Overlanding the Southern San Juan Mountains [Giant Campsites Sunk in Mud Cocktails Offroad Paradise]

In this final installment of our overland expedition of the San Juan Mountains we tackle a network of trails in the very southern end of the mountain range near Mancos, Colorado. The three trails that were combined to create about a 20 mile loop are: Echo Basin, Helmet Peak and Red Arrow. Each one of these trails offers something different and certainly holds its own. Echo basin is pretty much a glorified graded dirt road (any 4x4 could handle this area, Jeep, Tacoma, 4runner, etc.), so what it doesn't have in challenges, it's certainly makes up for in other ways. Right off the bat you get expansive views of the valley below and if you are looking to set up camp, I am not sure I have come across bigger, more inviting campsites than the ones on this trail. They are absolutely huge and pretty much perfectly flat. Not to mention the views are nothing short of fantastic. If you've got a large group of people looking to make a trip, this aspect alone would be worth the trek. The scenery constantly changes from open fields, to aspen groves, to pine forests. Not long into the drive things get real wet as you can see. At first it was all fun and games until some bad judgment on my part, sinking the Titan. Thankfully I was able to demonstrate the effectiveness of my Action Trax recovery boards. Since I was alone I’m very thankful that they were able to get me out of that deep mud. And that would not be the last time I used them on this trip. At this point you've probably seen there are tons of cows everywhere, so make sure to keep your eyes on the road and be ready for some possible campsite visitors. Helmet peak offered a very different type of trail. It was obvious this path was not nearly as used, as it was much narrower and a little bit more overgrown. Which added up to some extra challenges that made for a much more engaging experience. This was also a very wet trail with countless creeks crossing by your tires. There were even shelf roads and shale fields that resembled Ophir Pass. This is where I decided to do a little exploring and managed to get myself in a bit of a pickle were the length on my non lifted truck got me stuck like a turtle on a fence post. Thankfully using the Action Trax once again I was able to gain the clearance I needed to get over the burm. After getting myself stuck twice, I decided it was time to attend to the Trails & Cocktails segment. I was able to land a cracking spot with amazing views of the mountains and the plains below. A little frazzled and a bit of a short fuse, I put together a Smog Cutter, which is a combination of mezcal, Negro Modelo beer, ginger and lemon juice. It was actually amazing, but since I was the DD on this day, I wasn’t able to really enjoy my creation. After packing up it was time to head back down using Red Arrow. I thought this was just going to be a Plain-Jane trail, but I was wrong. This last stint was a nice surprise, although I was not able to film a bunch since it was getting dark. Red Arrow also was not heavily trafficked, so you really feel like you are in the middle of nowhere with the dense forests and babbling creeks. This section does have a lot of low bridges, so if you have a Rooftop Tent, make sure to be careful or you might lose some gear. This area of the San Juan Mountains has a little bit of everything and since it is off the beaten path, you could have the whole area to yourself like I did. With that being said, if you find yourself in SW Colorado, I would highly recommend exploring this network of trails. And remember, What’s Your GOL? Catch Up on Past Videos using the links Below. Ophir Pass with Epic Campsite    • OPHIR PASS with EPIC Campsite! [Overlandin...   Clohesy Lake : River Crossings, Amazing Mountain Lake, Mining Ruins & Cocktails    • Overlanding Rock Crawling Fishing Hiking C...   Rock Crawling Through Colorado’s History    • Rock Crawl Past Colorado's History, EPIC O...   #actiontrax