Feature > Backcountry Adventures
Purple Mountain’s Majesty
story by Angela Titus
photos Peter Massey
Webster Pass winds through the lush Snake River Valley.
Sure, Colorado may be known for skiing, but even better are its world-class four-wheel runs. Take the town of Breckenridge, for instance. During winter you may get some good skiing, but you also get crowds and frostbite served with a hefty price tag.
But when the mercury rises and the mountains thaw, the crowds go home and prices plummet. Breckenridge becomes the perfect base camp from which to test your skill and nerve on an outstanding network of 4WD trails.
Miners established Breckenridge camp after discovering gold in the mid-1800s. Here, Colorado’s largest gold nugget, the 14-pound “Tom’s Baby,” was found. The nugget mysteriously disappeared and was presumed stolen and broken down or melted. Decades later, staff at the Denver Museum of Natural History discovered the nugget in a box marked “dinosaur bones.” The nugget is now on exhibit at the museum.
Through the boom-and-bust cycle of the mountain mines, entrepreneurs stabilized the town as a supply center. As mining ceased, its populous gradually deserted by the early 1940s. Breckenridge found new gold in a ski resort constructed in 1962. While the resort’s renowned ski runs are its bread and butter today, its mountain roads are priceless.
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Middle Fork of the Swan Trail leaves from Breckenridge, climbs 3,000 feet, and leads to a spectacular system of trails on top of the world. Several towns along this route were once a hive of activity. Little remains of the town sites due to avalanches, fires, and dredge mining operations that buried several towns under tons of gravel tailings. In a pond among the tailings are the remains of the mining boat Tiger Dredge #1, one source of the debris.
Keep your eyes on the road because you’ll face a significantly off-camber section and a tricky, loose ascent. In wet conditions, this section can be nearly impossible to maneuver. The majority of the trail is easy and parallels the picturesque Middle Fork of the Swan River.
Continuing north, Deer Creek Trail, along with Middle Fork of the Swan, serves as a backbone for the entire network. Deer Creek Trail leaves from Montezuma, a once raucous mining town. The track’s bumps and switchbacks are easy and a good introduction to the high-elevation terrain.
Off Deer Creek is a trail called Webster Pass — once surveyed as a possible rail route, but it fell into disuse and only reopened through the efforts of a local 4WD club in 1971. Its switchbacks are easily identifiable from the Santa Fe Peak Trail across the Snake River Valley. At the valley floor are the headwaters of the Snake River and the road toward Radical Hill.
Steep descent from Red Cone Peak to Webster Pass.
Almost in the clouds on Santa Fe Peak Trail, which winds north out of Montezuma.
Radical Hill Trail is a short, challenging road with a steep, loose, and narrow shelf run. Sound easy? Not so. The shelf is eroded and off-camber.
You’ll also note a road blocked by a huge snowdrift at Webster Pass. That’s Handcart Gulch Trail. The drift usually melts in late summer. Heading out from the town of Webster, the trail climbs through Handcart Gulch toward Webster Pass. Near the start, select a good line to avoid large rocks in the road. After crossing creeks and climbing several switchbacks, savor the thrill of the long, razor-thin, off-camber rough shelf cut into the steep talus mountainside. Don’t like shelf roads? Avoid this one. You may have to get out and move rocks off the shelf in order to proceed.
The vivid red hill climbing up above Webster Pass to the east is Red Cone Peak Trail, one of the best-known 4WD trails in Colorado. This infamous hill is the reason the U.S. Forest Service has banned travel on this road from Webster Pass. It’s one way, downhill only. If the snowdrift at Webster Pass has melted, Handcart provides the perfect loop to tackle Red Cone in the correct direction.
In total, the trail offers a range of challenges. Starting out from the town of Webster, the road ascends through pine and aspen forest where clearance between trees is just wide enough for a full-size vehicle. Obstacles along the way include tight switchbacks and uphill sections littered with large rocks on a loose, eroded surface. The final ascent is over a lengthy, open tundra ridge before the final, sharp climb to a narrow perch above the steep, dangerous descent to Webster Pass.
From Red Cone Peak looking back toward the start of the trail in the town of Webster. The views are amazing.
Narrow shelf section on Radical Hill Trail.
If Red Cone is too much, try North Fork of the Swan and Wise Mountain Trail on the way back toward Breckenridge. While still challenging, it also features good backcountry campsites, several old cabins, and remains of the old mining town of Rexford. Driving obstacles include stream crossings and an uphill climb to Wise Mountain. Here are some of the most breathtaking, 360-degree panoramas in the area, reminiscent of the view from an airplane.
And this is just a small percentage of the majestic mountain roads out there. Forget the moguls — I’ll take the sweaty palms.
This information and much more is available in “4WD Adventures: Colorado” and “4WD Trails: North-Central Colorado” guidebooks. These guides help four-wheelers locate and navigate the best destinations in the western states. Trail directions with GPS coordinates, maps, and color photos will keep you from getting lost. Need-to-know historic accounts of ghost towns, mines, and other amazing sites help ensure unforgettable trail rides. Find these trail guides at www.4wheelparts.com, 4Wheel Parts retail stores, and local book and map stores. For more information, call 866-SUV-TRIP.
Red Cone Peak Trail (right) climbs up toward the final dangerous descent. Handcart Gulch Trail zigzags down the mountain in the distance to the left.