The kind of place that makes you realize how lucky we are to have this planet…

July 17-20, 2025

I left a little early from work on Thursday and set out to explore a new area of SW Colorado. None of the trails in the area had been scouted by OnX so I was a little unsure of what to expect and was hopeful that the area wouldn’t be too crowded since I couldn’t find much information. What I would find was beyond expectation!

Since the full drive was expected to be just over 5 hours, I spent my first night near Buena Vista. I arrived at camp about 5pm, it was cloudy and cool, about 70 degrees, a welcomed change from the heat of Denver.

This was a spot I scouted on a previous trip. The views were breathtaking, unobstructed mountains and sky for miles. When I was last here, the area was very busy, SxS’s buzzing around and noisy campers, playing loud music, base echoing through the trees, it was Saturday. I vowed I would come back during the week in hopes of a more intimate experience. On this day, Thursday, I only saw two other campers on my way in from 285 and didn’t have any neighbors. Peace, quiet and solitude!

The view from my first camp site when I arrived

BBQ pulled pork sandwich for dinner

Getting cozy for the first night in my new tent

Sunrise looking west over the Collegiate Peaks

On Friday morning I headed out about 7am. Breaking down the new tent proved to be quite a challenge since I added a 2″ foam topper but otherwise the new setup made life incredibly easy! A friend recently helped me with a seat delete, we built custom storage and drawers where the rear seats used to be. That combined with the new RTT, awning, fridge, Jackery and water pump made camping effortless.

The drive ahead was mapped out to be about 85 miles of pavement and 38 miles of dirt, ~3 hours…

The most delicious breakfast sandwich! 😋

Turning off of CO-114 onto a graded dirt road, the adventure began! As I drove along the first few miles, I passed many empty camp sites, only two were occupied but no sign of the campers themselves. After about 11 miles, my map directed me to turn onto a narrow, rocky, road framed with aspens and wildflowers. Adventure beckoning, onward we went!

While the trail wasn’t difficult, I could tell it wasn’t driven often. It was very overgrown, grass and shrubs encroaching onto the tracks, at one point it disappeared completely for about 100′. Driving along through valleys and forests, through small streams and past a heard of cows, I saw very few signs of humans which was quite thrilling. After about 2.5 hours on dirt, the road suddenly changed to loose rocks and a very steep grade. I glanced at my map, one mile left to my pinned campsite. I looked over at Chili and said, jokingly “one mile of hell”. I should have gotten out and walked the next section but then again, if I had, I might have turned around…

I would rate the next 1/10 of a mile at about a 5-6 out of 10. Now, I have driven trails rated 5-6 before but with a companion and near Moab. Not having seen anyone for 37 miles, being hours from help and without service, this 5-6 obstacle, suddenly felt more like a 10! I sure as hell wasn’t going to try to back up the steep road, full of loose rock, and on the edge of a ravine so, forward I went! I got out and walked my lines, I knew with confidence my Jeep could handle it, I just didn’t want to screw up and break something. I made it through, only scraping up my running board, but hey, that’s what it’s there for. I didn’t get a picture of this, too much adrenaline and I didn’t even think about it.

At the bottom of the hill was a river crossing and just on the other side was camp!

The road less traveled…

Campsite right on the river for my second night

Dinner cooked over the campfire

Sunset

Snuggling up to watch a movie

Sunrise

Saturday morning, 37 degrees! After enjoying the sunrise and coffee by the river, I packed up and headed out for some exploring and then home…unless I found a campsite that I couldn’t pass up…

And, I found just that, the perfect camp site. I Garmin messaged my best friend “this is the kind of place that makes you realize how lucky we are to have this planet, and that we probably don’t deserve it…”.

It was breathtaking, awe inspiring and humbling. Words nor pictures do it justice.

I spent the afternoon, soaking up my surroundings, reading Abby and napping during a rain storm.

View from my third campsite

Camp under looming storm clouds

Afternoon nap while it rained

After the storm clears…

Sunset looking east

At 2am Chili and I were woken up by coyotes howling and barking down in the valley. They carried on until 7am. I drifted off to sleep while Chili stayed up and listened to them for at least another 30 minutes.

Milky Way

Sunrise

Sunday morning we headed out to do some camp spot scouting before heading back to Denver. I took a significantly easier route out, on the “main road”. I’m grateful for not knowing about the graded road on my way in, it made my experience feel more extraordinary and remote. I passed several campers and one Jeep but the area was very quite in general.

I found a few secluded campsites, off of some lightly traveled side roads. I already have a return trip planned for late September when I hope to catch the leaves turning. There are large aspen groves all over the rolling hills.

Camp spot scouting