First Trip! CO 2 UT

[10-42 Adventures]

Hello O.B.,
My wife and I are planning are first Adventure through Colorado and Utah. We have 2 weeks off, heading up on May 6th from South Texas. I am trying to map a rought keeping us on dirt, just having trouble connecting the dots. We plan on camping, and short hikes. Any advise or suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[Boort]

@10-42 Adventures

Hello O.B.,
My wife and I are planning are first Adventure through Colorado and Utah. We have 2 weeks off, heading up on May 6th from South Texas. I am trying to map a rought keeping us on dirt, just having trouble connecting the dots. We plan on camping, and short hikes. Any advise or suggestions are much appreciated.

Hello,

May 6th is likely to be very early for much of CO. A lot of the high mountain passes don't open until Memorial Day some until well into June depending on snow pack. You might plan to hit UT first and have various routes planned in case a particular trail or pass is closed. Last I looked the snowpack was below average across the state at between 30% - 80% of normal depending on the basin, but anything can happen in Feb, March, Apr. ... Here is a good place to check conditions: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/gis/images/co_swepctnormal_update.png

If open, I suggest making the Alpine loop (or parts of it) a big part of your trip Truth be told you could spend 2 weeks just exploring the box defined by Silverton, Ouray, Lake City, and telluride. Check out this write up for a good review of the area https://expeditionportal.com/overland-routes-alpine-loop/ (Lots of others her on OB and other sites.
If you like detailed guide books, treks and maps visit https://funtreks.com/products/ they have books on CO and SE UT that are some of the best I've seen.

Boort