We joined a group of about 15 vehicles taking a “scenic drive option” on September 21st, while others ran Kelly Flats. The plan was a big loop to see the fall foliage. We met at the North Fort Collins King Soopers and rolled out around 9 a.m., heading north on Highway 287 to Red Feather Lakes Road. From there we continued on Deadman Road, Sand Creek Pass, Cherokee Park Road, Highway 14, and Pingree Park Road, then ran Old Flowers Road west to east. At the west end of Old Flowers, we met a few club members who had just finished Kelly Flats. There were also some folks from our original group that elected to not run Old Flowers. From that point we had a slightly different mix of 15 vehicles, mostly Jeeps.
Laurie, Lee, and I were in our 4Runner instead of a Jeep this time. We figured the 4Runner would be more comfortable for the three of us and still handle Old Flowers without issue. Lee and I had run Old Flowers a couple of weeks earlier in our Jeep, in the same direction but at night. I was most concerned about a washed-out section identified as waypoint 12 on Trails Offroad. After spotting the Jeep ahead of us through this section, I could see a good line for the 4Runner that would put a couple of tires in the air but avoid scraping and get us through cleanly. We did take some light under-vehicle scrapes in a couple of other spots—mostly from not watching closely enough—but a stock 4Runner was perfectly fine for this trail when taken slowly and with good lines.
Temperatures were in the 60s, feeling warmer in the sun at times. There was some wind closer to Red Feather Lakes and a brief spell of rain and light hail, but otherwise the weather was great. We saw plenty of aspens turning to fall colors and even spotted some pronghorn. Overall, it was a beautiful trip, the weather mostly cooperated, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Here’s some video we took during this ride…
