Trans-Rockies Adventure Trail

The Trans-Rockies Adventure Trail might just be the most epic overland track that traverses the heart of the Colorado Rockies and into the canyonlands of Utah, and finally through the Wasatch Mountains. Connecting Denver with Salt Lake City, the 935 mile track features nearly 700 miles of dirt through some of the most iconic mountain tracks and passes through the Rockies. Along the way, expect to be blown away with spectacular alpine views, majestic peaks, alpine lakes and meadows, red rock canyons, and a series of high elevation jeep tracks and mountain passes.

Route Overview

Trip Length & Season

Adventure Rating: Epic Trip Length: 2 - 4 weeks, 935 miles (675 miles of dirt) Season: Late June/early July to October, but highly variable. The track summits a number of high elevation mountain passes. During years of heavy snowfall, many of these passes may not open up until mid-summer. Passes may temporarily close during summer due to inclement weather. Prepare accordingly.

Technical Ratings & Terrain

Avg Technical Rating: 2-3

Peak Technical Rating: 5-6

Typical Terrain: Graded dirt and gravel roads, secondary dirt forest service roads. There are a number of jeep tracks over high elevation passes that are technical, rocky, steep, off camber, and many have exposure.

Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans

Recommended Vehicle: High clearance 4x4, rock sliders recommended.

Recommended Moto: A mid-weight or dual sport bike is best for this track. You should be comfortable riding rocky, and moderately technical jeep trails. Skilled riders are recommended on mid-weight bikes due to the technical nature of some of the trails such as Taylor Pass, Schofield Pass, and Tincup Pass.

Adventure Vans: Sprinter 4x4s not recommended.

Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear

Fuel: Long distance sections between fuel stops include Salida to Crested Butte (115 miles), Naturita to Moab (110 miles), Moab to Castle Dal (140 miles), Ferron to Soldier Summit (125 miles) Provisions: Provisions can be obtained in the same general vicinity as fuel. Gear: no specialized gear is recommended for this adventure.

Alternative Routes

Cumberland Pass Loop Distance: 56 miles Technical Rating: 5 This loop can easily take over a day to complete, but you'll get to check out a number of old ghost towns and mines along the way. It also includes three high elevation passes (Cumberland, Hancock, Tomichi, and Waunita), which have impressive views of the surrounding Rockies.

Camping Recommendations

There are hundreds of camping options in the National Forest and backcountry along many of the dirt sections of the track. Camping may be more challenging around population centers, so plan accordingly and consider developed campgrounds along these sections.

Discovery Points

• DP1 - South Platte River

• DP2 - South Tarryall Peak Elev. 11,206'

• DP3 - Eleven Mile Canyon

• DP4 - Eleven Mile Reservoir

• DP5 - Thirtynine Mile Mountain Elev. 11,553'

• DP6 - Black Mountain Elev. 11,649'

• DP7 - Salida

• DP8 - Arkansas River

• DP9 - Mount Shavano Elev. 14,231'

• DP10 - Mount Antero Elev. 14,276

• DP11 - Love Meadow Wildlife Area

• DP12 - Cascade Falls

• DP13 - Mount Princeton Elev. 14,196

• DP14 - Iron City Cemetery

• DP15 - St Elmo Ghost Town

• DP16 - Tincup Pass Elev. 12,171'

• DP17 - Emma Burr Mountain Elev. 12,112'

• DP18 - Fitzpatrick Peak Elev. 13,112'

• DP19 - Mirror Lake

• DP20 - Tincup Cemetery

• DP21 - Tincup

• DP22 - Matchless Mountain Elev. 12,389'

• DP23 - Ice Mountain Elev. 13.958'

• DP24 - Jenkins Mountain Elev. 13,432'

• DP25 - Italian Mountain Elev. 13,385'

• DP26 - Petroleum Peak Elev. 13,505'

• DP27 - Taylor Pass Elev. 11,948'

• DP28 - Taylor Peak Elev. 13,157'

• DP29 - Ashcroft Ghost Town

• DP30 - Castle Peak Elev. 14,279'

• DP31 - Pearl Mountain Elev. 13,362'

• DP32 - Pearl Pass 12,723'

• DP33 - Teocalli Mountain Elev. 13,208'

• DP34 - Whetstone Mountain Elev. 12,527'

• DP35 - Crested Butte

• DP36 - Crested Butte Museum

• DP37 - Mount Emmons Elev. 12,401'

• DP38 - Judd Falls

• DP39 - East River

• DP40 - Mount Baldy Elev. 12,789'

• DP41 - Mount Bellview Elev. 13,323'

• DP42 - Emerald Lake

• DP43 - Schofield Pass Elev. 10,705'

• DP44 - Crystal River Waterfall

• DP45 - Devils Punch Bowl

• DP46 - Crystal Mill

• DP47 - Treasure Mountain Elev. 13,535'

• DP48 - Mt Daly Elev. 13,300'

• DP49 - Marble Mill Site

• DP50 - Chair Mountain Elev. 12,721'

• DP51 - McClure Pass Elev. 8,770'

• DP52 - Mount Hatten Elev. 11,322'

• DP53 - Mount Gunnison Elev. 12,719'

• DP54 - Coal Mountain Elev. 11,705'

• DP55 - Paonia

• DP56 - Gunnison River

• DP57 - Fort Uncompahgre Interpretive Center

• DP58 - Delta

• DP59 - Nucla

• DP60 - Dolores River

• DP61 - RimRocker Trail

• DP62 - Colorado-Utah Border

• DP63 - Mount Peale Elev. 12,726'

• DP64 - Geyser Pass Elev. 10,528'

• DP65 - Mount Waas Elev. 12,331'

• DP66 - La Sal Lookout Point

• DP67 - Porcupine Rim

• DP68 - Moab

• DP69 - Colorado River

• DP70 - Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone Trail

• DP71 - Green River

• DP72 - Black Dragon Canyon

• DP73 - San Rafael River

• DP74 - San Rafael Swinging Bridge

• DP75 - Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel

• DP76 - Dinosaur Footprint

• DP77 - Wedge Overlook / Little Grand Canyon

• DP78 - Buckhorn Wash Visitor Center

• DP79 - Clawson UFO Landing Site

• DP80 - Heliotrope Mountain Elev. 11,130'

• DP81 - Skyline Drive

• DP82 - South Tent Mountain Elev. 11,286'

• DP83 - Huntington Canyon Viewpoint

• DP84 - Currant Creek Peak Elev. 10,554'

• DP85 - Provo River

• DP86 - Park City

• DP87 - Clayton Peak Elev. 10,720'

• DP88 - Murdock Peak Elev. 9,600'

• DP89 - Mormon Flat Historical Marker

• DP90 - Big Mountain Summit

• DP91 - Lookout Peak Elev. 8,954'

• DP92 - This Is The Place Heritage Park

Alternate Discovery Points for Cumberland Pass Loop

• DPA1 - Mary Murphy Mine

• DPA2 - Allie-Belle Mine

• DPA3 - Hancock Ghost Town

• DPA4 - Woodstock ghost town

• DPA5 - Monumental Peak Elev. 13,369'

• DPA6 - Fairview Peak Elev. 13,214'

• DPA7 - Cumberland Pass Elev. 12,034'

Land Managers & Other Resources

• White River National Forest

Permits & Papers

n/a

---

Route Details

The Trans-Rockies Adventure Trail is the ultimate overland route through the heart of the Colorado Rockies, connecting Denver to Salt Lake City. Along the way you'll experience astounding alpine views that the the Rockies are famous for, rugged mountains and deep canyons, groomed gravel roads, technical jeep tracks, pristine alpine lakes and and red rock canyonlands. Given the demanding nature of some of the trails along this route, a high clearance 4x4 with rock sliders is recommend.

The Trans-Rockies Adventure Trail passes by 37 high elevation mountain peaks that are discovery points, including four 14ers, 13 13ers, and three peaks over 12,000'. See how many you can spot along the way! The track also includes sever high elevation passes, six of which are above 10,000', and 3 are over 12,000'. Given the high elevation of this track, it's best to check with the local ranger stations on the status of the various passes along the route, some of which can close temporarily during the summer when storms roll through. The track begins by climbing into the Front Range just west of Denver, and then passes through other well known ranges like the Sawatch Range, Elk Mountains, La Sal Mountains, Uncompahgre Plateau, and the Wasatch Range that borders Salt Lake City.

And while the track gets pretty darn remote on a number of stretches, you'll pass through a half dozen of so mountain and resort towns including Salida, Crested Butte, Paonia, Delta, Moab, and Park City, and even smaller mountain outposts like Tincup, Gothic, and Crystal.

And if living inhabitants aren't really your thing, there's a small handful of ghost towns and old mining camps worth checking out like St Elmo, Hancock, Woodstock, and Ashcroft. St Elmo is definitely the most well preserved of the four.

The most technical trails along the track are typically those that lead up and over the high mountain passes. The first of the passes along the main track is Cumberland Pass, which tops out at 12,171'. Cumberland Pass is a nice warm up, as it's rather mild for what's to come. Despite the wide graded dirt road, the alpine scenery and views are still rather impressive. Next up is Taylor pass, elevation 11,948'. Taylor pass is a moderately technical (technical rating 5) trail with more difficult options for those seeking out a challenge. While taking on Taylor Pass, expect a number or rocky sections with small to medium sized boulders that all but require 4x4s to slow down to a crawl. Not long after summiting Taylor Pass you'll encounter Pearl Pass (elev. 12,723). Pearl Pass has some of the best views along the track, but you'll need to earn them! Expect long sections of rocky trail that's also off camber in many sections. Things start to get slightly mellower when you start working your way up to Schofield Pass (elev. 10,705'). There are still a number of tight rocky sections that earn this trail a moderate rating. The additional passes along the track are either paved (McClure Pass), or the rated as easy (Geyser Pass in the La Sal Mountains), but still pack an impressive punch when it comes to scenery. Once you've traveled through the high elevation passes of the Colorado Rockies portion fo the track, the track connects with the RimRocker trail that works its way up and over the La Sal Mountains before dropping down into Moab. The scenery upon reaching Utah is decidedly different than the high alpine of the Colorado Rockies. The conifer give way to pinyon pine and other high desert flora. The towering and majestic rockies turn into a series of mesas, tabletop buttes, and red rock canyonlands. From Moab the track works it's way northwest, passing through the lesser known, but certainly not any less impressive San Rafael Swell. After the Swell, the track climbs into the Wasatch Mountains that border Salt Lake City's eastern border. The views along Skyline Drive are impressive all around-- take it in as you're nearing the end of the track. The track snakes its way through the Wasatch Range for over 200 miles, passing by Park City until ultimately reaching the tracks terminus at Salt Lake City.

---

Maps + Navigation

Download Digital Mapping Files

• Trans-Rockies Adventure Trail GPX Files
  

---

Terms of Use: Should you decide to travel a route that is published on Overlandtrailguides.com, you do so at your own risk. Always take the appropriate precautions when planning and traveling, including checking the current local weather, permit requirements, trail/road conditions, and land/road closures. While traveling, obey all public and private land use restrictions and rules, and carry the appropriate safety, recovery, and navigational equipment. The information found on this site is simply a planning resource to be used as a point of inspiration in conjunction with your own due-diligence. In spite of the fact that this route, associated GPS track (GPX and maps), and all route guidelines were prepared under diligent research by OverlandTrailGuides.com, the route accuracy and current conditions of roads and trails cannot be guaranteed.