Riding in the Rio Grande National Forest

We were between 10,000-11,000 feet elevation, so the rain was ice cold and the temperature was dropping as the last rays of sunlight were disappearing behind the mountains.

We had already rode about 60 miles in beautiful weather and were only several miles from camp, but apparently nature didn’t want us to get off easy this time! Monsoon season was in full swing, so random showers and thunderstorms could be expected almost every day. Water was coming down so hard and fast that soon the mud puddles filled, then overflowed, and then started running down the trail in little streams.

We were soaked to the bone, I could barely move my fingers, the trail was slippery, and flashes of lightning could be seen occasionally – but, if you can believe it, there’s nowhere else I would’ve rather been!

If you’re ever wandering around the San Juan Valley in southern Colorado with a trailer of off-road vehicles looking for a good place to ride, look no further than South Fork and the Rio Grande National Forest. This little patch of off-road paradise is where we spent almost five weeks this Summer. Now, “little” isn’t really accurate, though, as the Rio Grande National Forest is nearly two-million acres! Forest roads and trails almost cover a NFS map of this area, and nearly all of them are open to OHVs. Theoretically, according to a local, someone could ride from South Fork, CO, all the way down into New Mexico by staying on the almost countless forest roads and trails!

We picked the Ute Bluff Lodge, on Hwy 160 a couple miles out of town, to stay at while we were there. Amenities include a laundromat, hotel rooms, cabins, RV sites with full hookups, a rec. room, hiking trail, and a tipi to go relax in. It also has very close National Forest access on both sides of Hwy 160, the closest is within about a mile. And once you get into the Rio Grande National Forest, you won’t need to worry about having to turn around any time soon – the network of trails and forest roads is MASSIVE, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen! A map is definitely a “must have” item, and can obtained at the visitor center in town.

We kind of stuck to one area during our rides, but expanded the list of new trails we tried almost every time. The trails and roads south of town (which are the ones we stayed on) range from about 8100 feet elevation, to over 11,600 feet! And they go from easy roads that a car could drive on, to tight rocky trails that wind up and down steep slopes, and everything in between.

Starting out near the trailhead, at 8100 feet, in about 30-45 minutes we could be up around 11,200 feet near the base of Del Norte Peak (which is over 12,000 feet at the summit). Up there is a nearly panoramic view of the San Juan Valley, Rio Grande National Forest, South Fork down below, and Great Sand Dunes National Park in the distance.

I found out quickly that the weather can change really fast up there on the mountains, and even more so during the rainy season, which we caught in full force. It might be sunny and 75 degrees when we left for a ride, but then two hours later be raining hard and near 60 degrees. I discovered that wearing layers is a must if you’re going to enjoy riding in the mountains!

While we were there my aunt and uncle from Denver came down to visit again, and my uncle of course brought his Kawasaki KDX250. They only had one full day with us, so the main agenda was a long ride up into the mountains for the day! My uncle and I left after breakfast and headed up a familiar road (345) that I’d already been on several times. The weather was perfect, with the sun shining and the sky just slightly overcast. We stopped at a big beaver dam holding back a creek alongside the road to walk around some and wait for my dad, who had to do a few things back at the camper, to catch up. After he caught up and we kept going, the road (350) took on more “trail-like” characteristics – getting narrower, steeper, and rockier. We finally came up onto the top of the mountains (at about 11,300 feet), and had to stop and decide which way to go next! We ended up riding on a big loop (898, 345, and 350.2 B) all the way around Del Norte Peak, before taking an EXTREMELY rocky trail (898) back down the side of the mountain to Beaver Creek Reservoir, where we rode around and peered down into the ravine on the other side of the dam.

Next, we continued on up the valley, and back up to higher elevation. It was a drastic change of terrain, as we were now riding on a smooth forest road (360) winding its way up the valley. There were lots of tight corners, so going fast is NOT an option, unless you’d like to end up over the edge! We kept going for a long ways before finally veering to the right onto a road (360) that led to Poage Lake. The lake didn’t look more than 10 acres or so in size, but is at the base of a huge cliff face, which can actually be seen from miles and miles away as we found out later.

We then backtracked and got on the “main” road (332.1D) once again, then onto a trail (359), while slowly climbing higher and higher up the side of the mountain, as the trail that we were now on got steeper and steeper. Free-range cattle watched us intently as we rode by, trying to dodge the little “cow patties” they had left for us. My dad, who has a lead thumb and can’t keep his Suzuki LTZ-400 lower than fourth gear, had a very hard time dodging the “cow patties” going as fast as he was, and ended up having to wash it all off his fenders later!

At last, we crested the top of the mountain, at 11,630 feet, and stopped to take a look around. There was an almost 360 degree view of the landscape around us – looking west back down into the valley where Beaver Creek Reservoir is, looking south across into the mountains where Poage Lake is, back north over towards Del Norte Peak, and east across the mountain tops that we were level with into unexplored territory (at least by us). The view was stunning, and we took 10 or 15 minutes to really soak it all in and get plenty of pictures. Then, the lightning striking the mountains east of us caught our attention, and we figured it was time to head back down into the valley.

As we began our descent (on 350), we were also riding right into a rainstorm! But we knew it could last for hours, and besides, the campground was only about a 30 minute ride away if. This is what I was describing at the very beginning of this article – we were quickly drenched with cold rain, the trail became slippery, and it started getting cold (something I, unfortunately, was not dressed properly for). We kept pressing on, but taking it slow to avoid losing traction and sliding off the trail. My uncle had to be especially careful, with only having two wheels under him instead of four!

I had already quit trying to stay out of the mud a LONG time before this, so by now I was almost totally covered in a layer of dirt and mud, along with my Honda 250EX as well. Several times the puddles were deeper than I thought, and mud splashed all the way up over the top of my head, which also helped complete the head-to-toe mud bath I got.  I had to take off my goggles not long after it started raining, because I could barely see through the mud and water that continued to splash all over them. Maybe this sounds miserable, but for us it was a blast, and we never even thought about turning back!

At last, we got down off of the mountain, and back to the trailhead. By then the rain had stopped, although we were still soaked. We got back to the camper, my uncle went back to his hotel room (on the camp), and it didn’t take long for us all to get cleaned up and in some dry clothes! Thankfully, my mom and aunt had a spaghetti dinner waiting for us, and between bites we told them about our adventure up on the mountains and unveiled some of the beautiful pictures we’d taken.

Although we didn’t keep track the entire way, a pretty accurate figure is that we rode between 60 and 70 miles that day! I think it’s the most any of us have ridden at one time, and it was one of the most fun rides I’ve ever done.

I have dozens of other stories I could tell, about all the dozens of other rides we went on during our nearly six week stay in South Fork, but this was one of the highlights and definitely the biggest ride we did!

If you ever get the opportunity, please visit South Fork and go riding in the Rio Grande National Forest. You won’t be disappointed…

If you have any questions about riding in the South Fork area, please leave a comment and I’ll answer as best I can. After riding at least every couple days for the month that we were there, I got the know the trails pretty well!

Or if you’ve ever been there, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it and your experience riding in the Rio Grande National Forest.