Howdy All,

Me and 11 others have a trip planned to TPR during the week of July 26-30.  Really looking forward to it.  

There's a few folks from CO but the rest are out-of-staters.  We'll ride our ATV's each day for about 50-70 miles of trails.  Primitive camping and all that.

I'll leave Friday evening the 23rd from my AO and head up NW.  And yes, I'm prepared for sun, rain, 35-80 degree weather, etc.  Been planning this for over a month.

Been to CO only once on a business trip to the western side of Denver.  Really looking forward to those 10,000 foot elevation trails.


CMOS

Have a great trip.  Taylor Park is a great spot - make a run over cottonwood pass to Buena Vista (brewery, restaurants, white-water rafting).  Drive down the canyon to Almont and head right to Crested Butte or left to Gunnison.  

Note that there are pike in Taylor reservoir, plus trout, so good fishing to be had.

Had not even thought about this!  I'm bringing my rod and tackle box!

Is that Cottonwood pass done in an ATV or a car?

CMOS

For trout: kastmasters are our normal go-to lure.  Maybe smaller daredevils.
For pike: I'm not terribly sure.  Probably bigger (not huge) spoons, paddle swimmer things, rapala.

Cottonwood pass used to be dirt, but now it's a really beautiful paved road.  No ATV needed (or allowed, for that matter).

Crested butte is really worth it for a day trip.  Spectacular views, especially if you drive up past the tiny town of Gothic.  Google pics of Crested Butte.

Did they ever get rid of the awful lights over the trading post, near the dam?  Unshielded on high towers, blindingly bright and visible from all over the valley.  The place was lit up like a prison, ruined the night sky over the area.

Sorry guys, never did follow up on this:

One of the best vacations I've ever been on.  We had a great time.  We rode anywhere between 50 and 77 miles of trails each day.  Simply stunning views when we hit the peaks of the trails, typically between 12,000 and 12,900 feet.

No issues at all with our machines.  All performed perfectly.  Mornings when we woke were 34-40 degrees with daily highs of 70-75, which seemed damn hot at those elevations.  Sunscreen was a must each day.

A couple days we rode from our campsite to Tin Cup, and the next day to and through St. Elmo.  Tin Cup was cool.  Tiny, with a couple nice little cafe's to grab some chow while riding.  Caught some Rainbow Trout at Mirror Lake and ate them upon return to camp that day.  Delicious.

This group of folks is trying to do a similar trip each year.  Will be hard to make for me getting at least a full week off at a time, but I will try.

Below is one of my favorite pics, representing the Great State of Texas.

CMOS

Attached File

Glad you had a good time.

In all fairness, however, that pic represents the great state of Colorado!