road conditions in colorado

[T28w]

this will be my first time in colorado and am wondering what typical road condtions are if on the OnX map it says a road is open to all vehicles all season.
is this completely unpredictable from a car could travel some and a high lift 4x4 is needed for others? these are roads in NF areas.

 

[Kmnork]

Depends on which road, what time of year. I’m not taking a low clearance 2WD car on any NF road in September.


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[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Yes it varies as noted. Also in western CO when the soil there gets wet if often can be gumbo like, super slick and fills tire treads, which can be un-nerving as you slide sideways on a road towards a cliff. 4x chains for your 4x4 is prudent insurance that ideally you don't need to use.

 

[CJF]

No way of knowing.

One of the biggest benefit of scouting prior to season is to see the condition of the roads. Could take you 30 minutes to go 1 mile...or you could cruise at 40mph.

 

[T28w]

thanks guys, i got an f250 with just stock AT tires on it and wondered what the roads where like but understand that could depend a lot on the weather. i dont want to pull a trailor across country and will prob get a set of chains and learn to put them on.

i used to hunt in Louisiana pretty much every weekend duck season was in. the farm we hunt on has a lot of that gumbo and after the first rain and a couple trips on the ranger, the roads were pretty much torn up the rest of the season. no rain though and it was as hard as asphault

 

[bwlacy]

I think the Colorado Hunter Atlas shows NF roads that are open and it might show if they are 4wd trails. Been awhile since I've looked at that map.

They are correct about the rain and some of those mountain roads. Also depends on what part of the state you are heading to. Some parts of the SW corner it rains almost every afternoon at least a little bit.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Chains might be a good idea. Like you said, learn how to put them on, and make sure they fit properly.

 

[Catahoula]

Set of chains would be wise.

 

[justinspicher]

Each forest service district should have an MVUM (motor vehicle use map) that shows whats open, when its open and what can drive on it. A call to said district can also provide the conditions of those roads as well. Usually, the info is also on their website.

 

[SonnyDay]

Bigger FS roads are often fine well into the fall season (October-November). Hard to know from afar, but if you can estimate the width of the road based on vehicles that happen to get included in the sat imagery... roads that are 20'+ wide are likely to be fine in all but a heavy snow. These roads usually have just numbers following the "FS" prefix (e.g. FS120). When you get into two-tracks (which usually have letters at the end, e.g. FS120B)... things get pretty sporty pretty quick!

This can be a handy tool:

Current Snow Depth

www.fs.fed.us

NOTE: as you get up above 8,000' of elevation and/or into more open country, there can be some pretty fun drifts that go across roads that may not show as any "depth" on the above tool. Buddy of mine got stuck in a 4' deep drift for 6 hours this spring...

 

[tdhanses]

If open to all vehicles it’ll be a decent road, if listed 4wd only you may not want to go down it unless your ok with dents and scratches. The majority of roads in CO I’ve been on open to all have been really good but with wash boards and if there is a rain a car may get stuck in spots.

 

[Maverick1]

Each forest service district should have an MVUM (motor vehicle use map) that shows whats open, when its open and what can drive on it. A call to said district can also provide the conditions of those roads as well. Usually, the info is also on their website.

This is good advice. Along with a bunch of others on this thread.

And, from my experience, the answer is: it depends.

I have taken a stock SUV with 8" of ground clearance in all sort of conditions in multiple states - during early archery season - and not had a problem in most places where the maps indicated the road is open to all vehicles all season. "Most" of those types of "roads" are ok....until you get there and they aren't!

As mentioned above, I don't think it would be wise to take a car down these roads. Plenty of places a car would be fine, in most you'd run out of accessible roadway pretty quickly. I wouldn't recommend it.

I have never taken chains for a September hunt, and have never needed them, either. (Knock on wood!)

With a stock F250, you 'should' be fine during the early season, in most places, for roads that are marked as open to all vehicles all season.

 

[cnelk]

Even tho the road may be good enough for vehicle traffic, it’s so much quicker to travel the same roads on an atv - if allowed.

 

[Lawnboi]

When looking at maps Iv found this. If they are fairly straight, with long curves, chances are they are graded roads and easier going that the squiggly bastards. If I’m going to an area with a lot of dirt Iv got my 4x4 with chains and some recovery equipment regardless, but if I can avoid some roads that might get me in trouble if the weather goes south, that’s even better.

 

[davinski]

Good advice above here. I strongly second the advice to get a current paper road usage map from either the USFS or BLM or both depending on where you are headed. OnX is good but you'll have a lot riding on that information. The best road use maps are usually weak at showing topo so you'll probably want to have both types handy. Odds are you'll be fine, I run a 3/4 ton all around here yearround but often just use it to get my ATV, bike, or boots to a farther out trailhead. Plus my truck does gain some Colorado pinstripes every year. Chains are a good idea and very helpful if it turns very sloppy or you get hit with deep snow. Plan for not needing them, but if you do need them they can save your bacon. If you only have two, I recommend putting them on the front where the weight is. And practicing putting (and keeping) chains on is also a good idea. I've gone 3 years without needing mine but will probably jinx myself by writing that. I'm sure it goes without saying to not take your truck on a path it is not allowed either by designated use or seasonal closure. You should not run into any seasonal closures in Sep, but I can't keep track of what the FS and BLM are up to lately. Best of luck to you!

 

[T28w]

Thanks for all the replies. Going to look at a set of chains ad see about getting a map.

I’ll be headed out for 1st rifle

 

[11boo]

Lots of good advice posted, use it. Chances are you will have beautiful weather, and the chains will stay in the bag. We started this hunt first season a number of years ago, in T shirts. The chains were let out of the bag.