Did we have one? I looked and couldn't find one but my eyes are not very good. If we have one could someone bring it to the top? Or we'll just us this one.

 

Seems to me Curtis and some others are going to Colorado the first week of August. There has been talk about where to go and folks seemed to have really liked St. Elmo and are looking for nothing any farther away than that.

I did a bit of checking on Delorme this morning and it looks like Kenosha Pass is with in 5 miles of travel as St. Elmo is for us folks down in the Wichita area. Looks to be about 550 miles to either place. For the folks up in Manhattan it is a bit farther. 555 miles to Kenosha Pass. 595 miles to St. Elmo. I will have an open seat if someone would like to ride/share the driving.

This is still a maybe for me. It really depends on how stuff goes between now and then. I have two other maybe trips between now and then and if I have trouble on either of those trips I will not be able to make this. But if those trips wash out or I don't have trouble I will make this one. The last of those trips is July 4th. So I should know by the middle of July. I can send folks maps and links for each of the areas.

I have found that a light first day travel works best. And a stop at 4-5 thousand feet the first night helps get folks ready for the 12-13 housand feet trails we be on. Most likely I will stop in Pueblo, CO the first night. Then it is an easy drive to camp the next morning and plenty of time to take it easy and set up camp. Denver or Colorado Springs is another good spot for the folks up north. That gives time for problems and late starts leaving town. Then we are ready to hit the trails and should be adjusted a bit. It kin be hard on folks to camp at 10 thousand feet the first night.

Each of the places have Forest Service (they charge $$$'s ta stay there) and dispersed (free) camping. There are pit tolets a short distance from the free camping. Kenosha Pass has a better road to the free campsites. But a longer(but not much) drive to places for services. Kenosha does not have as many trails near the campsite. But there are more than what we can do in the area. It is still a short highway drive for Mosquito and other trails (Wheeler Lake ect..). Another idea would be to camp over closer to Breckenridge. I like to camp but if that's not your flavor that's fine with me. I'll be at some campsite up the trail somewhere if I can make it.

 

Good post Jack - thoughts anyone? I am up for either place.

 

I vote we go to Colorado.. : )

 

Kenosha Pass is about 70 miles SW of Denver on US 285. 19 miles southwest of Bailey and 20 miles NE of Fairplay. You leave the highway at the summit of the pass. Then drive about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the campsite. This is a lot nicer if we have tow vehicles as we can drive them up to the camp site. Although this is like the trail head to Black Bear, the road is much better and not as steep and there are no switch backs to the campsite. There are also small towns several miles each direction that have resetaurants and some services. Jefferson and Como to the west. Grant, Singleton and Shawnee to the east.

St. Elmo is farther SW of Denver. It is 20 miles SW of Buena Vista. 36 miles NW of Salida or 31 miles NW of Poncha Springs. St. Elmo is west of US 285 and north of US 50. If you can find Nathrop on US 285 between Poncha Springs to the south and Buena Vista to the north, St. Elmo is 16 miles due west. Nathrop is 8 miles South of Buena Vista.

I'll try to get some maps posted today of each area.
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Here is a map of the trails in the St. Elmo area. We camp west of St. Elmo on Tincup Pass trail. Below is a list to go with the numbers on the map. This map dose not have Mt. Princeton on it for some reason. Mt. Princeton would be off the map to the NE.

I have a better version of this map. If you can't read the numbers on the map send me an e-mail and I'll send you the full size version that you can read the numbers on.

1. Mt. Antero 4WD-Moderate/Difficult/Scary
2. Baldwin Lake 4WD-Moderate/Difficult
3. The town of St. Elmo 2WD.
4. Grizzly Lake 4WD-Difficult/Vehicle Damage Likely
5. Iron Chest 4WD-Vehicle Damage Likely
6. Pomeroy Lakes 4WD-Easy/Moderate to the Mary Murphy Mine, Moderate/Difficult to the Lakes.
7. Williams Pass 4WD-Vehicle Damage Likely
8. Han**** Pass 4WD-Moderate/Difficult
9. Tomichi Pass 4WD-Moderate/Scary
10. Alpine Tunnel 2WD/4WD-Easy/Scary
11. Old Monarch Pass 2wd/4wd-Easy. Been many years since I have been over that one. But most likely can be done in a 2wd PU.
12. Cumberland 2WD-A 4wd play area at the pass.
13. The town of Tincup Colorado
14. Old Tincup Pass Road 4WD-Vehicle Damage Likely
15. Tincup Pass 4wd-Easy/Moderate
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This is a map of the Kenosha area. I had to make this one up this morning. The one of St. Elmo wa an old one I had in my map folder. Again info is listed for the numbers on the map.

