Phoenix to Denver and back - 11 Days of Dirt Roads

I'm planning a surprise trip for Lisa's birthday - she knows about the overlanding and the destination, she just doesn't know the reason we'll be in Denver on July 14th.


Long story short:

We're leaving Phoenix Friday afternoon 7/7/17 and scratching gravel to Denver via dirt roads as much as possible, needing to be at the Pepsi Center on Friday afternoon 7/14/17. We have everything we need for up to 5 days offgrid, but only have range of about 220 miles before needing gas (depends on trail difficulty, etc and we carry 10 gals of gas just in case).


Potential stops we'd like to see along the way (not requirements, just thoughts):

Four Corners, Moab (Canyonlands, Arches), Ouray, open to suggestions...



I can get us to Page, AZ easily enough, but would like some input on what route to take from there to Denver if we have say, 5 days to traverse it. Maybe skip Four Corners in favor of following the Colorado River towards Moab? I dunno - we’ve never been to southern Utah (planning a week in Moab in October) and have never done Colorado either - so we’re looking for those ‘quintessential locations’ that sort of define each area.



Basically, I need some help planning how to get from southern Utah to Denver in about 5 days via dirt.


Thanks!
www.instagram.com/__kevink__/

Do a little jig


Bring beer dammit


Camp comfortable

 

If you go to Moab, your options are limited for dirt on the way to Denver. Check out rimrocker trail from Moab to Montrose. 160 miles of dirt. After that, I think it gets tough due to those pesky mountain passes.

 

Dude, this is exactly perfect information - thanks!

Found this rimrocker trail description if anyone else want info in the future on this overall route. https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1843-rimrocker

So, now we need to get from Page, AZ to Moab. And then from Montrose to Denver - possibly through Ouray.

 

That's the one I used. Instructions were prefect. I just traveled east instead.

Here is my thread on it: https://www.tundras.com/threads/our-off-road-camping-trip-to-moab-pic-heavy.13808/#post-264218

 

Great write up on that- exactly what we're looking for, just, like, a thousand miles of it.

 

Thanks. Just note I wasn't able to do the whole trail.

 

Yeah, I saw that, but thanks for making sure!

Small details like that can make a big difference in the woods.

 

Kevin,
Through Ouray and Durango is the most scenic route and doesn't add much time. I just drove today from Durango to Silverton (unreal) to Ouray (unreal) to Gunnison/Crested Butte to Salida and home in Alma. If you have time it's some of the best sections of mountains anywhere in this country.

Every single bit of that drive is ridiculous. In reverse, is what you would be doing, is just as good.

You can certainly use me for guidance on that route as its fresh right now. From Moab to Montrose @COMiamiFan is freshly off of that stretch. I havent done much off road down there but I saw SOOOOOO many options if you have extra time. Camping everywhere until you get to Durango then you need to get creative

 

Yeah, Ouray and Durango made the short list. I'm not sure how much of that whole thing can be done via dirt, but we're willing to put some pavement miles on if we have to in order to get the views and destinations too.

Any idea if there's a dirt option (even partial) from Montrose to Durango, or is it really just follow the 550 all the way?

 

http://www.ouraycolorado.com/things-to-do/4x4/famous-trails

There are better links but just to give you an idea. When i get home and can pull more out i will. I'm on my phone right now and in and out of signal. Chew on this for a minute and i'll pull more for you later

 

to answer your question....yes, there is always a way

 

Depending on how your truck is feeling, and if you have enough time i would do Southwestern Colorado in this order...

• From the Rimrocker trail from Moab you'll come into Montrose
• From Montrose take pavement to Telluride (south from Montrose turn right at Ridgeway and follow signs to Telluride. It'll be a left turn off the road from Ridgeway)
• From Telluride take this trail to Ouray (unreal views) https://www.durangoutdoors.com/4x4/imogene-pass.htm
• From Ouray take this trail to Lake City and on to Silverton (incredible area) http://www.lakecityswitchbacks.com/alpine-loop-national-back-country-byway.html
• From SIlverton to Durango i would take the pavement. It's easy and very scenic. Also, i couldn't find much on specific trails

Some other links for trails

• https://durangoherald.com/articles/137876
  
• https://www.durangoutdoors.com/four-wheeling-durango-colorado.htm
  
• https://www.durangoutdoors.com/4x4/
  
• https://www.durango.org/blog/post/5-best-off-road-trails-to-explore-near-durango
  
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/sanjuan/recreation/ohv

 

Duuuuuude! This is brilliant!

