ATV Escape

The wind: cold! The expanse: overwhelming! The views: breathtaking! The experience: life changing! The adventure: extreme! The place: The Rocky Mountains! The Rockies offer limitless adventures to ATV riders and other outdoor enthusiasts alike. From the wildlife to the amazing views, any time spent in the Rockies puts in perspective how small we really are.

Having grown up vacationing in Colorado and enjoying the outdoors, I knew there was no better place than Colorado for my first big ATV adventure. That is what ran through my mind when the daydreaming began about where to spend some ATV time in the outdoors. There are miles and miles of jeep trails through the remote areas of the wilderness once traveled primarily by miners. Colorado has many abandoned mining towns from the days of the gold rush, which can be accessed only by ATVs and other off-road vehicles. Even for a person who lives in this part of the country, it would still take years to cover all of the places to ride.

Choosing a place to start is quite a challenge, so why should we not start with the Alpine Loop, which is a very popular area for off-road enthusiasts? The Alpine Loop (which can be found in our riding destination listings in Colorado) winds through the area between Silverton, Lake City, and Ouray, Colorado. Within this off-road area there are hundreds of miles of trails one can travel. There are old mining town-sites, wildlife, lakes, flowers, and mountain peaks or passes all along the way. The elevation changes are also substantial. A rider will spend some time in the bottom lands and end up going over a pass way above the treeline with elevations in the 14,000 feet range. The views on these roads will literally change one's life. The pictures do not do justice to the magnificence of these views.

I chose Lake City, Colorado, as the base camp for this adventure. Lake City is a small town which is located in the middle of the Alpine Loop. By way of paved highways, Lake City is located on Highway 149 between Gunnison and South Fork in the San Juan Mountains. It has plenty of places to stay, along with ATV rentals, restaurants, campgrounds, gas stations, and motels. Specific listings can be found on the Lake City's website.  Unlicensed vehicles are not permitted on paved roads or in town; however, gas, supplies, restaurants, and groceries are within walking distance in town. I have stayed in motels and camped in the Lake City area, and both will work well for an ATV adventure during the summer months. Staying in a campground or cabins located on the Alpine Loop (and not in town) will eliminate the need for trailering one's ATV to the planned adventure site. 

One fact that must be accepted from the start is that there is no way to cover all of the trails in just one trip (or even several trips). There are just too many trails. There is nothing on these roads requiring four wheel drive for an ATV, after the snow melts in mid June. Even a beginner ATV rider should have no problem on any of the roads on the MAIN TRAIL of the Alpine Loop. On our adventure we decided to set out from the South end of Lake City on Highway 149 to County Road 3, heading towards Cinnamon Pass. The distance from Lake City to Cinnamon Pass is about 24 miles and takes around 3 hours to travel. The Alpine Loop is well marked, so a GPS unit or a map is not REQUIRED (even though I would take a map). Along this route is the cutoff for Old Carson, which is an abandoned mining town. There are still many buildings left standing there, and seeing them is well worth the trip. The road to Old Carson begins the climb almost immediately from County Road 3. The elevation change was rapid as we climbed this old mining road. We arrived at the town-site, and then had the option to continue to the top of the mountain. I recommend doing this as the view is spectacular. The road from Old Carson to the top is a little steeper, and the ride back down can be challenging. I definitely wanted to keep the ATV from gaining momentum. It is important to come back down the mountain the same way in which one ascends.  Once we were back on County Road 3, we continued South for several miles. A sign on the right points up into the mountains from the bottom lands. It says that 4-wheel drive is recommended farther up the road. I love this sign! Without so many words, it says that the adventure ahead is going to be outstanding! We passed a public camp site along with an outhouse or two as we began the climb up to Cinnamon Pass. Along the way we saw remnants of a different time when miners lived and worked in this area. Before long, we were above the tree line and climbing the tight switchbacks to the pass itself. We had to make it a point to take in the beauty of the amazing views. The sign came into view, declaring that Cinnamon Pass has an elevation of 12,640 feet.  And, believe me, experiencing the vast expanse of the tops of the Rocky Mountains from there is breathtaking.   From there we were on to the next stop: Animas Forks