Considering ATV purchase to make it to trailheads

[reginarose13]

I’m new to 14ers (done 3) and have noticed many have 4WD roads to the trailheads. I’m considering purchasing a used ATV for this purpose. Would it be worth it?

[Eli Watson]

The 14ers can definitely be completed with 2WD from the lower THs, or even with no car. Higher access certainly makes life easier in some cases, but you can also just accept the extra miles. Either make sure your fitness is up to snuff for day trips or plan on packing in for a few overnights. Or bring a mountain bike

Trailheads that I see people wanting 4WD the most for:
Antero
Castle & Conundrum
Grays/Torreys
Huerfano/Lily Lake (Lindsey)
Lake Como (Blanca Group)
Lead King Basin (Snowmass "S" Ridge or West Slopes - non standard)
Nellie Creek (Uncompahgre)
Princeton
South Colony Lakes (Crestone Group)
Yankee Boy Basin (Sneffels)

There are several others that are only an extra 1-2 mi one-way from 2WD. Familiarizing yourself with those routes and their additional mileages from 2WD may help you make your decision. 4WD won't help get you any closer for the Chicago Basin or Snowmass East Slopes.

[Ptglhs]

It's not just the purchase of an ATV. You'd have to have some way of transporting it to and from the trailheads. That means a trailer hitch, a trailer, and the additional gas. I'm not telling anyone how to spend their money on this subject, just that it might not be as easy as it seems. For a couple of these I was able to bum a ride with somebody else who was going. If you hike on weekends you will be able to eventually find someone to go to some of the four-wheel drive trailheads.

I agree with Eli's description. There are only a few Trail heads that are 4-wheel drive high clearance. I was able to get a front-wheel drive Elantra to the trailhead for Harvard, the lower four wheel drive Trailhead for Handies, etc.

Some of these mountains have non-standard Roots which, well longer, are along a trail and not a dirt road. If you hike along the trail it's prettier, but if you hike along the dirt road you might get a ride up or down.

Zapata Lake Trail for Balanca and Ellingwood
Little Brown's Creek for Antero
Lulu Gulch for Huron is still a small amount of road walking if 2wd, but less than if you're doing the standard.

[SkiFree]

I think 9x out of 10 it would be easier to hike the extra mileage instead of spending all that time loading/unloading the atv and getting everything set up.


But if you are just looking for a reason to buy an ATV, then yes you absolutely need one to climb the 14ers

[Iguru]

I’m new to 14ers (done 3) and have noticed many have 4WD roads to the trailheads. I’m considering purchasing a used ATV for this purpose. Would it be worth it?

The only trailhead I can think it would be worthwhile for is Blanca, ( Lake Como Road.)
Other trailhead roads are not as extreme, and can be reached with a 4WD high clearance vehicle at most.

[Buckie06]

wouldn't you have to buy a truck or similar to haul the atv? Just drive the truck to the trailheads and forget the atv......

[Dan_Suitor]

The only trailhead I can think it would be worthwhile for is Blanca, ( Lake Como Road.)

After climbing Lake Como road twice, I decided to try the ATV for my 3rd time up. I got to Jaws 3 and it was a bit too sketchy for me. I was afraid of rolling the ATV. We camped there. Still, it took a lot of hiking with our tents/bags/etc. out of the trip. I’ve heard of others who have made it all the way to the lake on an ATV.

An ATV/Trailer setup is not too heavy. You would not need to have a full-sized truck to pull it. But they are not cheap. Your call on if it’s worth the few miles round trip you will save at some of the trailheads. For me, hiking a 4X4 road to the TH is the least fun part of a climb. But I’ll still do it if it’s the only way I can get my 3,000 ft of elevation gain in.

[cougar]

Last Saturday I parked at a 2wd TH. A group of ATVs started up a couple minutes before me. I hiked up the awful road and got to the 4wd TH a couple minutes before them, although using a hiker shortcut for a bit. I've also gotten a ride on that road before and it was slow that time as well.

Get a horse and you can ride it on long wilderness approaches as well, or a llama or goat to carry your gear.

[reginarose13]

Your input has been so helpful! Thanks!

[BillMiddlebrook]

Last Saturday I parked at a 2wd TH. A group of ATVs started up a couple minutes before me. I hiked up the awful road and got to the 4wd TH a couple minutes before them, although using a hiker shortcut for a bit. I've also gotten a ride on that road before and it was slow that time as well.

I've used my ATV on the Como road many times and my best time is 36 minutes to the lake but I could see an inexperienced rider take waaaay longer and get themselves in a bad position, like the ATV on top of the rider.

To the OP: I recommended NOT buying an ATV for these difficult roads unless you're an experienced rider. And, of course, there's the issue of hauling the atv, that has already been covered.

[mtree]

And I thought the fun of summiting 14ers was the hiking part.
Silly me.

[Matt]

And I thought the fun of summiting 14ers was the hiking part.
Silly me.

I grew up riding, then racing ATVs once I was old enough. Adding the fun of riding one to a hiking trip sounds great to me.
These things have more uses than just getting to a TH.