Rating: 6/10

The Ellis Jeep Trail is located northeast of Hahns Peak (10,839') which dominates the skyline above Steamboat Lake and is one of my personal favorite mountains in the state. The only reviews I have seen of this trail are in Charles Wells' book (pg. 123) of the northern section of the state and the 4WD Adventures: Colorado book (pg. 210). I have not run across any online reports of this trail. The lack of its publicity is due to the fact this trail is in a pretty remote area of the state which ends up in Wyoming and is the only substantial trail in the immediate region.

While on an annual family camping trip to Steamboat Lake in mid-June of 2003, I found some time to break away from the excellent fishing to escape to see what this trail was all about along with my dad. I have to say that I came away from this trail pleasantly surprised as I didn't expect the medium sized rocks it afforded in one section in particular. More on that later. Oddly enough, the aforementioned books only go into detail about the mudded areas. Before I go any further, I will mention that I only made it just short of the Continental divide at 9,370' which is just over the midway point on the trail due to snow blockage. The muddy areas are on the descent on the northeast side. This trail also runs alongside the Mount Zirkel Wilderness area for about 4 miles on the upper section.

Starting from Columbine, a small hamlet on the western flank of Hahns Peak, the Whiskey Park road travels easily enough to Little Red Park and then on to Big Red Park affording good views of the backside of Hahns Peak. The road later gently climbs up into forested areas. You travel alongside a rather expansive burnt section to the north (pictured) and then through a densely wooded lodgeple pine forest which the trail meanders its way through. The wheel tracks are rather indistinguishable in a few sections, so you just follow your nose as to which way you think the trail heads and go between a number of trees. It almost feels as if you're trampling through untouched forest which is very different to what I've experienced in a trail to this point, and is a real neat part of trail.

After finding your way through the trees, you begin to get some rocks, though small in size. Then just prior to the final climb to the divide, you get to the rocky stuff along a somewhat steep climb where half of the images below are taken. I'm not sure why the authors of the trail books decided to forgo discussing this section as it is a substantial part of the trail, at least the southern portion. In addition, most Colorado wheelers greatly prefer rocks over mud, including myself, and we want to know where they're at. At any rate, there are two options available here. The line to the right (some might call it a bypass, but whatever) is the one I took and I would rate it a 5. The line to the left I would have felt more comfortable if I was locked front and rear, so I chose not to tackle it. It is a steeper climb with a big rock ledge to go over at an already steep angle with other medium sized rocks along the way. This section would be rated a solid 7, and probably an 8. But oops, I forgot to take any pictures of it! Next time around I'll get them, though it might be another year before I make it up here again.

Immediately after that section are a number of low hanging branches that you might prefer to have a passenger assist in pulling them back as they are at windshield level. There is then a mushy stream crossing that is pretty wide with abundant plant life that if all possible, try to avoid spinning your tires here as it is quite delicate. There aren't any clear cut paths through here either, so use your best judgment. The final bit to the top was semi-blocked with snow. Though I probably could have gone around them, some of it would have been off-camber a bit, which I usually try to avoid. And, as wet as it was during the previous week here, the boggy sections below could have had a bite to them from what it sounds like, so we turned back.

All in all, the southern half of this trail was well worth the ~3 hour round-trip even though I didn't get to complete it. It is a pretty diverse trail run through a neat part of the state and I'd certainly recommend it if you're ever in the area. Hopefully, I can conclude this report next year, but no guarantees.