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

Rimrocker Trail 161014

October 14, 2016 by Monica

Rimrocker Trail

Trail Run on October 14, 2016
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Rimrocker Trail

Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Julie M.
Green 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Walt S.
Gray 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392
Roger R.
Gray 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe
Mike S.
Silver 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

We usually go to Utah for an extended offroading trip in October, but the new Rimrocker Trail was calling to us. It connects Montrose, Colorado with Moab, Utah, and it sounded amazing. There were a few reports on the Internet and a few photos, but we wanted to see the whole thing for ourselves. It would put us in Moab at some point, and that would just have to do for us to get our Utah fix before the Colorado snows hit.

It's over 150 miles long, and we didn't really know what to expect. If it stayed easy, we could do it all in one day. But we didn't really want to. We wanted to have time to check things out along the way. Nucla and Naturita were right in the middle of the trail, so we decided to stay there and do Rimrocker over two different days. We drove from Denver, and half of us camped while the other half stayed in a hotel. Naturita would be our home base.

Day 1 - Western Side

The weather was perfect when we got to the midpoint in Nucla. We took the trail a short distance west, planning on Moab for dinner. We found a place to air down soon after the pavement turned to dirt.

Our drive along Unaweep Valley on the way to Naturita was absolutely spectacular, so we were hoping to see it from above. We cruised along, missing our first major turn but then doubling back. The Rimrocker Trail carsonite signs were handy, so we learned to watch for them.

The views of the valley and everything around us were gorgeous, and we were going slowly, snapping photos and enjoying ourselves. We found a wide spot to pull off for a break, and everyone was smiling. It promised to be an amazing first day of vacation.

We were weaving around the trail when it suddenly dipped down and we were heading down from the mesa we'd been on. When we got to the bottom at Tebagauche Creek we found a herd of cows. The road had either walls of rock or drop offs at both sides, so the cows had a hard time getting out of the way. It caused a bit of a delay, but it worked itself out. It would turn out to be the first of many cows we'd see before we headed for home. There are cows just about everywhere in that area.

We made some turns that we would have missed without someone's Rimrocker Trail track on the GPS, but with it we found them easily enough. Then we were heading back up to the next mesa. When we got up there, we found lots of mining remnants to take pictures of. We also spotted the Hanging Flume, something we stopped to look at the day before on our way to Naturita. It's a pretty amazing feat of engineering. We wanted to check out the road that goes in the canyon and heads to Bedrock, but we probably weren't going to have time that trip. There is always something we have to skip, because there is never enough time.

This was probably the most scenic spot we'd seen so far. The Dolores and San Miguel Rivers come together in deep and lush canyons, and we couldn't get enough of it. The Dolores Mines section was also really cool.

We were driving along, and then the trail went down another steep, exposed section. This one kept going, and it didn't take much trail to descend quite a distance. We knew we were going to end up at the highway, and this was where we were. We didn't know how people on ATVs connected the two sections of trail, but we were lucky enough to be driving. We took the short section of highway to find the other portion at a bridge we could see from the road.

It was level for only a moment, and then it headed straight up the side of the mesa. The rocks were pretty cool in this section, but it wasn't long before we left Unaweep Valley behind us. It's not that this section isn't scenic -- it's just tough to compete with the canyons along the rivers. It was a bit of a bummer.

It was lunch time, so we were looking for a flat spot big enough for our group. It wasn't an easy search, and we ended up making a loop in the network of trails trying to find some scenery. There was a canyon near us, but the trail didn't get close enough to get us out of the trees. We finally gave up, and then we found a spot with a bit of a view and a place for all of us. We got lucky for lunch, like we always seem to.

After lunch, we kept going along the mesa. Carpenter Ridge came into view, and then we could see Paradox Valley below us. It's lush farmland, and it was finally scenic again. We worked our way down, and suddenly we were at Buckeye Reservoir.

We did a drive-by of both sections of campground, just to check it all out. They were both completely empty. The spots were nice, with clean pit toilets and nice fire pits, so we hoped to come back there to camp someday.

The trail was fairly easy and scenic as we got closer to the La Sal Mountains. It looked like we were headed out, and then the trail suddenly left the nice road for a rough, little-used road in Doe Canyon. This was the start of a long and bumpy section.

We'd gone so many miles on our first vacation day, and everyone was a bit tired as we bounced around. It was cool that we were so close to South Mountain, but the trail was pretty rough. There weren't any obstacles to speak of, either. We slowly lost elevation on loose rocks and it was pretty quiet on the CB.

We ended up going by Area BFE, suddenly knowing where we were. And it got even better when we took the frontage road instead of Highway 191 when we got there. This was handy! We'd probably take it again sometime when someone is broken and hobbling back to Moab. It was also pretty cool to find ourselves on the old pavement of the former highway.

We stopped to air up at the Spanish Valley Shell gas station, and then had a fantastic dinner at the Branding Iron, one of our favorite places. We'd hoped to do another trail, but there wasn't time. We headed home on the highway and had a great time at the campground in front of a roaring fire.

Day 2 - Eastern Side

We met in the morning and aired down at a scenic spot on the pavement, getting ready to head to Montrose. We were worried that it would be rough like the western side, but we were ready for another long day if we needed to do one. We didn't have anything to worry about, though.

