September 18, 2020
The anticipation was high as we drove closer to our starting point for the Rimrocker trail- the city of Montrose, Colorado. We had left Denver at about 9:30 a.m., and arrived at the trail after a few stops for provisions (to include gourmet coffee at Coffee Trader in Montrose!) at about 3:45 p.m.
We were excited to air down our beloved BF Goodrich KO2 tires and get onto the trail, which started at the end of State Highway 90 just west of Montrose. The trail was a Forest Service Road that was well maintained for the first 59 miles. The trail climbed to about 9,800 feet above sea level in elevation, with the Iron Springs campground perched at nearly the top. Iron Springs was beautiful with campsites nestles among free range cattle grazing peacefully.
Continuing down the trail brought us to the town of Nucla, Colorado. We stopped an took a gander at the local Mercantile store in hopes of finding some playing cards, with no luck. However, the store had a good selection of food items and first aid products. It is important to note that there was no gas available in Nucla when we arrived around 6:00 p.m.
We continued on the trail, now meandering west through the beginning of some rock formations and canyons- aiming for a campground known as the Ballpark Campground off of State Highway 191. Ballpark is donation based and maintained by the folks at Rimrocker.org. We found ourselves tremendously lucky and selected a campsite between the trail and the Ballpark campground- nestled quietly against a small creek and the wall of a canyon. In one direction was a beautiful canyon wall with the sound gurgling water. We set up our 4Runner so that when we woke up in the morning- we were greeted by the creek and canyon!
We were amazed at how solitary this campsite was- it felt as though we were the only ones enjoying the splendor of our surroundings- but it was only a moderate walk to the Ballpark Campground if a restroom was needed. After setting up our iKamper rooftop tent in a matter of a couple minutes, we set up our REI branded camp table and chairs, marveling at how easy it was to settle in among the beauty of the rocks surrounding us. For dinner, we orchestrated bison tacos on a simple Coleman propane stove, and enjoyed the fresh guacamole, cheese, and Cholula as toppings.
We reminisced about the start of the trail, and found that we had covered about 60 miles in the span of 2.5 hours. We knew the trail was about to get more moderate- and planned on tackling another 60 to 70 miles on day two. After waking up to the stunning views and a leisurly breakfast, we quickly drove over to Ballpark campground off of State Highway 141 to utilize the bathrooms- and gratefully left a donation for their maintenance.
We were back on Rimrocker by 10:00 a.m., and started working our way through canyons and high-desert topography, marked by abandoned mining equipment along the way. As we climbed higher, the views became nothing short of breathtaking. We were essentially paralleling State Highway 141 from 1,000 feet above on a dirt trail. We encountered a handful of like-minded people in their own overland equipped vehicles- Jeeps, Toyotas, and even a Hummer H2.
Everyone greeted us with a friendly wave, a kinship among those who were taking the road less traveled. We then came to the trail’s nexus with Highway 141, and veered onto the highway for a short side-trip to see the The Hanging Flume. It was fun to see the old mining flume from the 1880’s hanging precariously from the walls of Dolores River Canyon. This side trip is highly recommended- it only deviates from the trail for a few miles, and the photography opportunities at The Hanging Flume are more than worth it! As we returned to the Rimrocker, we began our trek to the Colorado-Utah border as we again climbed in elevation and watched the landscape change from rocky canyon outcroppings to forest.
We worked our way to Buckeye Reservoir, which is just inside of Colorado near the border with Utah. We were expecting to see a body of water here, but instead found a dry lake bed inhabited by cattle. There were numerous places to camp at Buckeye Reservoir, and it had full-fledged restrooms, so were happy to have found a good spot for lunch and a restroom break. With full stomachs from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we finally drove to the Colorado-Utah state line.
We, of course, took the requisite picture of the sign notating the state line, and then continued into the Beehive State. About an hour into Utah, we stopped to go on a hike and stretch our legs- we were in no hurry! The hike turned out to be a beautiful uphill ascent surrounded by Aspen trees. We spooked two deer on the hillside, and watched them gracefully run up the hill. After about an hour of hiking, we returned to the trusty 4Runner.
We were anxious to see what lay ahead, because we had been “warned” by a fellow Rimrocker user that the trail got more difficult in the last 30 miles towards Moab. The trail did become much rockier and became lined with high desert foliage that narrowed the vehicle path. Some “desert pinstriping” was expected, but didn’t turn out to be too serious. Carolynn took over the wheel of the 4Runner, and did a great job of navigating some switchbacks as the trail dropped in elevation from forest back to rocky canyon landscaping.
Overall, we found that even the most “difficult” portion of the trail to be moderate and continued making good time toward our final destination: Moab. As we worked down into the Moab area, we realized the the end of the Rimrocker was populated by Area BFE, a private off-road paradise on the outskirts of Moab. There appeared to be a very special racing event going on with numerous off-roaders, semi-trucks, and lots of people.
We elected to exit the Rimrocker trail and camp in a beautiful campground in the “Behind The Rocks” area just across Highway 191, which the Rimrocker trail was paralleling. We settled in for dinner, and watched the sun set behind the panoramic view of Moab canyons surrounding us. We used our Outland Firebowl 593, which is a propane-powered fire pit, and it worked flawlessly. After having some S’Mores for dessert, bed was calling our name! I braved some slight wind to take a shower using our Nemo Hello Pressure Shower system. The shower worked really well- even if the wind made walking back to the 4Runner a little nippy!
Back inside of our iKamper rooftop tent, we used our MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights, which provided a great source of light to chat and read. The iKamper was cozy, comfortable, and quite romantic. Rimrocker had been a very exciting trail that turned out to be quite moderate, and we had arrived in Moab a little sooner than we anticipated. The next morning, we woke up in deep appreciation of our camp set-up, complete with breakfast and Coleman camp stove prepared coffee.
In the morning, we meandered our way back across Highway 191 and completed the last 7 or so miles of the Rimrocker trail, which continued its parallel path with the highway. The Rimrocker unceremoniously ended in the middle of downtown Moab. To say it felt like an accomplishment is an understatement. It felt uniquely satisfying to have driven from Montrose to Moab mostly off-pavement. We saw things and experienced things that could not have been possible from the concrete-laden interstate. We look so very forward to sharing our experience with others, and through Get Out There Colorado and it’s newest fleet member, Sarge, a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon in Firecracker Red, we especially can’t wait to help others have the same adventure!
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