We were planning on visiting Garden of the Gods this weekend and while I was browsing their website I noticed they have Jeep tours with their own custom Jeeps. I would like to know if these routes the tour Jeeps use are private roads or are they open to the public.
Are there any routes in Colorado Springs that are recommended for scenic drives?
From what I understand they are public roads. Rampart Range Road starts in Garden of the Gods at Balanced Rock. I drive up it quite a bit just to get on dirt. The 1st part of Rampart is kinda trashy but has some good views, once you get past that it does get scenic.
I'll second Rampart Range. It's a long dirt road with some pretty scenery. Watch out for the dirt bikers and rednecks in pickups speeding down it though. There are a few nice little detours off the side of Rampart as well.
Check out TrailDamage's page on Rampart (TrailDamage.com - Rampart Range Road), and look at the "Nearby Trails" section. Anything there with a 2-3 rating is essentially a dirt road.
We made it to the signage that stated we needed a Colorado OHV sticker and almost hit a biker hauling down the mountain in a blind corner while I was turning around. Maybe next time I'll go further west.
I'm moving out to the Springs in the next few years (hating Florida) and love Garden of the Gods. Can't wait to take my girl out on the trails. : ) Happy Jeeping.
I'm in the same boat, except from Louisiana and as soon as I find a job up there I'll be moving lol. Just graduate college and trying go find a job as far away from Louisiana as I can as it sucks down here, no trails, everything is privately owned not to mention hot as the Devils den and humid as idk what.
Up around Estes Park is the Rocky Mountain National Park. Going to the Alpine center there is 2 ways Trail Ridge Road (paved highway) and Old Fall River road (dirt). OFR is one-way up, single lane. RMNP Roads
Bear lake is nice and Moraine park is where the grasslands that the Elk move through about an hour before dark. That's what we do when we want to get away and the above roads are closed still
I was at the North end of Rampart Range Road this past Sunday 3/19 and it's still closed. The map says it opens to highway vehicles April 1.
The place was swarming with quads and motorcycles. The paramedics were there carting off a serious injury. It sounded pretty bad. I'll say a prayer that the guy ends up OK.
Once the road opens to highway vehicles the bikers tend to stay on the trails.
There is always some idiot that wants to go 60MPH on a 35MPH dirt road, so Jeepers need to be aware of them.
There are several groups that get together here in Colorado. If you are reading this you are aware of at least one.
Search Trail Damage Colorado for a whole bunch of easy to "I'm gonna die" trails.
Ask some old timers about how Red Cone used to be.
Old stage is great because there's a ton of trails that branch off of it. That's usually where I go because of the amount of trails off that one road.
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