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Information and Tips for 4 Wheel Drive, Motorcycle, and All Terrain Vehicle Users

Welcome to the mountains of southwest Colorado. This area is one of the most beautiful in Colorado. The majority of this land is public land - your land which is managed for you by the  Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service. The area receives some recreational use in the winter, but the majority of use occurs from June to October when the snow is disappearing and the roads are passable. A lot of people use recreation vehicles to visit the high country. The following offers tips to help you have a safe, enjoyable trip and reduce the potential impacts on public lands.

One of the primary considerations is safety. Unfortunately, the very things that attracts folks to this activity - the steep mountains and isolated settings - also add the element of danger. Roads are steep and rough, afternoon storms are common in summer, and help is usually a long way away. It is important to understand your limits and those of your vehicle. Take it slow - the narrow roads, blind curves, steep grades, loose surface, and sometimes wet conditions all invite disaster when you go too fast. Always expect someone around the next bend and sound your horn if you can't see. Remember, uphill traffic has the right-of-way , so keep track of pullouts along narrow roads.

Public lands in this area are managed for multiple use. This means that the millions of acres of public land are not reserved just for one special interest, but are managed so that many users can benefit. This sometimes creates conflicts. For example, a visitor who has come to enjoy the scenery of Colorado's mountains may be disturbed by the impacts of a mining operation. Even among recreationists, there are conflicts. Recreational vehicle users don't like to be denied access to areas, while campers and hikers don't like the noise and damage caused by these vehicles.

Fortunately, in this area we have the best of both worlds. We have hundreds of miles of gravel and dirt roads to take you to some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado. At the same time, these roads border several wilderness areas and other non-motorized zones that offer thousands of back country enthusiasts room to explore along many miles of developed trails. Each group must respect the other's right to seek their form of recreation.

We have done several surveys of recreational users in the area. We found that a large majority of people, even recreational vehicle enthusiasts, were concerned about the damages caused by vehicles driving off existing roads. After all, most people come here to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains. This can be seriously compromised by a network of tracks across the forests and tundra.

The alpine tundra in this area is a very rare and fragile commodity. Only a few mountains in the US are high enough to reach above treeline and support this tenuous community of grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. Of those, only a handful have road systems which allow access to this special environment. Here, the soil is thin and the growing seasons are very short. The scars made by the irresponsible who venture off the road may take over a century to heal.

As a result, in some areas we have indicated on our maps the designated roads open to vehicles. On the ground we sometimes have a system of signs to indicate those routes open to vehicles. We have no intention of closing our major roads to the public. What we do close are those tracks made by vehicles that venture from the designated or existing roads. We close them to prevent erosion and damage to the vegetation as well as keeping people from making a wrong turn and getting lost or stuck. This area is peppered with private land and some roads are closed by the landowners (which is within their rights). So we ask that, where appropriate, you keep to the designated or existing roads and avoid unnecessary impacts to a land that belongs to everyone.

The key choice here is responsibility versus regulation. If, as a group, recreation vehicle enthusiasts are responsible enough to recognize the potential impacts their activities can cause and seek to reduce those impacts as much as possible then areas will remain open and various groups can use the public land harmoniously. But if vehicles drive in closed areas, cause unnecessary impact to soils and vegetation, cause unnecessary noise, and pose safety hazards to other users then regulations and laws will be amended. Roads will be closed and use will be restricted.  For that reason we work with a variety of partners such as Tread Lightly and the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) to encourage responsible use programs such as Stay the Trail .

The vast majority of recreation vehicle enthusiasts are responsible, law abiding people. They stay on the roads; respect private property; don't vandalize signs, facilities, or historic building; and respect the land they've come to enjoy. As with many things it's only a small group of irresponsible people that give the whole group a bad name. Unfortunately we can't be everywhere. So, if you see someone giving your group a bad name, take a minute to talk to them and explain where they've gone wrong. In many cases the violators may not have known an area was closed or that the tundra was so fragile. A simple explanation may be enough. Remember, these are your lands. We need your help to maintain the beauty and integrity of this land that is so special to all of us.

OHV Info