And I knew there was a pass I was missing - Imogene Pass! Thank you for adding that!

I'll start building a GPS file pretty soon. Someone else has made some great suggestions on the southern part of Utah that I'm going to have to study pretty closely.

 

I'm looking forward to your trip as if I was doing it. I wish I had 11 days to spare. Fill me in on details. Sounds like something I might think about for next year, but in reverse due my starting point.

I really wanna get up to the Canadian Rockies though. That might take precedence

 

Might wanna get an update before counting on this one

 

oh man that's gorgeous... and good call on validating road closures first.

Yeah, the Canadian Rockies are on our longer list - along with trying to drive to Dead Horse, Alaska (Prudhoe Bay or bust, yo!) with our little band of lunatics the Speed Glampers Uberfahrt.

And then sooooome day, Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina. if we can accomplish both of these, we will have driven to the farthest north and south points possible in the western hemisphere. Long range lofty goals.

 

This is something I've always wanted to do... pipe dream on my end... if you can... please photo document so we can live vicariously through you!! More than a little jealous!!

 

Absolutely! It's taken a long time to even get to the point of doing these 'shorter' trips, and we're still a solid couple years maybe from Argentina, but we'd love if you followed along and chat with us on our instagram as we go! It's become our sort of central point to share pics and stories. And we'll definitely update this thread for this particular trip.

www.instagram.com/__kevink__/

and as a group we're trying to document better at the site we're putting together www.sgu.life

 

Can you try to document fuel consumption, abnormal tool and repair challenges, and anything else the average "vacationer" might not utilize or even carry. This sounds like a great plan and u want to go for it some time. I'm just a little squeamish about my lack of knowledge and skills, especially if it was a solo trip. Are you guys flying solo or do you have a crew?

 

Yeah, we always keep pretty close track of fuel consumption so we have a sort of database to pull from for future trips. Our 'safe' numbers are 11 mpg highway and 8 mpg in the dirt. We calculate the distance we can cover using those numbers based on our 26 gallon tank, and we also carry 10 gallons of spare fuel (we ignore this spare fuel in our distance calculations as much as possible).

As for tools, we could probably start another entire thread on trail preparation [that might actually be a good idea], but the rule of thumb we go by is, if we've used the tool in our driveway, the tool comes with us on the trail. This can lead to A TON of tools (extra weight and wasted space), so we also try to use multitools when possible, like crescent wrenches and folding allen key sets. Not every tool we use in the garage is essential, some are just more convenient or faster like ratcheting wrenches, so we don't bring those. A decent tire repair kit can save time on the trail too, and most simple tread punctures can be fixed without even taking the wheel off the truck. A suitable jack for your tire size is important in case you do need to change a tire - the little stock bottle jack is great for the little stock tires, but useless in the struggle against 37s or even 35s. Recovery gear is way too often overlooked. I went to a super simple local spot the other day just to do some shock tuning, and ended up pulling 5 vehicles out of different stucks.

The best tool in your arsenal is really your brain. As goofy or cliche as that sounds, when you're out there away from services, you have to make wise decisions. Should I try to climb that loose gravel hill, or is there a bypass? Familiarize yourself with maps of the area before leaving. What's at the bottom of this crest that I can't see over? Get out of the truck and take a short walk (also a great way to see pretty things you might otherwise miss). That water crossing looks about 6" deep, should I just go for it? Never. Fucking Never. I don't care how simple it looks, if I didn't see a vehicle cross it in front of me, I get out and look.

Making wise decisions takes time and practice. Get out locally on short trails. Practice those loose gravel climbs. If possible, find people to wheel with that know an area and are willing to spend time teaching. I've never wheeled with someone who didn't love sharing knowledge. Even if you only have newbies to wheel with, get out there and try stuff. If you have multiple vehicles, you can always go get help. Learn your limits and push them just a little farther every time you're out with others. Stay safely within those limits when you're out alone.

Safety in numbers is a real thing. I grew up outdoors and off road - but I still feel more comfortable in a small band of trucks when we go way off grid. I've done 5 day solo backpack trips, and I still get a little nervous every time Lisa and I solo run. But that's part of the fun and excitement - part of the reason we go is to test ourselves just a bit and have Mother Nature all to ourselves. For this "little trip" to Denver, we're going solo (still our longest solo trip). For Alaska and Argentina, we plan to have 5-6 trucks in a team.