1. Kenosha Pass Campsite 2WD
2. Red Cone 4WD-Difficult/VDL
3. Webster Pass 4WD-Difficult/VDL
4. Radical Hill 4WD-Difficult/VDL
5. North Fork of The Swan 4WD-Easy/Moderate
6. Middle Fork of The Swan 4WD-Easy/Moderate
7. Glacier Ridge 4WD-VDL
8. Georgia Pass 4WD-Easy/Moderate
9. Wheeler Lake 4WD-VDL
10. Mosquito Pass 4WD-Easy/Moderate

 

Wifey has put a couple limitations on the trip... it needs to be as cheap as possible for me. So I will be camping.

 

Like I said, yer welcome ta drive Green out for me if ya like. Can't be much cheeper than that. Just through in yer tent, sleeping bag, and ice chest.

 

Been talkn with Chad and Curtis a bit and kind uh have some iders. Bout 10 miles East o Breckenridge is a bunch uh campsites. I don't remember any facilities though. Take bout 30 minutes ta git to town. That is on the North Fork of the Swan Trail. Curtis said he would like ta eat BBQ in Breckenridge sometime and lunch in Tin Cup. So I came up with some day plans.

One day the camping folks could leave camp and drive west toward Breckenridge. The Breckenridge folks could leave Breckenridge and drive East toward Georgia Pass. We'd meet up and go up Georgia Pass then down to Jefferson. Highway to Grant and up to the start of Red Cone. Up over Red Cone then up Radical Hill and down the North Fork of the Swan to camp. Then may share a cook out/campfire ifn we make it back on time.

Another day the folks from Breckenridge could drive out to the camp and we could go up the North Fork of the Swan over to Montazuma. Then take the Middle Fork of the Swan back through Swandyke and in to Breckenridge fer some BBQ.

Another day the folks from camp could drive in to Breckenridge and meet up with the town folks and go south to Alma and take Mosquito Pass over to Leadville if it's open. Maybe have a burger at the Burger Joint. Then go south out of Leadville and take Wesston Pass back if there is time. Maybe stop in Fairplay at South Park on the way back.

Another day the camp folks could drive in to Breckenridge and meet up with the town folks and head for Buena Vista. Then take Cottonwood over to Tin Cup for lunch. Then over Tin Cup Pass to St. Elmo ta feed the critters. Then back via Fairplay and another chance ta stop at South Park.

Now it folks really want ta work hard and work there trucks really hard there is Wheeler Lake trail just north of Mosquito Pass and Glacier Ridge just east of Georgia Pass.

Then there is Webster Pass if it is open. Just some ideas. I'll set up a map folio for the trip with the day trip routes and locations on it in case I can't make the trip. I have a back up laptop I can put it on and I can send the file to folks.

Just in a holding pattern so I had some time to work on this.

 

Just as long as I don't meet any minivans coming at me I don't care :-)

 

So you anti mini van now? I took my Mom and Grandfather up tot he Alpine Tunnel and over Cumberland in a mini van. If yer saying the trails aren't tough enough you are gonna miss a lot great places. This is Colorado and there are lots of points of intrest that are up pretty high. We will meet cars and other 2wd vehicles that go up to a points of intrest and then back down. We will also go over passes (like Black Bear) and meet cars and other 2wds on the other side that are at POI's (like Bridle Vail Falls). And sometimes folks are just good and you'd be surprise what they can do and where they can get with a mini van.

I like seeing others on the trails. Hikers, bikers, *****, and even folks in mini vans. Most of those tails will remein open because of multi use. I just don't see a problem.

 

Ok, I sent my Track of Red Cone, Radical Hill, North & Middle Fork of the Swan, and Georgia Pass to Chad and Curtis along with Route files for the day trips. I didn't do a Route file for the short trip over to Montezuma. I went ahead and loaded the files on my back up puter. Curtis or Chad if you want to borrow my back up puter and gps you are welcome.

 

Every year I look forward to the Rado trip, every year I have a blast!

 

Do we have dates? Are folks considering stopping in Denver for a night to adjust to the altitude? That helps me.