Alpine Loop and Transfer Trail w/ Trailhunter

[3rdRunner]

Up to CO with the TH for a week. Kind of a shakedown to see what’s working well and what I need to work on. Amazing area, fantastic off-road trails. We’ve done La Plata to the “notch” , Engineer Pass, and Nellie Creek. TH has handled everything - steep ascents/descents, steps, shale and loose rock, mud, water crossings. Tomorrow finish the Loop via Cinnamon Pass, then Silverton, Ophir Pass to Telluride.

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[Nodak]

only thing i could think off right off the bat from your posting, since the TH performed out of the box to you liking already, i would get some armor for underneath to protect the undercarriage for the odd/stray rocks/outcropping you may hit/touch by off chance.

also look into the shock lower mount protection covers.

 

[John2112]

only thing i could think off right off the bat from your posting, since the TH performed out of the box to you liking already, i would get some armor for underneath to protect the undercarriage for the odd/stray rocks/outcropping you may hit/touch by off chance.

also look into the shock lower mount protection covers.

The trail hunter comes with full body under protection from the factory.

 

[John2112]

Up to CO with the TH for a week. Kind of a shakedown to see what’s working well and what I need to work on. Amazing area, fantastic off-road trails. We’ve done La Plata to the “notch” , Engineer Pass, and Nellie Creek. TH has handled everything - steep ascents/descents, steps, shale and loose rock, mud, water crossings. Tomorrow finish the Loop via Cinnamon Pass, then Silverton, Ophir Pass to Telluride.

I've been driving those same trails for close to 40 years now, and tried out the 2025 Trail Hunter up there and it did well. My only suggestion, get rid of the OEM tires. The oems do okay but I went with Nokian and Outpost AT, suggested by a friend in Ouray, And he was not wrong. Superior Rock performance and extremely heavy sidewalls protect when airing down over sharp rocks. Another thing they are superior in the snow which you can encounter on these trails year-round. The oems did fine last summer however in late October with snow on the ground they were terrible. Other than that there's really not much else you need to do, the trail hunter is the most capable vehicle I've ever had, and that's coming from a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

 

[Archer]

The trail hunter comes with full body under protection from the factory.

I don't believe that the TH has LCA skids or shock skids, both are important to protect and are easily damaged.


.

 

[Positronic]

how tame were these trails out here? I've heard they are pretty mild particularly in something like a TH. Have been wanting to check them out for a possible family (w/ young kids) camping/overlanding trip

 

[shine]

I did Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass last summer in my stock-ish 4th gen. Beautiful views, but not particularly challenging.

 

[3rdRunner]

I've been driving those same trails for close to 40 years now, and tried out the 2025 Trail Hunter up there and it did well. My only suggestion, get rid of the OEM tires. The oems do okay but I went with Nokian and Outpost AT, suggested by a friend in Ouray, And he was not wrong. Superior Rock performance and extremely heavy sidewalls protect when airing down over sharp rocks. Another thing they are superior in the snow which you can encounter on these trails year-round. The oems did fine last summer however in late October with snow on the ground they were terrible. Other than that there's really not much else you need to do, the trail hunter is the most capable vehicle I've ever had, and that's coming from a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

40 years - that’s is my first time in the San zjuans

I've been driving those same trails for close to 40 years now, and tried out the 2025 Trail Hunter up there and it did well. My only suggestion, get rid of the OEM tires. The oems do okay but I went with Nokian and Outpost AT, suggested by a friend in Ouray, And he was not wrong. Superior Rock performance and extremely heavy sidewalls protect when airing down over sharp rocks. Another thing they are superior in the snow which you can encounter on these trails year-round. The oems did fine last summer however in late October with snow on the ground they were terrible. Other than that there's really not much else you need to do, the trail hunter is the most capable vehicle I've ever had, and that's coming from a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Agree, TH has done great. I did swap out to some Toyo R/T Pro’s. You obviously know these trails a lot better than I do. This is my first experience with the San Juan Mountains, previous CO was Greenhorns. San Juan’s are something special. If you get bored and decide to run Black Bear let me know. I’ll gladly tag along! Really want to give it a go but first time solo doesn’t sound like a particularly good idea to me.

 

[John2112]

40 years - that’s is my first time in the San zjuans

Agree, TH has done great. I did swap out to some Toyo R/T Pro’s. You obviously know these trails a lot better than I do. This is my first experience with the San Juan Mountains, previous CO was Greenhorns. San Juan’s are something special. If you get bored and decide to run Black Bear let me know. I’ll gladly tag along! Really want to give it a go but first time solo doesn’t sound like a particularly good idea to me.

Yeah black bear makes me nervous as well, I've done it once. It's not a difficult Trail but honestly I think one time is enough lol. Currently up in British Columbia checking out some trails up here, awesome scenery, it's like Colorado but without all the people. That Alpine loop is nice, definitely stop in lake City, I always spend a couple of days in there... Have fun!

 

[3rdRunner]

how tame were these trails out here? I've heard they are pretty mild particularly in something like a TH. Have been wanting to check them out for a possible family (w/ young kids) camping/overlanding trip

You can definitely do the Alpine Loop. Engineer Pass out of Animus Forks has some good climbs/switch backs, moderate. The rest of the Loop is pretty straight forward. Don’t think you’ll have any issues. I would start early in the morning to avoid the OHV rush. Some of the trails off the loop are more challenging- Mineral Creek. Saw lots of folks camping and the views will be memorable.

 

[3rdRunner]

Yeah black bear makes me nervous as well, I've done it once. It's not a difficult Trail but honestly I think one time is enough lol. Currently up in British Columbia checking out some trails up here, awesome scenery, it's like Colorado but without all the people. That Alpine loop is nice, definitely stop in lake City, I always spend a couple of days in there... Have fun!

lol..you’re a smart man. Everyone I know who’s done it says the same thing. One and done. Enjoy BC!

 

[3rdRunner]

I did Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass last summer in my stock-ish 4th gen. Beatiful views, but not particularly challenging.

My wife and I were talking about that..seems like the trails we picked to fill the day turned out a lot more challenging. The shelf road at the end of La Plata up to the notch was pretty interesting. Not hard at all, just very skinny and completely exposed.

 

[3rdRunner]

Did Cinnamon Pass to Silverton then Ophir Pass to Alta Lakes then Telluride. Clip is the shelf road on Ophir, loose shale and kinda’ fun unless you run into someone coming up.

 

[mcd_ovrlnd]

Didn’t I read large wildfire in Ouray? Impacting any of this?

I am planning on heading out to the Rocky Mountain Toyota Roundup next year so I can hit these trails with an experienced guide and group of other Toyotas.

 

[3rdRunner]

Didn’t I read large wildfire in Ouray? Impacting any of this?

I am planning on heading out to the Rocky Mountain Toyota Roundup next year so I can hit these trails with an experienced guide and group of other Toyotas.

Yep - Golden Mountain Fire just north of Ouray. It’s up to 31k acres, but burning north and east. First day was a little hazy but I think the majority of the southern end is contained and everything is open except Black Bear. When is the roundup? That would be a great experience - especially if they guide Black Bear.

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