Colorado Alpine Loop Planning

J

JMorgan2432

Rank I

Contributor III

124
Murphysboro, Illinois, USA
First Name
Jim
Last Name
Morgan
Hello Community. My name is Jim Morgan and I'm a brand new member and this is my first post.

I am from Murphysboro, Illinois (deep rural southern Illinois). I am 58 and my wife is 57 years old. We drive a Polaris Ranger XD1500. It is surprisingly capable on the trails, keeping up with Polaris RZRs, Honda Talons and other more sport designed vehicles. We are joy-riders, not thrill seekers... we go "low and slow" and enjoy the ride. I have experience in overlanding in Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and in the Black Hills. South Dakota and the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia.

We'll be towing our ORV with a capable heavy duty truck and an 18' utility trailer.

I NEED SOME BIG HELP. This summer my wife and I are headed to the Alpine Loop of Colorado. We will be staying in Lake City, Silverton and Ouray. We've already planned the itinerary, lodging and routes for the trip. However, I've always traveled in groups and I've never been the planner or navigator on the trails. I need some help navigating the roadways, trailer parking, trail access AND MOST IMPORTANLY trail maps.

Is there ANYONE that is very familiar with the Colorado Alpine Loop and these towns that would be willing to discuss this over the phone. I'll be brief and to the point, but it might allow the fact-finding a little quicker and more efficient.

I"m basically looking for:
1-How to obtain both MVUM maps for these areas AS WELL AS the easy-to-read visitor trail maps.
2.-Secure overnight and daytime parking for my trailer and ORV at each town.
3-How to get the ORV from the parking areas to the trailheads legally.
4-Any other tips that your experience provides.

We will be spending two or three nights at each town. As mentioned, we already have our lodging and routes determined and est up. In regards to the referenced maps, below is our route for each day of overlanding.

Lake City (2 nights)
Overlanding Day: Lake City > American Basin > Cinnamon Pass > Animas Forks > Engineer Pass > Lake City

Silverton (3 nights)
Overlanding Day 1: Silverton > Corkscrew > Hurricane > California > Animas Forks > Silverton
Overlanding Day 2: Silverton > Eureka > Cunningham Gulch > Stony Pass > Silverton

Ouray (2 nights)
Overanlding Day: Ouray > Yankee Boy Basin > Governor Basin > Ouray

PLEASE HELP and thank you for this community!

Jim Morgan
618-525-1006
 
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Welcome Jim.

The San Juan's are spectacular. Prepare to be blown away.

The MVUM wont help you around the Alpine loop as every road in the area is technically a county road. I have always liked Latitude 40° and National Geographic maps. It looks like National Geographic map 141 would cover what you need in good detail. You can also generally find maps at the visitors center in each town, but that certainly doesn't help with trip planning. That said, the visitors center in each town would be a great place to call and get up-to-date information about trail conditions and OHV regulations.

-While in Lake City you will likely be able to drive your Polaris from your lodging to the trails. Lake City is ORV friendly. American Basin is on the Silverton side of the mountains and is a hiking area, so you might need to revisit your plans.
-In Silverton, you will have to trailer outside of the city limits to access the trails. See OHV Rules for Silverton Colorado for OHV rules for Silverton.
-In Ouray, you will have to trailer to the parking area along 550 near Box Canyon Falls.

In all honesty, the Ouray/Silverton/Lake City/Telluride/Ophir area is far easier to travel in a licensed vehicle. I would seriously consider buying a used cheap Jeep TJ for the trip, or consider renting a Jeep from any of the outfits in the towns, vs utilizing the Polaris which is going to force you to do a lot a back tracking every day. It has been 25 years since I have tried to use an OHV in this area. Also reach out to your lodging to see what they suggest for securing a trailer a OHV while you stay with them.

I would also suggest removing your telephone number from the forum as it can be stolen by spammers.
 
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KonzaLander said:
Welcome Jim.

The San Juan's are spectacular. Prepare to be blown away.

The MVUM wont help you around the Alpine loop as every road in the area is technically a county road. I have always liked Latitude 40° and National Geographic maps. It looks like National Geographic map 141 would cover what you need in good detail. You can also generally find maps at the visitors center in each town, but that certainly doesn't help with trip planning. That said, the visitors center in each town would be a great place to call and get up-to-date information about trail conditions and OHV regulations.

-While in Lake City you will likely be able to drive your Polaris from your lodging to the trails. Lake City is ORV friendly. American Basin is on the Silverton side of the mountains and is a hiking area, so you might need to revisit your plans.
-In Silverton, you will have to trailer outside of the city limits to access the trails. See OHV Rules for Silverton Colorado for OHV rules for Silverton.
-In Ouray, you will have to trailer to the parking area along 550 near Box Canyon Falls.

In all honesty, the Ouray/Silverton/Lake City/Telluride/Ophir area is far easier to travel in a licensed vehicle. I would seriously consider buying a used cheap Jeep TJ for the trip, or consider renting a Jeep from any of the outfits in the towns, vs utilizing the Polaris which is going to force you to do a lot a back tracking every day. It has been 25 years since I have tried to use an OHV in this area. Also reach out to your lodging to see what they suggest for securing a trailer a OHV while you stay with them.

