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Rollins Pass West 100807

August 7, 2010 by Monica

Rollins Pass West

Trail Run on August 7, 2010
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Rollins Pass West

Mark U.
Red 1989 Jeep Wrangler
Ladd G.
Green 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Walt S.
Gray 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392
Julie M.
Green 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

There are some days on the trail that just can't be beat, and we were lucky to have one of those days. The weather was perfect, there wasn't much traffic, and we ate at one of our favorite lunch spots. It was the perfect day.

We had every intention of running additional trails after Rollins Pass West, but we ended up enjoying ourselves so much on the trail that it took a lot longer than we had planned on it taking. Still, we had a great time and that's all that matters.

We started from the new parking lot at the Downieville Starbucks -- it looks great! We think they may have lost some parking, but the redevelopment was definitely a success. It was even easier to get in and out of the parking area.

We worked our way over Berthoud Pass and it wasn't long before we were at the trailhead. We had to drive a little way into the trail before we found a place to air down. We saw a bit of traffic here, but everyone got around us without any issues.

We soon headed up, and it promised to be a great day even though it was a bit chilly. It would stay chilly throughout the day, but it didn't rain until later in the afternoon when we were already almost off of the trail.

We parked at the bottom of the Riflesight Notch Trestle along with a few other vehicles there before us. Julie and Mark hiked up the left side while Walt hiked up the right side. They had been up there for awhile before Monica remembered that we actually drove to the top of it so you didn't need to hike it. Whoops!

After everyone came down from the trestle we kept going. We didn't stop when we got to the top of the trestle, but we did slow down for some pictures. The views ahead of us were amazing and we were excited to see it all again.

It was just as gorgeous as we remembered. The views above timberline were just amazing. The trail was a bit rough in places because of potholes and pipes across the trail, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't long at all before we were at the pass and the parking area.

Some of us hiked up to the building foundation while others just enjoyed the views. When we all regrouped again we headed up Boulder Wagon Road and over to the tunnel.

This part of the trail is definitely the most fun, and we really enjoyed it. The rocky descent down to the last parking area promised to be even more fun on the way up. We drove just a little way past the parking area to about halfway to the tunnel where we stopped to gather our things.

We walked our chairs and lunches to the tunnel and set everything up right on the edge. There was a lot of traffic near Yankee Doodle Lake on Rollins Pass East, and we enjoyed watching the activity. We also enjoyed picking out other trails in the distance. We all wished that the rest of Boulder Wagon Road was still open. That would really make an amazing day, doing Rollins Pass as one, complete trail.

It didn't seem like anyone wanted to leave our lunch spot, but we eventually packed up. We brought everything back to our vehicles and then most of us hiked up to the rock house above the tunnel. We checked out the end of Rollins Pass East for just a little while, but then we soon headed back down.

We then all hiked as a group to the trestles at the end. They're just absolutely amazing, and we're always glad to see them still standing and still so sturdy. We walked over both trestles, enjoyed the view, and then walked back.

The trip up and over to the parking lot at the pass was a lot of fun, especially the hill climb. But it was soon over, and we were soon heading back.

At the big crossroads, we decided to turn left and head down and out a different way. The trail was a lot easier, and we will probably exit this way from now on.

Once we got to the end, we aired up and Monica's on-board air exploded again. Everyone pitched in to air up her remaining tires, and we discussed our day. We decided to stop in Empire to make our final decisions.

In Empire, we all decided that the rain was ruining the day, so we headed into Idaho Springs for an early dinner. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

across_the_top
airing_down
alpine_lake_1
alpine_lake_2
alpine_view
big_view
clouds
colorful
curve_near_the_top
curved_trestle_part_1
curved_trestle_part_2
curved_trestle_part_3
curved_trestle_part_4
curved_trestle_part_5
distant_mountains
early_trail
easy_trail
elevation
end_of_the_easy_trail
find_the_pica
forest_service_sign
gentle_curve
green_and_blue
high_shelf_road
hike_to_the_rock_house
intimidating
james_peak_protection_area
julie_and_mark
julie_parked
ladd_and_mark
ladd_parked
larissa_by_the_curved_trestle
looking_at_rollins_pass_east
lunch_part_1
lunch_part_2
lunch_part_3
lunch_part_4
lunch_part_5
lunch_part_6
lunch_part_7
mark_at_the_pass
mark_parked
meadow
monica_parked
mountain_view
needle_eye_tunnel
old_poles
puddles
ridge
riflesight_notch_trestle_part_1
riflesight_notch_trestle_part_2
riflesight_notch_trestle_part_3
rock_house_part_1
rock_house_part_2
rocky
rollins_pass_east
rollins_pass_sign_1
rollins_pass_sign_2
rollins_pass_sign_3
steep_cliff
straight_trestle_part_1
straight_trestle_part_2
straight_trestle_part_3
sunny_trail
to_the_trestles
trail_to_the_sky
trail_with_a_view
up_the_last_bit
view_from_boulder_wagon_road_part_1
view_from_boulder_wagon_road_part_2
walt_at_the_pass
walt_parked
walt_to_riflesight
winter_park_part_1
winter_park_part_2

Reports from Other Days: 3

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

August 27, 2016

Led by Monica I.
The summer was ending with a bang, and other parts of Colorado were seeing their first snow of this winter. We were lucky and it didn’t snow where we were, but it was very cold and windy at the end of the trail. The skies were sunny, though, and we…
»
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