow: If you don't carry a bit of momentum through them, you might slide and scratch the side of your car; it's best not to hestitate too much here.

Fun little connector between Rankin and Phantom Road, although I don't understand why it's not just part of the longer Rankin trail. The only challenging part is the rocky, slightly off-camber hillclimb at the very start.

Snowy, but passable for 2wd vehicles with proper all-season tires.

The trail offered a fun few minutes of snow wheeling. There was quite a bit of snow, but it wasn't too big of an issue due to there being proper tracks; the road is likely well frequented. However, we did have to use the highest ride height (10.8 in) of our Grand Cherokee Trailhawk to clear the snow in some areas. At Waypoint 3, we took the easier bypass on the right – pretty steep and snowy, but doable. One downside is that there are very few spots to let oncoming traffic pass. Wouldn't recommend the trail in Winter without decent clearance and proper snow-rated all-terrain tires.

Columbine Road is a pretty uneventful dirt road. The snow was no issue at all. There are extensive camping possibilities along the trail.

Upper Apex Road is a simple and easy dirt road. It was well plowed and the remaining snow was grippy. The view of the (what seems to be a) reservoir was quite charming but that's about it.

Not plowed and no tracks at the east end (Waypoint 1), should be considered impassable due to the deep snow

Best described as residential two-lane gravel road. It was well plowed up to waypoint 10, afterwards it's basically impassable (see photos). Even though Apex Valley Road itself isn't interesting, it gives you acess to various other (more exciting and challenging) trails.

Only plowed up to a house right at the start (Waypoint 2) – impassable afterwards. (We were chased by a barking stray dog all the way from Apex Valley Road, so we decided not to get out and take photos of where the impassable part starts)

The trail currently has pretty deep snow. There are some tracks, but they are heavily snowed over in many spots. We had too carry a good amount of momentum through most of the trail to not get stuck (stock Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, brand-new Falken Wildpeaks at 28 psi). If you're prepared for the conditions, you're gonna have a fun snow-wheeling experience; otherwise, I'd stick to the better maintained tracks in the area during Winter.

We visited the Sugerloaf Mountain Trail on a snowy January day. The first half was passable and not too difficult to traverse. However, at around the half-way point, we were faced with a Tacoma and an FJ Cruiser who turned around due to worsening conditions. For a non-lifted vehicles with regular-size all-terrains, the trail is currently likely not fully passable without risking getting stuck. However, the first half was a nice (but short) snow-wheeling experience; not really technical but still fun. I'll definitely visit the trail again once there's less snow.

Mount Herman Road is a nice trail that brings you closer to many other interesting trails and offers short but fun detours. It also provides great mountain views and has interesting boulders and rock formations along the way. The road condition is decent, but beware that afer the first few miles, there is a lot of snow and ice on the road; since that is quite grippy, it should not be much of a problem. Some areas are rather uncomfortable due to being bumpy and/or suffering from washboarding. Even in winter, the trail was pretty well frequented, so be prepared to let oncoming traffic pass. What might be relevant or even problematic for some: Significant parts of the trail are shelf roads.

DISCLAIMER: I can only report on Waypoint 1 to 4 (where Powerline South Road starts) The trail was passable without any issues for my Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, since the snow was grippy and had easy-to-follow tracks. However, some inclines require a bit of momentum. In winter, I wouldn't recommend driving there without proper 4wd and good tires. The powerline roads are quite a bit more fun to drive than Mount Herman Road, defenitely worth the detour.

The trail can be reached from Mount Herman Road via a small part of Powerline East Road. It was open in winter and was passable for our stock Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. However, the snow and ice defenitely make it more challenging. Going back up, there are some slippery inclines that require 4wd and proper tires (in addition to some momentum). Since the snow was mostly grippy, we didn't have any major traction issues; it actually made the drive more fun. When reaching the end of the trail, there is an area that seemed suitable for camping with great views of Pikes Peak. All in all, a fun little road that warrants the detour from Mount Herman Road.

Short connector with charming historical aspects and no driving challenges whatsoever.

Don't get fooled by the name: The Oh-My-God Road isn't scary at all. The road is well plowed in winter, therefore it is in no way a challenging drive. Every 2wd car with decent all-season tires could do the trail. The draw of this road, however, are the stunning views and the rich history you see along the way – the most important being the old mining structures and the "ghost" town Russel Gulch. After finishing the trail you pretty much end up directly in Central City which is close to a bunch of other trails.

The trail is very short and easy. There's only one pretty rocky hill where I put my car into 4-low. The scenery is quite nice and there are some "detours" you can take, some of those can get a bit sandy.

I have some mixed feelings about this trail. The scenery is great and the drive is mostly quite fun. However, there are a few caveats to keep in mind before going there: The access road is a very bumpy dirt road with highly compacted grooves and some rocks. Way too long to "crawl" so you have to go around 50 to smooth it out (31.5 inch ATs running 25 psi, and Air Suspension). The trail itself isn't really that technical but you have to be weary of sharp, pointy rocks. There are two reasons why I think the difficulty is not quite accurate: a) it'll take you far longer than 45 minutes (one way) with anything close to a stock SUV (I have a Grand Cherokee Trailhawk) with road-oriented ATs, and b) two sections require quite a bit of ground clearance. However, I'd still visit again, however with updated expectations.

The trail was open in mid December in quite icy conditions. Very scenic trail with low difficulty. However keep in mind that it is very short.