 

I have a portion of the Utah path sorted out to get from Big Water to Moab, but I need some help to plan a decent path from Green River to Moab in order to close the loop. *edit* there are a thousand options between Green River and Moab, I'm looking for a decent one.

@FlashCulprit do you have any suggestions to add to or edit the routes below? I used your idea of getting from Bullfrog to Green River, and think I got it sort of right... I used an article suggested somewhere else about getting from Big Water to Poison Springs, but edited it to go down to Bullfrog instead of north to Chokecherry Point (gas concerns).

Big Water (gas) to Escalante (gas) 71 miles https://goo.gl/maps/s57UDU2xxhn

Escalante (gas) to Bullfrog (gas) 130 miles https://goo.gl/maps/kymFMYfRL382

Bullfrog (gas) to Poison Springs 90 miles https://goo.gl/maps/PzpHFcGKeXE2

Poison Springs to Green River (gas) 114 miles https://goo.gl/maps/cNZaJ2Qrr5D2

Green River (gas) to Moab (gas) ?? miles - Need Input on Dirt Route


Next I'll be adding the route suggested by @COMiamiFan and then picking up after Montrose to Denver via Ouray and Durango maybe (need to dig into those) based on @Almaboy 's recommendations.

We won't be depending on google maps to navigate off road - it's just the most universal mapping solution to share with people here for feedback. I'll be building gpx or kml files to be used with gps apps, and also bringing paper maps.

 

Poison Springs?? Probably wouldn't fill your canteens up there
If you do, then don't call me afterwards

 

Green River UT is supposed to have the best watermelons BTW. I've bought before and where sweet and juicy.

 

Hey @FlashCulprit or anyone else familiar with the area between Bullfrog and Green River...

I'm trying to get from Bullfrog to Poison Springs via dirt, and this is the route I made up with completely blindly.

Can someone take a peek and make sure I'm not putting us in some totally ridiculous scenario? I know the Crossing at Poison Springs can be tricky, and we'll assess it before we cross, but didn't have any good instructions from anyone when I made up the path to get there from Bullfrog. I have a good route from Poison Springs to Green River thanks to Flash.

Bullfrog (gas) to Poison Springs 90 miles https://goo.gl/maps/PzpHFcGKeXE2

 

Paging Mr @FlashCulprit

 

Sorry i've been MIA. Kid stuff... anyway. As far as I know, there is no northern route around Lake Powell to Bullfrog. The only way you can do it is by coming up underneath to Halls Crossing and taking the ferry to Bullfrog. There are access roads for the NPS down there but they are super light trails so I have no idea where they go. The real issue is the tributaries to lake powell. I have a route that swings wide and takes you to Bryce canyon, but that adds on a pretty big chunk of driving.

 

Yeah, Halls Crossing ferry is closed with no eta for repair.
We're gonna start in big water, go to Escalante, Hells backbone to boulder, then Burr Trail to Bullfrog. Bullfrog to Poison Springs then on to Green River via the route you suggested.

I'm just not sure about my path from Bullfrog to Poison Springs

 

Ahhhh that's way easier to figure out. haha

So from Bullfrog you have to take SR276/SR95 to Poison springs road (this is the only entry into butler wash/adobe swale).

If you want to be offroad in that portion you have to basically just follow jumper roads off the state route. Unless you wanna get super off course. Poison Springs road is about an hour drive from bullfrog. So it's not much on road time as is. Unless you wanna take BLM 15250 to BLM 15252 and use that access road up to Poison springs. But you'll still have about 45 mins on pavement for the lower portion. of SR275.

This is the entrance to poison springs (38.141790, -110.609979) if that helps you at all.

Edit: Don't even look at Death Canyon - It's basically impossible in a fullsize. My tacoma couldn't fit. Only the razr.

 

Thanks man!

We don't mind being a bit off course in order to stay on dirt, and also enjoy the scenery. My plan from Bullfrog to Poison had been to head north from Bullfrog to the Leaping Lizard Gas station by Ticaboo, then jump on BLM roads to about Mt Pennell, Keep going north to about South Summit Ridge, and then break east towards the 95 and the entrance to Poison Springs.

But that whole section I have no idea what the terrain is like. Have you been in that part?

Pic for reference.