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Mountain Pass Off-Roading

C

ColoradoAV

SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Messages
1,424
Location
Littleton, CO
I was wondering from any of you who live in the west if when you see a sign that says "For 4 Wheel Drive and/or high clearance vehicles only" on a rocky mountain pass if you should be intimidated or not. Our AV seems to meet those requirements but it is only stock. I saw the pics of flynhigh going off-roading on a road where it said the same thing and it looked rather intense and very narrow. We're looking to do a pass requiring four wheel drive around the Continental Divide and going down into Breckenridge or Leadville. If there were no concerns about damage to the Avalanche or getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, I think that would be a lot of fun. So please give me your input.
 
ColoradoAV - I have been all over the state on trails for 4x4's - if it is rough you need to have a spotter and another truck.

What trail are you looking at? ?I have a Colorado 4x4 trail book and can look up the trail to see how it is rated.

Youmight also search on the web for 4x4 trails - there are some good post - if it says jeep only don't take the AV. ?The long wheel base won't make it.

My skid plates are full of deep scars from rocks. ?You know you are off road when you know the difference between a rock hitting the skid plate and the frame :)
 
Blueruck,

Look up Georgia Pass. The road goes from Jefferson (in South Park) to Breckenridge. It's easy getting to the top in two wheel drive coming from the east but there's a sign at the top saying you need four wheel drive and high clearance getting to Breckenridge but nothing about Jeeps. I'll look stuff up but if you could give me the rating, that would be greatly appreciated :).
 
The book you want is called Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4 Wheel Drive trails - You want Vol 1 - most large book stores should have it. (Author is Charles A. Wells)

I have the 2nd Vol which list trails in the Leadville area from the orininal edition. ?(see below) ?Vol 1 will have a full description of the trail 2- 3 pages worth with pic's.

Easy Trails - - I have found these to be no problem with a Z71 AV & I have ridden some of these on Mtn bikes with the GF.
1) WestLake Creek Road
2) Shrine Pass
3) Weston Pass
4) Boreas Pass
5) Lamartine, Saxton Road
6) Guanella Pass

Medium Trails - can be tough and require a spotter
My AV on a Medium & this was the hard part and required a spotter
1) McCallister Gulch
2) Hagerman Pass
3) Mt Lincoln
4) Mosquito Pass
5) Mt Bross
6) Georgia Pass

Difficult - I haven't tried these with the AV - good idea to have a lift, big tires, winch and work best with a Jeep
1) Holy Cross
2) Wheeler Lake
3) Webster Pass
4) Red Cone
5) Spring Creek

Make sure to take the digital and post pictures :)
 
Well, I just did a little research too. It sounds like the Avalanche shouldn't have any trouble conquering Georgia Pass. I read that any stock 4x4 would do and the rating is "relatively easy." Yes Boreas and Guanella Passes are easy (except for the fact your brakes burn up coming into Georgetown on Guanella;D on). That does seem a little intimidating that your pic taken was on a medium trail (I do have the screen saver w/ your pic on it and love it ;D). Georgia Pass to me seems like a go if any stock 4x4 can do it.

We will be up there on Sunday but we have relatives from PA here and I'm not sure what they'll want to do. But that would be fun to meet up.

We'll see about the digital. We just got one and don't quite know how to work it. But I would love to take pics.

Thanks for all the help, Blueruck. That all really helps.
 
Too bad I live out here in CA, sounds like we could have lots of fun together guys. :B:

p.s. There were some spots ion the trails we did that should have been jeep only because even the Durango seemed a little big. Probably where i got my scratches :cry:
 
CoAvZ71 said:
I was wondering from any of you who live in the west if when you see a sign that says "For 4 Wheel Drive and/or high clearance vehicles only" on a rocky mountain pass if you should be intimidated or not.
Click to expand...
It's been my experience with that type of warning sign, you're generally OK in any 4x4 with decent ground clearance. I have a buddy who takes his RV up 'em.

If the only marking is an outline of a Jeep, you may want to scout ahead before starting up the trail with your Av.
 
I'm so jealous of you guys, it's not even funny! ?:7:

:) ?I'd kill to have something like a mountain pass around here! ? I have to fake it and find some crumby old dirt roads in the middle of the woods in NE CT / NW RI or in my area of Southern Central MA. ?Here in MA, there are only a handfull of semi-legal trails you can drive on.
 
If you really want to see some great off road trails, find a local 4wheeling club that is large vehicle friendly. (there are some clubs who only talk to people with the same type of vehicle - this is not limited to only Jeeps)

A good local off-road club will know where you should and should not take your AV. They are your best source for current trail conditions and knowledgable resources. Most I have run with have been very friendly, helpful, and just want to share the off-roading experience.

Never venture into the backcountry alone. Make sure at least one vehicle has a wench. oh heck here's a check list.

Here is a trail rating system and a limited trail guide.
 
I'm currently still a member of a local club... although, I have no intentions of taking the Av anywhere they go. :)

They go places where Hummers need winches, and Jeeps need 38" tires. :)
 
marc_w said:
I'd kill to have something like a mountain pass around here! ? I have to fake it and find some crumby old dirt roads in the middle of the woods in NE CT / NW RI or in my area of Southern Central MA. ?Here in MA, there are only a handfull of semi-legal trails you can drive on.
Click to expand...

Check out this group in your area. They may know if some decent trails to run.

If not them, try one of these, these, or these.
 
marc_w said:
I'm currently still a member of a local club... although, I have no intentions of taking the Av anywhere they go. :)
Click to expand...

The group I ride with has a large active bunch that goes hardcore - those runs are for vehicles that are 'Locked and Loaded". A fair share in that group trailer them to the trail since the gearing is so low.

