Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Rico, Colorado

Just in-between Rico & Ames off of Colorado's Highway 145 scenic San Juan Skyway lies Forest Service Road 578 which leads you up to Bolam Pass with breathtaking views of Sheep Mountain, San Miguel Peak…
Learn more about West Bolam Pass

Just south of Lizard Pass on Highway 145, this trail combines sections of Forest Service Roads 535 and 611 to take you to the Fish Creek area. It starts with a modest climb, but overall,…
Learn more about Fish Creek Approach

This heavily used road is well-graded. It winds through aspen forests and can be stunning in the fall season. It also gets very busy during the fall hunting season. There are a few dispersed camping…
Learn more about Relay Creek Road

Leaving Purgatory Resort, Forest Service Road 578 quickly climbs to Hermosa Park utilizing well maintained narrow dusty switchbacks. Once peaking Forest Service Road 578, it drops you into a beautiful valley with jaw dropping views…
Learn more about Hermosa Park

Hillside Drive (FR 436) is an easy and delightful drive up a hillside in the San Juan Forest. You cross the Dolores River to start, then head upwards with Burnette Canyon on your right. The…
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This is a scenic and moderately challenging loop near Dunn Peak that crosses over Beaver Creek midway through the route. The trail consists of two-track paths over a mix of dirt and loose rock surfaces…
Learn more about Beaver Creek Loop

This out-and-back trail is almost 11 miles one-way. It starts off fairly smooth and easy. It gets progressively more challenging each mile down the trail. The trail offers many stunning views of peaks and colorful…
Learn more about Cascade Divide Road

This trail leads up to the Purgatory Ski Area. The trail is well-maintained and consists of many winding roads surrounded by tall pine trees. The trail consists of both up and downhill descending. There are…
Learn more about Elbert Creek Road

The BC Rim trail is a mostly flat single track through a forest with a mix of low bushes, aspens, ferns, and pine trees. The trail has tight snaking curves, some of which are pretty…
Learn more about BC Rim

Lime Creek Road follows the beautiful Lime Creek steep with history going back to a hunting trail used by the Ute Indians, to prospectors/pioneers converting the trail to a road in the late 1880s to…
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Amazing views, camp spots, hikes. It's a very easy road, with some uphill climbs, but a 2WD can do it in good weather conditions. The road can be muddy when wet.Dirt or rocky road with…
Learn more about Junction Creek

South Fork Ilium Rd, Cty Rd 63L connects to US 145 opposite the Ophir Pass trail. If you have just come down off Ophir, this road allows for some day use spots for respite and…
Learn more about South Fork Ilium Road

Most of this trail is fairly well-maintained dirt and gravel that winds along the La Plata river, though towards the end the Pa Plata headwaters run across the trail for a final ascent above timberline…
Learn more about La Plata Canyon/CR 124

This is an easy trail outside Silverton, CO. This trail takes you through Copper Gulch on the North end and ascends as you go south into the Rolling Mountain Valley. The trail is a dirt…
Learn more about South Mineral Road

This is a short drive in a residential area, but if you're looking for beautiful aspen trees, I recommend checking this road out. The road does get muddy when wet. There are a few hiking,…
Learn more about Spring Creek Road

This gorgeous route starts at a staging area and immediately enters the San Juan National Forest. It climbs through scrub oak and ponderosa terrain before reaching large aspen glades on both sides of the road.…
Learn more about CR 44 Echo Basin Loop

Can be muddy when wet. The road offers a decent view at the end overlooking a valley. There is a gate, so please close it behind you! If you like cows, you'll have plenty of…
Learn more about Spring Cr Pt Road

The 1.5-mile Box Canyon Spur is an easy bailout from the Box Canyon Trail that goes south to Box Canyon Road, which is a graded wide road with lots of camping. The spur is mostly…
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This road runs along private property, so please keep in mind and be respectful; when wet, this road becomes a crazy muddy mess; you will find huge mud tracks and potholes that will hurt if…
Learn more about Millwood Road

Lots and lots of camping, big area for RVs and large groups. Water crossing halfway through the trail, lots of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. It can be muddy when wet.Dirt or rocky road,…
Learn more about Ditches Road

This short segment of the Morrison Trail is an easy connector trail from the Upper Chicken parking lot to the Morrison ATV trail. It winds through a pine tree forest and is a bit drier…
Learn more about Morrison Trail (Part 2)

Rocky road in some spots, nothing to difficult though, easily done with a high clearance rig, muddy when wet. Dirt or rocky road, typically unmaintained after rain or snow. You may encounter shallow water crossings…
Learn more about Chicken Creek Road

Very tight road, not recommended for a wide wheelbase or tall vehicle, beautiful views, very rocky, muddy when wet. Dirt or rocky road, typically unmaintained after rain or snow. You may encounter shallow water crossings…
Learn more about Helmet Peak

Coyote Park South starts as a dry and rocky trail that climbs up from the trailhead along a fence line. The initial hill climb has some embedded boulders, but then it gets into a more…
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The Rim trail is a short single track that connects to the south end of Chicken Creek at an intersection with a non-motorized trail. It is a mile long, and mostly straight, flat, smooth, and…
Learn more about Rim Trail

This route travels from Forest Service 331D (Ramparts Loop) to a rocky overlook viewpoint. The viewpoint offers spectacular views of Mancos Valley, Jackson Gulch, and Weber Reservoirs. On a clear day, the mountains around Mesa…
Learn more about Forest Service Road 331 D1

This is an out-and-back trail along what is initially a well-maintained road; however, by the end of the trail, it is little more than two ruts. Though well-maintained, for the first half of the trail…
Learn more about Missionary Ridge Road

This is an easy, breathtaking, beautiful ride into the La Plata Mountains in the San Juan National Forest. There is a staging area at the start of the ride. At 2.3 miles, this trail travels…
Learn more about Red Arrow Aspen Passage

This short offshoot from Ophir Pass leads to a very small campsite next to a river. There are two rock fire rings in the area. If you cross the river, the trail splits left or…
Learn more about Middle Fork Mineral Creek

Along this out-and-back road you will have plenty of opportunities for camping specifically in the first half of the road, which is also well-maintained. The further up the mountain you go, the more uneven and…
Learn more about Madden Peak Road