The Accidental Off-Roader

Or How George and Lee Unwittingly Did, Kelly Flats Trail, One of Colorado's Hard Core Trails Without Any Experience

Lee was visiting his friend George at his cabin in Colorado about 1994, and they were driving in Lee's1994 Grand Cherokee on the maintained dirt roads in the national forest enjoying the scenery and solving all the world's problems. After they'd been out a while, Lee said, "Say, George, I'd like to drive on one of these Jeep roads I've heard about. How about this one?" pointing to a two-track road into the woods.

"No," replied George, "this one is too rough. I know one that's a shortcut on the way home. The maps says its only about 6 miles long, and I've heard it is in very good shape."

Later on the return trip George pointed out the entrance to the Jeep road. The two adventurers switchbacked up the mountain to a beautiful high meadow split by the two-track road disappearing into a pine forest. The road was indeed in very good shape--for the first two miles--, and the view was gorgeous. The accompanying photograph shows the early easy part of the trail. We were too busy to take pictures later!

Then our adventurers encountered the first mud hole. Lee used the old tried-and-true East Texas method of negotiating mud holes--hit them hard...and fast. We hit bottom and barely missed some rocks with the right door, but they made it through. Lee was too busy to hear George screaming "Slow down! You don't have to go this fast!" A couple of mud holes later Lee did begin to moderate his mudhole technique, but by that time the mud holes had disappeared.

That's when the washed out ruts began. And, Man, these ruts were deep! They were much deeper than the height of the Grand Cherokee's stock tires. You could lose a Samurai in those ruts.  Since Lee didn't want to turn around and face the mud holes again, he drove on with my tires on the sloping sides of the ruts, thinking things couldn't get worse. Luckily, the tires gripped the rut walls, and he didn't fall in and get stuck.  Soon the washed out ruts disappeared. But things did not get better!

That's when the rocks and horizontal washouts started. At one point Lee got stuck on a rock, but he was able to back off it. Lee didn't yet know to drive the tire over the rock, and he had no concept of shifting the transmission into low range, although he was in 4 wheel high.

Then our adventurers came to a tree that split the road. There was a trail on either side of the tree, and both sides were equally bad. They were in a fix. Lee was in his city Jeep (he didn't understand its offroad capabilities at the time) without any equipment or offroad knowledge. He was scared to death! He was convinced they'd have to walk out! And the 6 mile trail already seemed a lot longer than 6 miles for some reason.

At this point George got out of the vehicle and walked in front, telling Lee exactly where to place the front wheels. Lee got past the tree, and little by little he progressed down the trail. Finally the trail got good enough that George returned to the vehicle. Finally, they came to a very steep, rocky hill.  Lee said, "Oh, well!" and headed down it hoping for the best.  They made it down without rolling the Jeep and entered a meadow.  And there was the highway in the distance!  They had survived!  All it would take was as short drive over flat ground, and they would be back on pavement.

Now George was checking his topo map again, and he started laughing. He announced, "I misread the map!"

"How's that, George?" Lee asked.

"I got the scale wrong," he replied. "The road was not 6 miles. It was 12 miles!"  Immediately Lee recognized why 6 miles seemed more like 12.  Lee just smiled and decided that this was one he'd remember and rib George about for years to come! (In fact, this story is part of the ribbing...right George?)

Besides! Lee was a happy guy. The ordeal was over! That's when Lee realized that he didn't want the ordeal to be over. He was sky high on adrenaline! Man that was scary...but man, was it fun!  He had to do this again!  But he wanted to know what he was doing next and have a more appropriate vehicle.

For the next several nights, Lee drove rocky Jeep roads in his sleep. He was hooked! 

Post Script - If I'd Known This...

Later Lee later learned from "Colorado Backroads and 4-Wheel Drive Trails," vol. 2 that Kelly Flats is rated "Difficult" and is one of the "premier hard core trails in Northern Colorado."  He learned also that the steep rocky hill was called "Heart Attack Hill."  Man, am is he glad he didn't know all that when he was up there!  He really would have been scared, and he probably never would have made it!