Colorado Has Some Of The Best Off-Roading Trails (According To AllTrails)

If you currently own one of the best off-road vehicles on the market, you likely know that figuring out where to drive it can sometimes be a challenge. You could, of course, seek out off-roading meetups to ask the locals about the best trails in your area, or even head out into the wild and find them for yourself. But these days, many are also turning to helpful off-roading apps for guidance about the best places to get their wheels dirty on the weekends. And for the off-roading app set, AllTrails is becoming one of the go-to options.

If you're unfamiliar with AllTrails, it's an online platform with a mobile-friendly app that boasts a comprehensive database of off-road ready trails all over the globe. As you might expect from such an operation, AllTrails regularly curates lists highlighting the best of the best in off-roading all over the world. This includes even a top 10 breakdown, assembling some of the better trails to tackle in the United States.

It'll probably come as little surprise to many that Colorado is a major presence in AllTrails "Best off-road-driving trails in the United States." As it stands, off-road locations in the Rocky Mountain State account for nearly half of the trails on said list, placing four in the top 10. The mile-high trails that made the list include Chihuahua Lake Trail, Loch Lomond Trail, Middle St. Vrain Trail, and Bridal Veil Falls Trail.   

So, if you're planning an off-roading vacation anytime soon, you'd clearly do well to plot a course for Colorado. Three of the listed trails: Middle St. Vrain, Chihuahua Lake, and Loch Lomond are centrally located in the state, and drivable from Denver. We'll start with those three, including Roosevelt National Forest's Middle St. Vrain Trail, which slots in the ninth spot on the list. Tabbed as "moderately challenging," and stretches 6.2 miles out-and-back. Per AllTrails, the journey boasts an elevation gain of 702 feet, and should provide riders with peaceful Rocky Mountain views.

Next up is the sixth ranked off-road trail on the list, Chihuahua Lake Trail, a "challenging" trail that stretches 7.4 miles out-and-back through White River National Forest with an elevation gain of 1,902 feet and plenty of mountain views. As for Loch Lomond Trail, AllTrails' claims it's not just the best off-roading avenue in Colorado, but the second best in the United States. The trail occupies a 4.7-mile stretch in Arapaho National Forest, and is rated as "moderately challenging," though a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. Loch Lomond and its dam are listed as top sights along the route.

Rounding things out is AllTrails' #10 off-road venue, Bridal Veil Falls Trail. Located in Uncompahgre National Forest in the SouthWestern part of the state, it's closer to the borders of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico than Denver. At 5 miles in length, the "moderately challenging" trail gains 1,345 feet in elevation, and should offer stunning views of Bridal Veil Falls, as well as plenty of rock and dirt-strewn terrain.