Hi all!
It's been - counting on fingers, holy @#$%! - seven years since I posted last! Trying to get back into wheeling, but I've noticed an unsettling and frustrating trend. Nearly every single trail we attempted to drive yesterday was closed with a "seasonal" barrier. Admittedly, the last time I tried to wheel anything was in 2007. But at that time, the only thing that prevented someone from wheeling was snow. In fact, I used to coordinate trail runs routinely here on YT and on Colorado4x4 for the express purpose of cutting paths through snow to facilitate the early opening of a trail. Now, there are barriers locked by rangers opened only when they deem fit. I wouldn't be so frustrated if the state kept accurate and current information regarding the status of trails.
I understand trail abuse and littering has become a prevalent problem that has permanently closed several Colorado favorites - Slaughterhouse Gulch and Lefthand Canyon, to name a couple. But completely preventing citizens from even attempting to drive any trail honestly feels totalitarian and oppressive.

What have I missed in the last 10 years that led to this?

 

Any chance the trails are closed due to COVID-19, like most everything else?!?!

 

Maybe. But we experienced the same thing last year, too. Tried to access a few trails in late-May and they were barricaded.

 

Depends on the trails. Some areas are more loose rock and gravel based and riding in the wet doesn't hurt them. Worst is clay - riding wet clay will ruin trails.