Great Divide Expedition

[njarrett]

Is anyone in the group familiar with the route taken on the Land Rover Great Divide Expedition from the 80's? A few buddies and I are planning to retrace the original route in our trucks next summer. I know it's the wrong brand and Toyota's are superior, but I figure this is the most informed group of off-roaders in the state and you can share advice on the best route to take. Any information on the trails they took or an introduction to someone involved in the original event would be a huge help.

I have a few way points mentioned directly in the documentary listed below. I'm also borrowing heavily from the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route and a SW Colorado route published in Overland Journal a while back. The goal is to hit the highlight trails and stick roughly close to the continental divide while minimizing on road time.

• Battle Pass, WY start
• Over Hahn's Peak
• Rand, CO
• Rollins Pass
• Red Cone
• Camped outside of Breckenridge, CO
• Mosquito Pass
• Aspen, CO
• Tincup, CO
• Slumgullion Pass
• Ouray, CO
• Imogene Pass
• Telluridek CO
• Ophir Pass
• Chama, NM Finish

If you haven't seen the documentary it's worth a watch. Thanks for any info!
The Great Divide Expedition: A Range Rover Odyssey Through Colorado

 

[HDavis]

This is great, thanks for sharing! It is a great reminder of how it felt like traveling Colorado in the late 80's early 90's, as a kid it really solidified my passion for the great outdoors and our wonderful state.

I believe the route from Leadville to Aspen may be Via Hagerman Pass.
I don't think they took tin cup, It looks like they might have turned in the town of Tincup and taken Cumberland pass to Pitkin.

What I am very curious about is how they made it from Aspen to Taylor Park? I've never seen a way that connects the two and I've been curious nearly my whole life. Anyone know?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Part of the fun it seems to me is reading maps and figuring out the route. Consider that they did this in 1989 and some of the route they used will have gotten harder, changed names/number or may be closed now.

What I am very curious about is how they made it from Aspen to Taylor Park? I've never seen a way that connects the two and I've been curious nearly my whole life. Anyone know?

Could they have driven up under the lifts (maybe the gondola access road) to get to FS123 near the Richmond Hill trailhead? That might have been possible back then or even if not it is when you're Land Rover.

Now you could use the old road to Midnight Mine up Queens Gulch to use FS123 to get to Taylor Pass. Then FS742 down to Dorchester and Taylor Park.

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www.fs.usda.gov

 

[HDavis]

Part of the fun it seems to me is reading maps and figuring out the route. Consider that they did this in 1989 and some of the route they used will have gotten harder or may be closed now.



Could they have driven up under the lifts (maybe the gondola access road) to get to FS123 near the Richmond Hill trailhead? That might have been possible back then or even if not it is when you're Land Rover.

Now you could use the old road to Midnight Mine up Queens Gulch to use FS123 to get to Taylor Pass. Then FS742 down to Dorchester and Taylor Park.

Loading…

www.fs.usda.gov

You’ve answered a 30+ year curiosity of mine. Thanks!

 

[arthog]

Rollins pass is not open anymore.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Got what I think is their first couple of days figured out. You can ignore the upper right, that's what it would look if you're starting in Ft Collins. This would I think get you from the state line to Granby.

 

[cbmontgo]

I am digging this thread.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Day 4 is a tough one. The big discontinuity at Rollins Pass of course. Plus on the west side it seems their route was possible prior to the James Peak Protection Area and I imagine more access roads around Idlewild Ski Area were still there.

Properly starting in Wyoming would mean you'd have to detour over Berthoud Pass and miss the length from Rollins Pass through Central City, down Saint Marys and wouldn't be able to get back on until around Empire.

This is the route if you had a theoretical heavy lift helicopters to get you over Rollins.



Maybe an option is to start in Winter Park, north to WY, down through Larimer and catch the Boulder, Gilpin and Clear Creek parts that way. It would probably add a day to the route thus far but wouldn't skip over anything.

 

[BritKLR]

Is anyone in the group familiar with the route taken on the Land Rover Great Divide Expedition from the 80's? A few buddies and I are planning to retrace the original route in our trucks next summer. I know it's the wrong brand and Toyota's are superior, but I figure this is the most informed group of off-roaders in the state and you can share advice on the best route to take. Any information on the trails they took or an introduction to someone involved in the original event would be a huge help.

I have a few way points mentioned directly in the documentary listed below. I'm also borrowing heavily from the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route and a SW Colorado route published in Overland Journal a while back. The goal is to hit the highlight trails and stick roughly close to the continental divide while minimizing on road time.

• Battle Pass, WY start
• Over Hahn's Peak
• Rand, CO
• Rollins Pass
• Red Cone
• Camped outside of Breckenridge, CO
• Mosquito Pass
• Aspen, CO
• Tincup, CO
• Slumgullion Pass
• Ouray, CO
• Imogene Pass
• Telluridek CO
• Ophir Pass
• Chama, NM Finish

If you haven't seen the documentary it's worth a watch. Thanks for any info!
The Great Divide Expedition: A Range Rover Odyssey Through Colorado

Any chance of recreating it with the club? Sponsors?
(Of course the portions that can be run)
Curious.....

 

[DaveInDenver]

What I think was their days 5, 6 and 7. This is the part over Red Cone, into Breck, though Leadville and Aspen, over Taylor and Tincup that they spent quite a bit of time talking about in the video.

 

[DaveInDenver]

My route compared to the one originally posted. Seems close so far.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Days 8 to 12. From the descriptions I think they spent a couple of days doing the Alpine Loop and must have spent 3 nights in Ouray.



The full 12 day route they did. Very preliminary. I put the CDT hiking route as a blue trace for a very vague reference. A hiker can go through Wilderness. That's a major obstacles to vehicles. It is not the real hydrological Continental Divide but at this scale it's not that significant. I'm building a true one since I'd like to improve the route to tighten up a bit more to it.

 

[rover67]

Thats rad dave, nice work.

 

[fyffer]

Stunner pass, maybe?

 

[MtnAddict]

This thread is awesome. If we get a group together, Im in!! Nice work @DaveInDenver

 

[Trail Bum]

I'd love to do this run too.

 

[BritKLR]

Yeah know, in todays day and age with the right support, sponsorship, social media marketing (video/still/etc...), logistics and promotion this could actually be something grand. I could also see ATC supporting, sponsoring and participating in the right project. Timing, planning, connections and funding would be everything.......food for thought.

 

[Cruisertrash]

Might be time for me to move to 35s and 4.11s on the 60 in preparation ... I would absolutely LOVE to do this.

@DaveInDenver - amazing mapping work.

 

[DanInDenver]

One truck from every series with the new 2024 driven by Toyota in the lead? That might get some attention?

 

[HDavis]

Pending interest here too!