Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Jansen, Colorado

Trinchera Pass is an easy gravel and dirt road that can be traversed in any 4x4 and most 2WD vehicles. It offers scenic views of the north side of the Johnson Mesa/Raton volcanic field and…
Learn more about Trinchera Pass

This is a very long dirt road route connecting Clayton Lake State Park NM and Trinidad, Colorado. There is a shortcut that will eliminate approximately 20 miles (if you look at the route closely, it's…
Learn more about NE Passage via Cimarron Canyon

This is a fun, scenic drive through San Isabel National Forest. The road west of the pass is well maintained, with plenty of room for two-way traffic. East of the pass is rougher in spots,…
Learn more about Cucharas Pass

This is a steep, narrow, out-and-back trail with many switchbacks and areas of loose rock. Some areas have steep drops, and the trail ends abruptly, but there is plenty of room to turn around. You…
Learn more about Fan Dike

This is a short, easy trail with a few dispersed campsites. It is really more of a road than a trail, and could be driven in most cars.
Learn more about Steep Mountain

This trail is an old train route that connected the east and west sides of the Sangre de Cristo mountains until the 1960s when the highway was put in. It is now an unmaintained road…
Learn more about Old La Veta Pass

This route is a beautiful forest road that takes you into the Carson National Forest/Sangre De Christo Mountains. The beginning of the trail immediately kicks off with stunning, towering rock cliffs on either side as…
Learn more about Valle Vidal - FR 1950

This is a well-maintained graded dirt road. It will be passable for any road-worthy vehicle in good weather conditions. If poor weather does occur, it could be trouble for road cars. A 4x4 with clearance…
Learn more about Medano's Back Door

This is the old unmaintained highway, the surface is broken pavement and gravel mix. This route can be easily traversed with any roadworthy car, precipitation may make the route impassable for passenger cars. It is…
Learn more about Old Highway

This road is fairly easy as it is a county/Forest Service road that gives you access to several jeep trails, hiking, dispersed camping, and mountain biking trails. The road travels through open pasture lands with…
Learn more about Forest Road 630/Williams Creek

Forest Service Road 134 is a rocky, relatively flat road that traverses down the Cabresto Canyon in Carson National Forest. This mostly gravel and dirt trail doesn't have any difficult obstacles and can be driven…
Learn more about Cabresto Canyon - FS 134

Forest Service Road 54 and 54D is a gradual ascent from Cabresto Canyon to Greenie Peak in Carson National Forest. The windy road up the peak is rocky, steep in some areas, and very narrow.…
Learn more about Greenie Peak via Cabresto Canyon - FS 54

This trail starts up Marlette Canyon before splitting off from Sawmill Trail. It then splits again from the most direct and well marked route to the peak, dropping back down into a drainage, before climbing…
Learn more about Greenie East

This trail is a short, easy out-and-back route that winds through the small elevation changes of the Wet Mountain foothills and offers a good chance of isolation. It contains no major obstacles or water crossings,…
Learn more about San Carlos Road

This is an easy winding road that has a few rocky spots that are easy to get around. The road takes you through open meadows and then through forest areas. It has nice views across…
Learn more about Turkey Creek Forest Road 637

This is a rough and rocky mountain road that climbs high into the mountains of Carson National Forest. The route is generally easy with no technical obstacles and can be traveled in either direction. It…
Learn more about Sawmill

This is a wide gravel road that you can use to connect many trails in the area. To make loop routes you can go down Meadow Divide forest road 639 then come back up Salt…
Learn more about Greenhorn Mountain Road_ Forest Road 639

Pioneer Creek Trail leaves from Red River behind the ski resort and then follows the canyon up. There are some large loose rocks towards the end and four water crossings where the trail crosses the…
Learn more about Pioneer Creek

This is an easy trail that takes you through areas of meadows at the top and bottom with forested areas in the middle. There are spots where there is some logging operation in progress. At…
Learn more about Meadow Divide Road- FSR 325

Forest Service Road 134A is a steep, rocky road that leads to Cabresto Lake; it's a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by the high peaks of Carson National Forest. The trail is narrow and consists of…
Learn more about Cabresto Lake - FS 134A

This trail is a well-maintained forest road that leads from US 64 to some logging trails along the border of the Taos Pueblo. The road is closed near the logging trails as its condition deteriorates…
Learn more about La Jara Canyon

A well-maintained forest road that is gated as it approaches the Taos Pueblo. It provides access to a woodcutting area as well as logging operations in the national forest. There are appx 4-5 dispersed camping…
Learn more about La Junta Canyon

This is a USFS road in the San Carlos Ranger District. The road is accessed off of CO-165 via Ditch Creek Rd. The road is an out-and-back trail that offers access to multiple dispersed camping…
Learn more about Roundtop Mountain Road - 321

This out and back trail traverses you through the Kiowa National Grasslands into the historic Mills Canyon. During good weather conditions any AWD vehicle should be fine for the first nine miles. After that, high…
Learn more about Mills Canyon Trail

This is a short drive over a well-maintained gravel road to Zapata Falls which are really cool to hike to and enjoy. The falls have about a 30' drop, but the section you walk to…
Learn more about Zapata Falls

This trail is an offshoot of Forest Road 70/Osha Pass trail. It leaves the main trail and tracks along the boundary of public and private land for a short while before climbing the mountainside and…
Learn more about Apache Trail

This route is the main forest road that provides access to the 70 Moto Trail, which is a width-restricted motorized trail that climbs to Osha Pass. This trail also provides access to the Elliot Barker…
Learn more about Osha Pass/70b

This route is generally easy, with only a few areas requiring moderate ground clearance. It offers excellent scenery, including wetlands created by beavers along the Rio Chiquito. Numerous scenic campsites can be found beside the…
Learn more about Rio Chaquito

Drive east from Taos or west from Shady Brook to reach Forest Road 10, located on the north side and marked by a sign for the monastery. This gravel road follows an out-and-back route through…
Learn more about Capulin Forest Road

When the sign at the trail entrance states, "Not suitable for passenger cars", they aren't joking. This is a heavily unmaintained trail and is not recommended for anything with low clearance. Deep mud ruts are…
Learn more about Cebolla Mesa