Gunnison National Forest OHV

The Gunnison National Forest encompasses 1.7 million acres of the Colorado Rockies in Gunnison, Hinsdale, Saguache, and Pitkin counties: the massive mountain block centered on the Gunnison Basin, one of the highest broad valleys in North America at 7,700 feet elevation, ringed by the Elk Mountains, West Elk Mountains, Sawatch Range, and La Garita Mountains in a 360-degree wall of 12,000-to-14,000-foot summits. The OHV trail network operates on the forest's extensive system of designated roads and trails, with the Taylor River, Ohio Creek, Cochetopa, and Slumgullion corridors providing the primary riding terrain accessible from Gunnison, Almont, and Parlin. The Gunnison Basin riding country is distinct from the better-known Front Range systems: at 7,700 feet base elevation, even the valley floor is alpine in character, and the designated OHV routes climb immediately into the 10,000-to-12,000-foot terrain that surrounds the basin on all sides. The Taylor River corridor northeast of Gunnison provides the most popular OHV access: Taylor Park, the broad mountain park at the headwaters of the Taylor River at 9,300 feet, is encircled by forest roads and designated OHV trails climbing to the surrounding Continental Divide ridges and the 12,000-foot passes connecting to the Sawatch Range. The West Elk Mountains to the northwest provide a second distinct riding zone, a series of volcanic summits and mesas with the open, rounded character that distinguishes West Elk terrain from the sharper granite and schist peaks of the Elk Mountains to the northeast. Crested Butte, one of Colorado's most scenic mountain towns, sits on the forest's northern margin and provides high-end infrastructure for riders combining OHV with ski-town services. Colorado OHV registration required. Gunnison Ranger District (970-641-0471) manages current trail conditions.