Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Orchard City, Colorado

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Gunnison Gorge South River Road

Just outside of Delta Colorado, inside Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area you'll find a beat up gravel road that leads you down to the Gunnison river. Most SUV's and trucks will not have an issue…
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Total Miles
4.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Smith Mountain Jeep Road Overlook

Just outside of Delta Colorado, inside Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area you'll find an unmaintained jeep trail that leads you out onto a peninsula with spectacular views of the Gunnison Gorge. The trail overall is…
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Total Miles
4.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

25 Mesa Road

25 Mesa Road is a wide, smooth well-graded road running all the way across Uncompahgre Plateau from Nucla to Delta. We did not find any specific attractions along the route, but it is an enjoyable…
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Total Miles
26.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

South Divide

This is a series of well-graded or slightly bumpy roads that will take you from Ridgway to Olathe over the Uncompaghre Plateau. The south part has vast views of open ranchland, the center is in…
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Total Miles
80.1
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Elephant Skin Road

Elephant Skin Road is an easy Jeep trail between Montrose and Olathe. There are a few shallow gullies across the road, but can be done with any vehicle with a bit of clearance. There is…
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Total Miles
15.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa

Escalante Canyon

Escalante Canyon is a very nice run from the desert at the Gunnison River to the forest on the Uncompahgre Plateau. This Jeep trail takes you upstream through Escalante Canyon (west side of the loop),…
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Total Miles
57.9
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa

Tabeguache

Tabeguache 2.0 is a short, easy Jeep trail a short distance west of Montrose. It starts near the Dry Creek Rock Crawling Trails, and crosses Dry Creek, Piney Creek, and Cushman Creek before climbing up…
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Total Miles
11.9
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Park Creek/Salt Creek Loop

This loop offers an easy to moderate mix of terrain with great vistas, aspen groves, moderate stream crossings, and wildlife. A Colorado state park pass will be needed to enter Vega State Park which gives…
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Total Miles
17.2
Tech Rating
3 Moderate
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Overland Reservoir

A scenic graded road over Grand Mesa between Paonia and Collbran. Easy enough to be done in a passenger car.Overland Reservoir is owned by Overland Ditch and Reservoir Company, founded in 1903 as a mutual…
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Total Miles
58
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa

Divide Road

This is a 90-mile long, wide-graded road up the middle of the Uncompaghre Plateau from Montrose to (almost) Grand Junction. Go from farmland to expansive areas of forest, then to the desert. This mellow graded…
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Total Miles
85.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Silver Spruce to High Trail Loop

Mostly 50" track with several creek crossings, steep climbs, and descents. This trail winds through Aspen and Spruce forest before traveling across the Grand Mesa. There are cattle grazing, deer, elk, bears, and moose to…
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Total Miles
28.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Gunnison Tunnel

In 2020 a locked gate was placed near the west portal (west of the canal dipper) which prevents running the complete trail. The trail can be run from the Uncompahgre River east to the gate…
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Total Miles
11.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Rim Rocker

The Rim Rocker is a 160-mile route winding it's way over red rock, through aspen groves, along the edges of sheer cliffs, and across rivers in order to bring travelers from Moab Utah to Montrose…
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Total Miles
158.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su

Roubideau Jeep Trail

This is a 12-mile loop trail off Divide Road beginning 30 miles from Montrose. We did this trail by following a fence line up the east leg to join the original Roubideau Jeep Trail. We…
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Total Miles
11.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Owl Creek Pass

This is an enjoyable and easy 45-mile trip over Owl Creek Pass between the Uncompahgre and Cimarron Rivers. We found a few water-filled potholes in August, but nothing that would stop a passenger car with…
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Total Miles
43.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Sims Mesa/Delores Creek

The maintained gravel Sims Mesa Rd offers views of the Uncompaghre River valley. It becomes a rutted unmaintained Forest Service road as it enters the National Forest. Wildflowers and aspen groves line the trail as…
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Total Miles
1.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Su

Dry Fork

Follow Cocoran Wash for 13 miles and you will reach an overlook with great views into Hunter Canyon. The trail then follows a ridge with many opportunities to walk around and explore hoodoo rock formations.…
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Total Miles
40
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa

Monument Rocks

Spend some time with the wild horses on this out-and-back trail through LIttle Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area. There will be chance to take photos at some overlooks, and there are a few camping options.…
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Total Miles
25.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa

Gill Creek Loop 50"

This fun trail on the Uncompaghre Plateau provides east access to a 50" track with some slick rock sections early in the loop. The trail has easy access with a fair amount of traffic so…
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Total Miles
13.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Alpine Plateau Road

Turning off from the main highway, there are about 8 miles of private land you have to get through before reaching BLM. At about mile 7 is a seasonal closure gate: "From December 1 to…
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Total Miles
15
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

East Dallas Trail

Easy wide dirt trail mostly through private property with access to National Forest land and dispersed camping at the end. The first third of the trail is a smooth dirt road that can get muddy…
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Total Miles
8.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Cimarron Owl Creek Pass

This is a very scenic, pastoral drive down Cimarron Road into the Uncompaghre National Forest. There are many side roads leading to various forks of the Cimarron River, with plentiful dispersed camping sites along the…
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Total Miles
19.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Box Factory Park

This trail begins at the entrance to Double RL ranch, which is owned by Ralph Lauren. It is a great option if many of the passes are closed in the area, since the road stays…
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Total Miles
6.9
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Little Cimarron Creek

This is an easy drive along a washboard logging road that winds through the National Forest following the Little Cimarron Creek and ends near tree line. Beautiful meadows and aspen groves line the trail. You…
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Total Miles
11.7
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Divide Cut-off

Divide Cut-off trail is right off Divide Road outside the DIvide Campground in the Uncompaghre Plateau Wilderness. The trail is fast and flowing, with a few climbs and descents. Parts of the trail meander through…
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Total Miles
3.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Cow Creek

County Road 12 turns into the rutted dirt trail of Cow Creek. It is a narrow trail with few places for passing vehicles. There is a stretch of shelf road as it ascends and parallels…
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Total Miles
4.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Red Creek

This trail's access is directly from Hwy 50 across from the Blue Mesa Reservoir. The one-lane gravel road has frequent turnouts for passing vehicles. Initially, it runs along the Sapinero State Wildlife Area and then…
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Total Miles
14.6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

West Fork Cimarron Road

This beautifully scenic route takes you past Chimney Rock and up into the Uncompahgre Wilderness/National Forest. There are scattered primitive campgrounds all along the way. The first mile and a half (or so) of this…
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Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Baldy Trail

Baldy Trail branches to the left off of Culver Creek Trail at Thistle Park meadow. It will take you to a meadow with primitive camping. Then, it travels farther up to the Baldy hiking trail…
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Total Miles
0.6
Tech Rating
3 Moderate
Best Time
Su / Fa

Culver Creek - Cty Rd 14A

Culver Creek, Cty Rd 14A, branches off of Dexter Creek, Cty Rd 14. The first part of the road is graded gravel to a parking area where you can park and hike. From there, the…
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Total Miles
2.4
Tech Rating
3 Moderate
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa