TrailDamage.com

Photos, videos and information about 4x4 trails in Colorado and Utah

  • Trails
    • Colorado
    • Utah
  • Reports
    • Featured Photos
    • Featured Videos
    • Reports Calendar
  • Members
  • Search
  • Trail Damage Winners
  • FAQ
  • Community
  • Upcoming Events
  • Membership
  • Log In
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Medano Pass 030913

September 13, 2003 by Monica

Medano Pass

Trail Run on September 13, 2003
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Medano Pass

Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Kendall C.
Blue 1988 Suzuki Samurai

The Great Sand Dunes are an amazing sight, very tall and impressive when you stand at the foot of them. It's a weird area of sand dunes right in the usual outcropping of Rocky Mountains. On one side there are 14ers with a light dusting of snow and on the other side you can watch people ski down sand dunes.

We stayed in Alamosa the night before (it would probably be better to stay in Walsenburg, though). We got up and Kendall decided it was time to fix the muffler. It had a fist-sized hole in it and was driving Autumn crazy along with the rest of the family. He worked on it for awhile but finally ended up getting a new muffler which ended up working out just fine.

We ran the trail starting from the Sand Dunes side. There was a lot of traffic, but not the usual kind of Colorado offroading traffic. Most of the vehicles were full-sized and shiny, with new drivers behind the wheel. We saw a lot of trucks and SUVs (even a Liberty). Even with the sign that said to air down I'm sure we were the only ones who did. We aired down to 15 psi but in reality 20 or more would have been fine. Air down a little, then if you need it air down a little more on the trail (Westcliffe has free air).

The weather was pretty chilly but nice. Once we hit the end of the trail and pavement it started to get nasty, and then it started snowing. By the time we were airing up there it was a full-fledged snow storm. The first snow of the year for both of us!

The trail was very cool and it was good to get away. There is also a lot of camping by the Dunes which would be interesting. It might be better to run the trail in August, though, while it's still warm but not too hot. I would guess it's too hot in July.

airing_up_in_the_snow
aspens
blanca_peak
blizzard
bottom_of_the_pass
creager_reservoir
dressed_for_snow
entrance_sign
kendall_and_kendra
kendall_and_muffler_part_1
kendall_and_muffler_part_2
kendall_being_a_dork
kendall_on_the_trail
lunch_break
medano_creek_dry
monica_in_the_water
people_walking_to_the_dunes
pulled_over
rocky
sand_dunes_from_a_distance
sand_dunes_from_outside
sandy_trail
sign_for_wolf_springs_ranch
sign_to_medano_lake
skiing_part_1
skiing_part_2
start_of_the_trail
trees_in_sand
up_the_pass
visitors_center
water_crossing_part_1
water_crossing_part_2
water_crossing_part_3
wide_dirt_road

Reports from Other Days: 3

Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Medano Pass. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.

August 26, 2007

Led by Matt K.
It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. We had just come down from camping at Lake Como on the Blanca Peak trail, so our day had really started out well. We headed up Highway 150, topped off our fuel tanks, and then proceeded on to pay our way at…
»
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Join Us!
If you aren’t a Member or Subscriber, you can’t see all of the content on this site. Get membership information to see why this site is best when you join and log in

Information for Subscribers

When you log in you’ll see more information here:

  • Recent Community Forum posts
  • Recent polls
  • Upcoming Events you can attend
  • Links to online users

© 2000-2022 · TrailDamage.com · Terms and Conditions · About · Contact
Trail information is only accurate on the date posted. Trails may have changed or closed since that date. Use this information for historical purposes only.
Contact the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management for up-to-date trail information.

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* place the prev/next controls on the sides */ .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link, .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { border: none; font-size: 300%; position: absolute; top: 70px; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { left: 0; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link { right: 0; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots { text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots li.wpv_pagination_dots_item, .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { display: inline-block; float: none; } /* remove the default styles */ .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none; } .td-slider-container { padding: 0 25px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; width:100%; display:table; } .td-slides { position: relative; } .td-slides-image { float:left; display:table-cell; } .td-slides-image img { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; } .td-slides-content { padding:4px 4px 4px 10px; border-top:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-right:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-bottom:1px solid #c0c0c0; display:table-cell; height:227px; overflow:hidden; } .td-slides-content h3 { margin-top:8px; } .td-slides-leader { font-size:smaller; margin-top:4px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .entry-header { display:none; } .entry-content h1 { margin-top:16px; padding-top:0; } h1 a { color:#222; } h1 a:hover { color:#666; } p.entry-meta { font-size:small; } #report-body-spacer { clear:both; width:100%; height:20px; } #addtoany-bar { margin-bottom:2em; text-align:center; } .category-reports .post-info .author, .post-info .date { display: none; } .addthis_recommended_horizontal { text-align:center !important; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ #runners-container { width:100%; clear:both; } .runner { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; margin:0 6px 6px 0; float:left; width:49%; height:81px; } .runner-image { float: left; } .runner-image img { margin:2px 10px 0 2px; height:75px; width:75px; } .runner-name { text-transform:uppercase; } .runner-name a { color:#222; } .runner-name a:hover { color:#666; } .runner-vehicle { font-size:small; } @media only screen and (max-width: 768px) { .runner { width:100%; } } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */