After completing the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route, we're up to nine BDRs since we started running them in 2016. Through the running of each one, @mrs.turbodb and I are - as you can imagine - regularly comparing the current BDR to the past ones. Now that I've been writing down these thoughts for the last five or so, it seems like a good tradition to continue into the future.
TL;DR - The Colorado BDR - especially the northern half - is a fast BDR with plenty of varied terrain, though none of it feels all that remote, largely because Coloradans seem to be out enjoying ever last bit of recreateable area in their high-altitude state. The "Alternate Harder" route of the Stage 2 - through a portion of the Alpine Loop - is by far the best leg of the entire BDR and should not be missed; it is a shame that the main route now bypasses this iconic area.
And so, let's get into the details!
The Roads
The roads of some BDRs are way too easy (Arizona, New Mexico); others are peppered with so many softball-sized rock so as to be painfully tedious (the original Oregon). Colorado seemed to have a good mix of roads. There were many - especially in the northern half of the route - that were well graded and fast. Still, there were plenty of places that offered a little more technical terrain (though nothing I'd call difficult), especially over some of the high mountain passes through the southern half of the journey.
Graded roads make for quick travel, but it's this type of road that builds unforgettable memories.
Nothing along the route - including all of the ALT EXP segments - was difficult for a high clearance 4WD vehicle and the vast majority of it could have been done with a high-clearance 2WD. Full size vehicles and even those towing an off-road trailer should make easy work of the route.
In the past, I've always recommended taking every ALT EXP segment possible, as they usually lead to some of the more interesting places along a BDR. For Colorado, the story is a little different. Here, the ALT routes were largely similar to the main routes from a scenery perspective, and I would recommend sticking to the main route with the exception of the following:
- Stage 2 - ALT EXP through the Alpine Loop. Starting just outside of Telluride and climbing over Ophir Pass, Corkscrew Pass, Hurricane Pass, California Pass, and Cinnamon Pass, before finishing up in Lake City, this alternate route encompasses the entire stage. Spend two days on this stage, camping at a high elevation somewhere along the Alpine Loop. It is the best segment of the entire route and should be savored.
- Stage 5 - ALT Harder heading north out of Gypsum. There is nothing difficult about this short alternate section of trail, but it offers significantly nicer landscape - that's also different than anything else on the BDR - than the main route.
Running these alternate routes would be fine even for solo vehicles of full-size vehicles.
The Scenery / Landscape
More than almost any other BDR - perhaps with the exception of Nevada - Colorado has a nice variety of scenery through the state. Mesas in the far south transition to rolling hills before climbing to elevations over 13,000 feet through the San Juan Mountains.
We never expected to see geology like this in Colorado.
As I've noted above, the best scenery and landscape is found in the Stage 2 - ALT EXP through the Alpine Loop. Do not miss it, and spend extra time in this area if possible.
Camp in the San Juans. There are few places like it in the world.
From there, the landscape changes again, with the Mosquito Mountains, Flat Tops, and Colorado River Gorge showing aspects of Colorado that are often forgotten.
Winding along one of the most important bodies of water in the United States of America.
More than most other states, time of year can make a big difference to the scenery along the COBDR. Late spring or early summer - as soon as the Alpine Loop opens - will yield brilliantly white snowy vistas. Fall on the other hand - generally the first half of October - will present visitors with a rainbow of amazing colors as the aspen leaves change color across the state. Having seen these colors first hand, my recommendation would be a fall trip if possible.
Highlights
- The Alpine Loop. I've covered this above. If you have time, run even more of it than is included in the BDR. I highly recommend Engineer Pass, Black Bear Pass (more difficult), Mineral Creek (more difficult), Poughkeepsie Gulch (more difficult), and Imogene Pass.
- The Colorado River Gorge. This was not a long section of the trail, and much of it was paved or nearly so, but it was beautiful, nonetheless.
Lowlights
- Four Corners Monument (and the entirety of Stage 1). I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from Four Corners, but it did not deliver. Rather, it felt touristy and cheap, and not all that special. This may be different for you though, and it is a unique point in our country, so be sure to go.
The Four Corners. Understated or underwhelming?
- No feeling of solitude or remoteness. Colorado, more than any other BDR felt like there were "people everywhere." Even places that were dozens or hundreds of miles from town were ripe with hiking and biking trailheads, 4WD trails, and people out enjoying nature. This is not a bad thing, generally - in fact, I think it's great that Coloradans are so engaged with their outdoors - but we enjoy the remote nature of most BDRs, and didn't get that this time.
- We saw almost no wildlife. Mostly a side effect of the solitude/remoteness point above.
We saw a few marmots, but not much else.
Side Trips That Should Be Enjoyed
We finished the route - plus a trip to the top of Mt. Antero - in 4 days, having planned 6-7. Had we known we'd be done so quickly, we might have taken things a bit more slowly in a few areas:
- A side-trip from Buena Vista to the summit of Mt. Antero. This is one of the easiest 14ers to tackle and well worth the effort. The road that leads nearly to the summit is no more difficult than those through the Alpine Loop, and spending even a day on this side-trip would be high on my list.
- A stop at a hot springs. There were several hot spring resorts right along the route near Buena Vista, which - conveniently - is the mid-point of the BDR, so the perfect place to clean up. If we were to repeat this trip, we’d probably stop at one of them for a few hours to enjoy a soak and a shower.
But really, with the Colorado BDR slotting into the middle of our "best of" list, I think it's safe to say that this was a huge success!
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