4X4Explore.com - Middle St. Vrain

Middle St. Vrain

Maps:

USGS 7.5' Map:

Allenspark

Statistics:

Difficulty:	Number:	Miles:	Altitude:	Obstacles:	Time:
Moderate - 7	FR114	4	8680-9000 ft.	Rock - 2 Water - 2	3-4 hours

County:

Boulder

Adopted by:

Trailridge Runners 4WD Club

P.O. Box 1716
Longmont, CO 80502

Managed by:

Roosevelt National Forest
Boulder Ranger District

2140 Yarmouth St.
Boulder, CO 80301

(303)541-2500

Summary:

The Middle St. Vrain River flows out of the Indian Peaks Wilderness along the Continental Divide and is the focal point for this muli-use area. Once a logging road to a mill and the surrounding timber supply, the old road is now used for motorized recreation and as access to an Indian Peaks Wilderness trailhead.

Attractions:

At mile 3 along the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road is the Timberline Falls. Though the falls are not visible from the road, they are a 0.1 mile walk from the road. There is no trail, so you will have to find your way. There is a sign along the road marking the location of the falls (signs may be vandalized and not present). The Middle St. Vrain 4WD Road connects with the Coney Creek 4WD Road via the Coney Creek Cutoff.

Seasonal
Closure:

November to Late June

The Middle St. Vrain seasonal closure gates do not open until late June, or the first part of July. The 4WD road is reviewed as early as the third weekend in June by the Trailridge Runners 4WD Club to determine if the snow drifts have melted and the road bed is dry enough to handle vehicle traffic.

Best Time:

July - Early in the month water crossings will be deepest due to spring run off. (All crossings are hardend to eliminate environmental impact)
August - Busiest time for all activities.
September - Late month for fall colors. Good views of Sawtooth Mountain and the Continental Divide.

Summer
Activities:

Hiking -

Buchanan Pass FT910, Sourdough FT835, Beaver Creek FT911, Coney Lake FT914

Equestrian -

Buchanan Pass FT910, Sourdough FT835, Beaver Creek FT911, Coney Lake FT914

Mountain Bike -

Buchanan Pass FT910 (part), Sourdough FT835, Middle St. Vrain FR114, Coney Creek FR507

ATV -

Middle St. Vrain FR114, Coney Creek FR507

Motorcycle -

Middle St. Vrain FR114, Coney Creek FR507

Camping:

Camping is available at the Peaceful Valley and Camp Dick Forest Service campgrounds (fee required). Dispersed camping is allowed along the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road in existing sites. Camping is not allowed from the beginning of the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road for 1/2 mile. After 1/2 mile camping in dispersed sites is allowed. Camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness requires a permit. Contact the Boulder Ranger District, (303)541-2500.

Base Camp:

Camp Dick or Peaceful Valley campgrounds work well, but there is a fee. There is also camping along the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road and along the Bunce School Road with no fee required. There are five 4WD roads in the general area of Peaceful Valley; Middle St. Vrain, Bunce School, Coney Creek, Miller Rock, and Rock Creek.

Fall Colors:

Fair - There are some aspen trees along the Middle St. Vrain road and along the Middle St. Vrain river.

Winter
Activities:

Snowshoeing -

Entire area

Cross Country Skiing -

Buchanan Pass FT910, Sourdough FT835, Coney Lake FT914

Snowmobile -

Middle St. Vrain FR114, Coney Creek FR507

Navigation:

From Lyons, Colorado take highway 7 south toward Allenspark. At the intersection of Hwy 7 and Hwy 72 (the Peak to Peak Highway) go south to Peaceful Valley. Immediately after crossing the Middle St. Vrain River turn west at the Forest Access sign. Drive through Peaceful Valley campground and through the Camp Dick campground. At the west end of Camp Dick is a parking lot and the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road.

History:

TheMiddle St. Vrain road was originally created to access the timber operations in the surrounding area. It followed the Middle St. Vrain river, ending at a mill near Red Deer Lake. In the 1950 the Middle St. Vrain road was drivable by standard vehicles.

Description:

The Middle St. Vrain 4WD road is an old logging road south of Rocky Mountain National Park and east of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It follows the Middle St. Vrain river toward its source in the snow fields of the St. Vrain Glacier below Ogalalla Peak on the Continental Divide.

The Middle St. Vrain 4WD road starts from the west end of the Camp Dick campground where the Forest Service built a parking lot in 1995. Just beyond the seasonal closure gate two waterbars have been designed to represent the difficulty of obstacles further along the road. Over time and due to usage these have been softened, and are not as difficult as the main obstacle. About 1/2 mile from the start is a meadow. Camping along the road is allowed beyond this meadow, but is restricted back to Camp Dick. At about 1 mile you will come to the first obstacle. It has two routes, the lower one works better for shorter vehicles, while the upper one has larger rocks and works better for longer vehicles. At 1.5 miles the road heads back toward the river and crosses a marshy area. There are two water crossings with hardened bottoms. Please stay on the 4WD road in this area due to the riparean habitat. At 2.5 miles the Timberline Falls will be in the trees to the north of the road. There is no trail to the falls, but they are less than a tenth mile from the road.

Middle St. Vrain project

At just over 3 miles the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road crosses Coney Creek as it plunges down the valley wall to meet the Middle St. Vrain river. The crossing is hardened, but it can be deep during the spring run off. Go slow and watch your depth. At 4 miles you will come to the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road trailhead, and the end of the 4WD road. Just before this trailhead is the cutoff to the Coney Creek 4WD road.

Middle St. Vrain project

Many sections of the Middle St. Vrain 4WD road have been repaired over the years by the Trailridge Runners 4WD Club. Buck and Rail fencing has been used to control the route, obstacles and water bars have been designed to represent the difficulty level of the 4WD road, and old corduroy log sections have been repaired.