Flawless......

[Dkretden]

My wife and I just relocated to Denver from Houston. Drove the Jeep jammed with a few personal items and a lovely wife straight through. Left at 2:23am Central and arrived 5:19pm Mountain. about 16 hours including gas stops. Got blown all over the road in the Texas Panhandle and played “Panhandle Chicken” with all the 18-wheelers who were similarly getting blasted with wind.

Fun trip.

With all of the reliability issues posted here, I figured that a positive message would be on point. My message is that my Jeep made the journey flawlessly. It sucked gas like a demon but it’s gas tank always lasted longer than our collective bladders so, no real issue there. 75mph-plus on much of the trip. Averaged about 17.6mpg, I think. The Jeep yawned and said: “I’m up for for another 15 hours, Buddy”........

Sponsored

 

[Dkretden]

Welcome to Colorado! What trails are you hitting this weekend?

LOL.

any suggestions for a newbie?

 

[MORubi]

Great to hear! Glad you made it safely. Sounds like some good ol’fashioned white knuckle driving!

 

[Dkretden]

Great to hear! Glad you made it safely. Sounds like some good ol’fashioned white knuckle driving!

True. About 300 miles of knuckle twisters.

 

[Spdu4ia]

Drove my jk here to Colorado from Louisiana over 12 years ago too! Flawless is a good title

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

Congratulations on the move to Colorado!

I *love* Colorado (but haven’t been to Denver). I can’t wait to go back.

 

[jgo138]

We did a similar drive from San Antonio last summer, and will be doing it again this July! 16.5 hours after stops for gas and to let the dog out. We ended doing Yankee Hill network right outside Idaho Springs and it was great. Also Chinns lake was beautiful in the summer.

 

[ChimpanZed]

We also moved to Colorado from Houston. Pro tips and observations:

1. Get CO plates ASAP
2. Don't tell anyone that you moved here from Texas
3. Be mentally ready for the CO registration cost
4. CO > TX, except when it comes to the cost of car registration

 

[MarkY3130]

Welcome to Denver! I’m out in Arvada. Jeep community is great here

 

[Dkretden]

Drove my jk here to Colorado from Louisiana over 12 years ago too! Flawless is a good title

Woof. That is a long drive..... I’m guessing that you split it into 2 days?

 

[Dkretden]

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/206-balanced-rock-road

Balanced Rock Road has turned into my favorite trail to recommend to people that may not be entirely confident in their rig or themselves. It's an easy trail and one that in my experience is not heavily traveled. As far as I know it is open. Near the top of the trail you can have some nice views of Pikes Peak. You'll follow the trail down to a lake. There are typically a decent number of people at the lake because there is a popular and apparently easy hiking trail to it. That hiking trail is what makes this such a great noob trail IMO. If everything goes completely wrong for you, you can easily walk out the bottom via the lake trail and odds are you'll see people there as well who can offer assistance if you need it. The lake is typically a good place for lunch and to wander around on foot. I've cast a few flies in there but so far have not been lucky. There are also a couple small spurs off of Balanced Rock Rd you can explore, but nothing that will get you lost or into serious trouble. One will take you to a nice overlook of the plains.

Go to Monument, CO (from Denver, I-25 south toward Colorado Springs). Take exit 161. This exit has you loop to the right so you're pointed North. Follow this to the light, which is Second Street and turn left (west, toward the mountains). Follow Second across the tracks until you come a T. Turn left. Follow that a bit (a mile?) and you'll come up on Dirty Woman Park on your left, turn west again (right, toward the mountains) onto Mount Herman Rd. As you go up this road to your left is Monument Rock that you can take a short walk to if you like. Just keep heading up Mount Herman, it's a ways but you'll eventually join onto Rampart Range Rd. Now people may tell you Rampart is closed, they're partially correct the closure gate is quite a distance farther north than where you're going to be at. Almost exactly 1 mile north of where you joined Rampart Range Rd is Balanced Rock. I don't recall it being marked very well, but there are several places where people like to shoot. Just follow the trail down, you'll soon be away from them.

When the trail does not have any snow on it, it is very easy. Last year there was a large rock that fell onto the trail near the bottom you had to go around but nothing at all to worry about, and right near the bottom is a place with some moguls on the trail that will test your articulation. Coming up the trail these moguls can stop you if you choose a bad line and have open diffs. But either backup and try a better line or turn on your lockers. No risk of body damage on the main trail, but some of the spurs can get tight up close to the trees. Take it slow and careful you'll be fine.

To get out just follow Balanced Rock Rd back up to Rampart Range Road. You can turn left (south) and head back down Mount Herman to Monument. You can follow Rampart Range Road south all the way to Woodland Park/Colorado Springs then take I-25 back north to Denver. Or, if you're still feeling froggy after Balanced Rock Road, when you hit Rampart Range Road, turn north. About 15 miles up Rampart Range Road you'll come to Dakan Road on your right. You can follow that and find yourself back in Castle Rock CO. Here is the Dakan Road description you'll be running it backwards to their desciption. https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/276-dakan-road. Dakan is also easy but coming this way you could easily miss the turn and find yourself at the gate that closes Rampart Range Road. If you hit the gate, just turn around and look for Dakan again. Dakan is well traveled and is popular with side by sides and dirt bikes. I believe there are some side roads that can add some extra time, but as I recall the area is marked well on the Jeep's map so it's unlikely you'll get terribly lost.

Wow! Thank you. I will absolutely make use of this info. Probably not this weekend but certainly quite soon! Thanks for typing all the details here!

 

[Dkretden]

We also moved to Colorado from Houston. Pro tips and observations:

1. Get CO plates ASAP
2. Don't tell anyone that you moved here from Texas
3. Be mentally ready for the CO registration cost
4. CO > TX, except when it comes to the cost of car registration

This is funny.

I’d love to get new plates...... unfortunately, a little virus has closed the tag offices, I think.

When I lived in houston, seemed like a lot of folks had moved from CO. Here, it seems like a lot of folks have moved from Texas.

 

[Spdu4ia]

This is funny.

I’d love to get new plates...... unfortunately, a little virus has closed the tag offices, I think.

When I lived in houston, seemed like a lot of folks had moved from CO. Here, it seems like a lot of folks have moved from Texas.

Yea that part blows (I wasn’t ready for the cost of plates here). Our dmv currently can do everything online or on phone. I called and got my new tags yesterday.

But it’s true get Colorado plates ASAP. It’s funny how people here think about “tourists” and “locals”

 

[Dkretden]

Yea that part blows (I wasn’t ready for the cost of plates here). Our dmv currently can do everything online or on phone. I called and got my new tags yesterday.

But it’s true get Colorado plates ASAP. It’s funny how people here think about “tourists” and “locals”

Got it.

I need to research how to get plates and a Colorado title. I looks like I need some form filled out by an inspection station or something and then I can go in a register the Jeep.

 

[Jabarsetti]

Yea that part blows (I wasn’t ready for the cost of plates here). Our dmv currently can do everything online or on phone. I called and got my new tags yesterday.

But it’s true get Colorado plates ASAP. It’s funny how people here think about “tourists” and “locals”

Just to point out the pricing I am renewing mine today, normally would be $722, luckily I can claim non-resident Military it's way cheaper! otherwise I would be using Oklahoma (previous duty station).

Sponsored