What is the closest place to off road near Highlands Ranch, CO?

 

there is not any where around HR becuase it's all private owned land.

ive been looking also, there are some trails around estes park or south around the springs area.

but no place to rely let loose.

 

Depends on what you mean by "off road" but there is Hidden Valley Road, or easier stuff like Rampart Range Road with countless spur roads, Dakan Road that can all be started outside of Castle Rock A little more south, there are more and more places to go. Going west from you, are literally thousands of miles of trails. CORE would be awesome to take a Raptor and catch some air in it or just test your skills in any 4x4. It's a park on private property out east of you.
The closest actual trail not accessible by most stock trucks or SUVs would probably be Slaughterhouse Gulch, it probably could be done in a stock 4x4, I wouldn't take mine though.
What are you looking for? I nice scenic drive in the mountains in your truck or a place to take a weekend wheeler or what?


Also if you're new to this, or even if you're not... please PLEASE use good judgment when off roading anywhere on public land. Especially this time of year! If trails are wet and muddy, consider a different route and always STAY ON MARKED TRAILS and never wheel alone!

You can read for days on this site, and get a map from them too. http://www.staythetrail.org/

 

A friend of mine should be picking up her 2012 Raptor today, just like yours but it's blue. Crew cab and loaded I think. Maybe we'll have to hit up CORE and do some track testing soon.

 

Went to a camping site near Nederland whose name is censored on this site, starts with a d ends with ick, this summer. There's a trail called Middle St. Vrain trail which is nice for slow crawling. Went through about halfway with my 2wd lifted truck before I decided it wouldn't be smart to go on since we left the other trucks at the camping site. Fun little site tho.

Also went to a few places in Boulder where we took out my buddies leveled '93 F150 and stock '04 F150 since they both have 4wd. Makes for some nice day trips and a lot of fun.

I'm usually down in Highlands Ranch a few times a year since my parents still live there. Let me know if you want to meet up or something in the future

 

Thanks for the info. I took my Raptor out this past weekend. A friend pointed me in the direction of Central City and St. Mary's. I found a bunch of trails on Bald Mountain Rd. Some abandon mines and two cemeteries. The trail went from wide and smooth, to narrow and rutted pretty quickly. It was more than I should have attempted on my first trip, but I kept it slow and safe. It is basically a ledge with about 12" on each side of my truck. I could not have made it through with any truck I have owned before. It had huge mud holes, snow, slush, rocks, and a sheer drop off on one side.

The Raptor had all the tools I needed to get through the crazy terrain like it was a paved road. The Off-Road Mode (with automatic changes to steering, acceleration, etc.), front facing camera, hill descent, decent tires, and raw power!

I want to try something flatter and much faster, but I also want to try some steeper climbs and rock crawling.

CORE looks interesting. Rampart Range Road is still closed according to the website. I had planned on going there this weekend until I saw the closure (until mid April).

I would really like to hook up with a group and hit some trails. Let me know if anyone is up for a trip.

I am also going to Medano Pass Primitive Road in June. Hoping I can find people to go, or find a group that is planning a trip and tag along.