Mushin_Noshin
Adventurer
Thanks so much for taking the time to post your trip and details. We need to get an East Coast group trip out there in the works!
19 days in a Jeep.... Colorado, Utah and a little of Arizona
- Thread starter whatevah
- Start date
The trailer is on hold for a few weeks while I get my moms car back on the road. She's been living in NY for several years so the car has sat in the driveway, but she's moving out to Long Island and needs a car. It needs a new starter, struts, belts, fans, etc... by this Friday. It's less frustrating to work on than my old Cherokee, but I still hate fighting rusted bolts. My impact gun isn't strong enough for some of them, so I spent 30 minutes with a 3lb hammer and a wrench earlier today. It's not all bad, though... with the car gone, I now have a better spot to park the trailer!
Bushcoat, it seems that every t-shirt I own is either Jeep related or medical... and sometimes multiples of each. lol I think I had 2 of those brown Jeep shirts with me on that trip. Got them cheap at Kohls a few years ago.
I'll look up google map links for the campsites I noticed or camped at and post them in a few minutes.
Bushcoat, it seems that every t-shirt I own is either Jeep related or medical... and sometimes multiples of each. lol I think I had 2 of those brown Jeep shirts with me on that trip. Got them cheap at Kohls a few years ago.
I'll look up google map links for the campsites I noticed or camped at and post them in a few minutes.
Ok, well, I intended to post in a few minutes... work had other plans.
Alta Lakes https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.8...3,0.010568&z=17&iwloc=A&output=classic&dg=brw
If you look on the satellite view, around the 2:00 position of the middle lake you'll see the campsite I used. You'll need 4x4 and ground clearance to get to it, tight trees, a boulder and mud are on the trail going back to it. The lake on the right seems to be on private property, there was a sign on the road saying something about that. You can get to the most of the campsites without needing to use 4x4. It's a steep road though, so I used 4-low for extra torque and engine braking, mainly for the descent. Keep in mind that the lakes are at 11,300 feet. Do not attempt to camp here until you've acclimated to the altitude, otherwise you might become very ill.
Alpine Loop - west of Lake City https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.0...e=UTF8&t=m&z=19&iwloc=A&output=classic&dg=brw
The main road (County Rd 20) here is gravel and maintained. There are a few pull-off sites along the main road where you can camp along the river. County Rd 23 goes north from here and is more of a trail. Somewhat maintained but not suitable for cars. There are several sites along the first 1/2 mile for camping. If you switch to satelite view and follow the trail north, you'll see few open sections. Not sure how or why those stretches were cleared (maybe a fire or a homestead in mining times?), but I saw a few vehicles pulled off for camping. At the very end is a trailhead and parking lot for two 14ers (14,000ft or higher mountain peaks). Road 23/Nellie Creek Rd crosses the stream twice and there was rain coming so we decided to play it safe and use one of the sites along the main road. The end parking lot is around 11,400ft so the previous warning about altitude sickness applies. For that matter, the main road there is at 9,300ft and the nearby town of Lake City is around 8,600ft.
There were a few spots I saw just off the trail on the south half of the Alpine Loop, but I can't find them on the map. I took a photo of a Jeep at a campsite that I *think* was a little ways east of the turnoff for Wager Gulch. However, I can't recall exactly. If you get the map book from FunTreks/Charles Wells, they show some commonly used camp sites on the trail maps. I highly recommend their maps, you can order direct from http://www.funtreks.com/ or on Amazon. I have their Colorado and Moab books. I actually still have the Colorado book in my Jeep and it shows a campsite icon at my spot in Alta Lakes and the site near Nellie Creek. But, the forest service land (and BLM land) will often have dispersed campsites at random places not on maps... you just have to get lucky and find them. I found a few cool spots outside Moab like that. The only downside is no bathrooms so you'll have to either dig a hole or pack it out depending on the local rules. Most of the Moab area requires packing out due to the popularity and ground conditions. But, you're able to get a camping experience that's NOTHING like any commercial campground. My photos from Alta Lakes prove that.
Alta Lakes https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.8...3,0.010568&z=17&iwloc=A&output=classic&dg=brw
If you look on the satellite view, around the 2:00 position of the middle lake you'll see the campsite I used. You'll need 4x4 and ground clearance to get to it, tight trees, a boulder and mud are on the trail going back to it. The lake on the right seems to be on private property, there was a sign on the road saying something about that. You can get to the most of the campsites without needing to use 4x4. It's a steep road though, so I used 4-low for extra torque and engine braking, mainly for the descent. Keep in mind that the lakes are at 11,300 feet. Do not attempt to camp here until you've acclimated to the altitude, otherwise you might become very ill.
Alpine Loop - west of Lake City https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.0...e=UTF8&t=m&z=19&iwloc=A&output=classic&dg=brw
The main road (County Rd 20) here is gravel and maintained. There are a few pull-off sites along the main road where you can camp along the river. County Rd 23 goes north from here and is more of a trail. Somewhat maintained but not suitable for cars. There are several sites along the first 1/2 mile for camping. If you switch to satelite view and follow the trail north, you'll see few open sections. Not sure how or why those stretches were cleared (maybe a fire or a homestead in mining times?), but I saw a few vehicles pulled off for camping. At the very end is a trailhead and parking lot for two 14ers (14,000ft or higher mountain peaks). Road 23/Nellie Creek Rd crosses the stream twice and there was rain coming so we decided to play it safe and use one of the sites along the main road. The end parking lot is around 11,400ft so the previous warning about altitude sickness applies. For that matter, the main road there is at 9,300ft and the nearby town of Lake City is around 8,600ft.
There were a few spots I saw just off the trail on the south half of the Alpine Loop, but I can't find them on the map. I took a photo of a Jeep at a campsite that I *think* was a little ways east of the turnoff for Wager Gulch. However, I can't recall exactly. If you get the map book from FunTreks/Charles Wells, they show some commonly used camp sites on the trail maps. I highly recommend their maps, you can order direct from http://www.funtreks.com/ or on Amazon. I have their Colorado and Moab books. I actually still have the Colorado book in my Jeep and it shows a campsite icon at my spot in Alta Lakes and the site near Nellie Creek. But, the forest service land (and BLM land) will often have dispersed campsites at random places not on maps... you just have to get lucky and find them. I found a few cool spots outside Moab like that. The only downside is no bathrooms so you'll have to either dig a hole or pack it out depending on the local rules. Most of the Moab area requires packing out due to the popularity and ground conditions. But, you're able to get a camping experience that's NOTHING like any commercial campground. My photos from Alta Lakes prove that.
I guess it depends on your ground clearance... There are a few tight switchbacks on the west end of the Cinnamon Pass portion. Even with a lot of clearance, that's a long truck for tight swithbacks (i drive an ambulance for work, I'm familar with long wheelbases...Lol). The rest of the loop shouldn't be a problem. Maybe try asking on one of the Colorado offroad forums for somebody with a better feel for it.
shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
Holy smokes those pictures of you and your jeep on that cliff had me clenching. I hate heights. Thanks for the report.
yeah, I'm not the greatest with heights... I had a tight grip on the brush guard on my bumper.
Thank you all for the kind comments, I hope to write a more detailed story for my trip this fall. Not sure where it'll take me, yet...
JohnTheLuck
New member
Very good reading, but would be awesome if pics were showing up.