Put out a call for anyone in your group or other local group interested in 'bunny slope' trails. :D :D :D Seriously though, there must be a group of people who want to go off road in your area but are not interested in tearing up their ride. I love being back in the woods but don't want the AV full of trail tropheys. I stick to the easier runs in the AV.
 
No, I exaggerated a bit.. There are some trails out there that aren't too bad, and I could probably take the Av on with some difficulty, but I have no absolutely no desire to off road this truck. :)

The Blazer was a different story.. I was always looking for something do drive over with that!

Thanks for the links though.... My club is: http://jonfund.com
 
Sorry to disappoint you all, but the trail looked way too intense for the AV especially because of its long wheelbase, so we didn't go down the other side; we just made it to the top. It was a very steep drop too that even Jeeps were just barely crawling down. I didn't want to damage the AV because that pic Blueruck took that's on the screensaver was on a trail rated the same.

Attached are some pics; hope you enjoy.

pic 1

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Finally, pic 3 at the top of the pass. Let me know what you think of the pics :).

[attachment deleted by admin larger then 100KB]
 
timcosco said:
Cool. ?Where were they taken?
Click to expand...

They were taken at the top of Georgia Pass between Jefferson and Breckenridge. If you look closely there appears to be some ski slopes in the background, but I strongly believe it's Keystone, not Breckenridge.

If you're wondering, the elevation of that at the top is 11,385 feet.
 
ColoradoAV - Nice pictures.

We will have to hook up sometime to 4 wheel.

I am heading up to Loch lake Saturday - near St Mary's Glacier to go hiking. It will be a little 4 wheelin to get back to the lake. There is some good 4 wheel drive roads in the area that I like to play on.
 
Thanks, Blueruck.

I wish that things would have worked out for Sunday, but I'm sure it would have been disappointing for you to go up there just to have to turn around. The western slope part was that intense. But yes we should meet up sometime, (especially because I just joined the Denver local club) maybe in the snow where there's less of a chance of damaging our AVs and having a great time.
 
ColoradoAV,

You just need someone experienced to show you the way once or twice. ?We were out in Colorado (from California) a couple weeks ago for our first 4-wheel experience in our Z71 AV. ?I was a little worried due to some close calls I had as a passenger on some 4-wheel adventures when I lived in Colorado. ?Then I realized they were all related to clutch/manual transmission/power issues, such as rolling backwards downhill toward a curve, lurching toward the edge on a back-up corner because the vehicle was in the wrong gear, trying to get going up a steep rocky hill, etc. ?As we drove to Colorado, I was convinced these problems would be non-existant due to the automatic transmission, electronic 4-wheel shifting system, and the power available in our AV. ?Boy was I right!

We first followed my brother's Trooper up Imogene Pass, starting out from Ouray. ?This awesome pass has everything you could want in a 4-wheel adventure, and tops out at a pass at 13,000 ft. ?There's ups and downs, a ledge you drive across where the rock has been cut out and is completely over the truck, rock fields to negotiate, streams to cross, old mining buildings, and some tight corners. ? :) See the attached photos. ?:)
 
??? Sorry, the attachments appear to be small enough to attach, but I am getting errors when I try. I will post them later after I figure it out.

Anyhow, www.4wdbooks.com rates Imogene Pass a 4. I think they use a scale of 10, though the highest trail I saw for Colorado was a 6, and they list some 7's in Utah. Georgia Pass is listed as a 3. It might look scary, but just put the AV in 4-wheel low, and shift to use engine braking and keep your speed in control. We were in 4-wheel low and in 1st and 2nd gear for much of the way down Imogene. My brother was sure I was going to lose my bumper when I went right down a large (like 10 ft. wide by 30 ft. long) rock he went around, but the only damage was to the dealer's plastic logo hitch receiver I should have removed. Chevy did a good job with the turning radius and clearances on such a large vehicle.

At one point, the Trooper got hung up with two (opposite) wheels spinning in an uphill boulder field, because it did not have limited slip. Brother went about 25 feet backwards, unintentionally, burning his clutch trying to get going. We just powered right up the thing with all the AV's torque and the limited slip. Brother says he's getting an automatic for 4-wheeling next time.

Told my brother we could go a little faster, even though he's pretty experienced and we were novices. He said he was already going as fast as he could--any faster and the Trooper would beat itself to death! The AV was very smooth and comfortable, especially considering all the bouncing up and down the hand-held video my son shot shows! Only trump my brother could come up with is he knows some trails in Utah where the AV would be to wide to go, blah, blah, blah!

When I have a little more time, I'll tell you about our trip over Ophir Pass a couple days later. Its rated a 3 also. Got a picture of us changing a flat tire on the AV, cut by a rock, on a 30-degree trail of solid scree at 12,000 feet. Now that's adventure! And a good lesson for the kids on how to keep your cool and take care of yourself when you're out in the boonies.

By the way, when I used to live at Copper Mountain, I drove Boreas Pass many times in a BMW 2002 which had been lowered 2". Get some good guide books, work your way up in difficulty (just like skiing), go with others, and have a blast!

Our Colorado vacation was incredibly fun, my boys loved the 4-wheeling, and we can't wait to go again. That AV is one awesome, versatile, comfortable, well-designed and built truck.
 
Hey Avalanche Bob,

Thanks for the story. That's great to hear. We had family from PA along with us and they were barely even willing to take out the back window and feel the breeze let alone go down a vertical drop such as Georgia Pass when we went. I've talked to a couple people about Georgia Pass and they say it's not THAT bad; just up at the top.

I assume that your AV is a stock Z71, right? I eagerly look forward to seeing your pics. It sounds like you had a great time. I just don't want to end up with any flats like you did ;D!
 
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