I would also suggest removing your telephone number from the forum as it can be stolen by spammers.
Click to expand...
 
Hello and welcome to the OB family.
 
JMorgan2432 said:
Hello Community. My name is Jim Morgan and I'm a brand new member and this is my first post.

I am from Murphysboro, Illinois (deep rural southern Illinois). I am 58 and my wife is 57 years old. We drive a Polaris Ranger XD1500. It is surprisingly capable on the trails, keeping up with Polaris RZRs, Honda Talons and other more sport designed vehicles. We are joy-riders, not thrill seekers... we go "low and slow" and enjoy the ride. I have experience in overlanding in Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and in the Black Hills. South Dakota and the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia.

We'll be towing our ORV with a capable heavy duty truck and an 18' utility trailer.

I NEED SOME BIG HELP. This summer my wife and I are headed to the Alpine Loop of Colorado. We will be staying in Lake City, Silverton and Ouray. We've already planned the itinerary, lodging and routes for the trip. However, I've always traveled in groups and I've never been the planner or navigator on the trails. I need some help navigating the roadways, trailer parking, trail access AND MOST IMPORTANLY trail maps.

Is there ANYONE that is very familiar with the Colorado Alpine Loop and these towns that would be willing to discuss this over the phone. I'll be brief and to the point, but it might allow the fact-finding a little quicker and more efficient.

I"m basically looking for:
1-How to obtain both MVUM maps for these areas AS WELL AS the easy-to-read visitor trail maps.
2.-Secure overnight and daytime parking for my trailer and ORV at each town.
3-How to get the ORV from the parking areas to the trailheads legally.
4-Any other tips that your experience provides.

We will be spending two or three nights at each town. As mentioned, we already have our lodging and routes determined and est up. In regards to the referenced maps, below is our route for each day of overlanding.

Lake City (2 nights)
Overlanding Day: Lake City > American Basin > Cinnamon Pass > Animas Forks > Engineer Pass > Lake City

Silverton (3 nights)
Overlanding Day 1: Silverton > Corkscrew > Hurricane > California > Animas Forks > Silverton
Overlanding Day 2: Silverton > Eureka > Cunningham Gulch > Stony Pass > Silverton

Ouray (2 nights)
Overanlding Day: Ouray > Yankee Boy Basin > Governor Basin > Ouray

PLEASE HELP and thank you for this community!

Jim Morgan
618-525-1006
Click to expand...
Welcome, Jim! Sounds like you and your wife have an amazing trip planned. The Alpine Loop is one of the best places in Colorado for a “low and slow” adventure, and your Ranger XD1500 should be a great fit for those trails.

For maps, I’d recommend getting the official MVUM maps from the National Forest offices, along with the easier trail maps available from the Lake City, Silverton, and Ouray visitor centers. Also consider downloading offline maps through apps like Gaia GPS, OnX Offroad, or Avenza since cell service is limited.

Your biggest challenges will likely be trailer parking and getting from town to the trailheads legally, so I’d call the local visitor centers or trail organizations ahead of time. They can usually point you toward the best parking options and current trail conditions.

Your routes are fantastic choices. Take your time, enjoy the scenery, and don’t forget to stop often. Those mountain views are what make the Alpine Loop special. Have a great trip!
 
cwella said:
Welcome, Jim! Sounds like you and your wife have an amazing trip planned. The Alpine Loop is one of the best places in Colorado for a “low and slow” adventure, and your Ranger XD1500 should be a great fit for those trails.

For maps, I’d recommend getting the official MVUM maps from the National Forest offices, along with the easier trail maps available from the Lake City, Silverton, and Ouray visitor centers. Also consider downloading offline maps through apps like Gaia GPS, OnX Offroad, or Avenza since cell service is limited.

Your biggest challenges will likely be trailer parking and getting from town to the trailheads legally, so I’d call the local visitor centers or trail organizations ahead of time. They can usually point you toward the best parking options and current trail conditions.

Your routes are fantastic choices. Take your time, enjoy the scenery, and don’t forget to stop often. Those mountain views are what make the Alpine Loop special. Have a great trip!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much cwella! We've actually changed our plans and are renting a Jeep for the week as we come through Colorado Springs. That way we won't have to deal with the trailering and back-tracking. I'd sure prefer to be in my UTV, but this just makes more sense. We are definitely "low and slow" people and the views are what we came for, not the riding... so to speak. Thank you also for the tips on the physical and online maps.
 
JMorgan2432 said:
Thank you so much cwella! We've actually changed our plans and are renting a Jeep for the week as we come through Colorado Springs. That way we won't have to deal with the trailering and back-tracking. I'd sure prefer to be in my UTV, but this just makes more sense. We are definitely "low and slow" people and the views are what we came for, not the riding... so to speak. Thank you also for the tips on the physical and online maps.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a great plan. Renting a Jeep seems like a much easier option and gives you more time to enjoy the trip instead of worrying about the trailer. Colorado has some incredible scenic drives, so taking it slow and soaking in the views is the perfect way to experience it. Have an amazing trip and enjoy every mile!
 
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