This side had lots of hunters everywhere, scouting for when hunting season started. We saw a couple elk and lots of deer, so it promised to be a good season. The road was wide gravel, so we made good time.

We made it up to Columbine Pass really quickly, and then we were at the Tabegauche Overlook, where we stopped for a while. It was really windy up on the ridge, and chilly. There were homemade signs done on metal plates that pointed out all of the mountains, which were pretty cool. It was well worth the stop.

After the overlook, the trail was pretty easy and mellow. We stopped for a break once, but it was a fast trip otherwise. We were also going to do Transfer Road, so we did that on the way out so we could do all of Rimrocker Trail in the same direction.

We ended up having lunch in Olathe at a city park, and it was just about perfect. We had picnic tables, shade trees, and facilities. Then we headed up Rimrocker from the trailhead.

That portion of the trail is easy as it slowly and steadily heads uphill. It didn't take us long to get back to the intersection with Transfer Road, and we had lots of time to do a couple other trails, doing Rimrocker all the way back to Nucla. What an awesome trail!

abajo_fire
after_the_tight_right_turn
afternoon
airing_down_day_1
airing_down_day_2
along_a_mesa
along_carpenter_ridge
around_aspens
aspens
atkinson_mesa
autumn
away_from_highway_141
beehive
behind_the_la_sals
big_intersection_sign
big_sky
big_switchbacks
bigger_trees
black_canyon
black_ridge_kiosk
black_ridge
blind_curve
blue_green_and_brown
boards
boulders
bridge_after_the_highway_portion
bright_sunshine
buckeye_break
buckeye_kiosk
buckeye_reservoir
buckeye_sign_1
buckeye_sign_2
buckeye_sign_3
buckeye_sign_4
bumpy_descent
by_area_bfe
canyonlands
canyons
carpenter_flats
carpenter_ridge
clear_sky
climbing_out_of_tabegauche_basin
close_but_remote
colorful_trees
colors
corral
cow_and_jeep_shadow
cow_in_the_lead
cows
cruising_along
curves
deer_part_1
deer_part_2
deer_part_3
desert_break
desert_view
different_clouds
different_dirt_colors
distant_la_sal_mountains
distant
divide_road
dolores_river_canyon
dolores_river
down_from_black_ridge
down_to_tabeguache_creek
down_to_uravan
downhill_bumps
dropoff
east_nucla_kiosk
east_of_nucla
easy_climb
easy_curves
easy_eastern_side
exposed_but_mellow
far-away_peaks
few_trees
fins
first_descent_to_the_west
getting_closer
graded
gravel
green_trail_sign
hanging_flume_part_1
hanging_flume_part_2
highway_191_frontage
highway_bridge_below
interesting_rock
intersection_near_buckeye
into_a_wash
into_the_trees
julie_on_the_trail
la_sal
lackey_basin
larger_trees
layers
left_turn
little-used_portion
little-used_trail
lone_tree
looks_hot
loose_rocks
low_point
maintained_but_bumpy
manti-la_sal_national_forest
mellow_east_side
mellow
mesas_and_canyons
mesas
mike_and_roger
mike_around_the_la_sals
mike_on_the_trail
mining_papers
monica_at_a_kiosk
morning_break
morning_shadows
narrow
near_the_highway
nucla_pavement
old_highway_191_part_1
old_highway_191_part_2
old_highway_191_part_3
old_highway_191_part_4
old_highway_191_part_5
on_the_trail
open_space
paradox_trail_marker
paradox_valley_part_1
paradox_valley_part_2
paradox_valley_part_3
paradox_valley_part_4
paradox_valley_part_5
pine_flat
pole_canyon_hiking_trail
really_bumpy
remnants
remote_trail
road_sign
rock_edge
rocky
roubideau_bench_part_1
rougher
san_juans_ahead
san_juans_and_lone_cone
san_miguel_river
sawtooth_ridge
scrub_oak
shadows
shelf_road
south_la_sal_block_sign
south_moab
spanish_valley
spires
state_line_sign
steep
sticks
still_green
still_so_far_away
structure
surrounded
tabegauche_overlook_sign_1
tabegauche_overlook_sign_2
tabegauche_overlook_sign_3
tabegauche_overlook_sign_4
tabeguache_basin
tabeguache_creek_crossing
tabeguache_creek
third_park
through_national_forest
tight_right_turn
tight_switchback
to_black_ridge_road
to_montrose
to_the_highway_portion
top_of_the_ridge
tracks
trail_378_in_manti-la_sal
trail_below
trail_with_a_view
tunnel
two-mile_road
unaweep_valley
uncompahgre
unknown_mine
up_to_carpenter_flats
up_to_the_sky
uphill_curves
uravan_below
uravan_hill
utah_like_colorado
utah_scenic
utah_state_trust_lands
valley_below
valley
view_from_a_switchback
view_from_tabegauche_overlook_part_1
view_from_tabegauche_overlook_part_2
walt_hidden_in_rocks
walt_on_the_trail
west_of_nucla
wide_valley
yellow_and_green
yellow_cottonwood
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 */ /* ----------------------------------------- */