Apex Road – Not Your Average Engineer

After going up Barbour Fork with Rising Sun 4×4 Club, Andrew and I went over to Yankee Hill to do some more 4x4ing. We started by going up Cumberland Gulch from Fall River Road. Andrew took over driving for a while to see how much fun a Toyota minitruck really is.

Bumping up the road. The last time that Heather and I went up here, this road was full of water.

Great views of the mountains up on Yankee Hill.

Coming down the north side of Yankee Hill, we found the water bar on one of the forest roads had gone out, diverting half the creek down the road bed.

Down the flooded road we went!

We gingerly picked our way down the road bed in low gear (using 4.70:1 gears). I hate driving through a bunch of water due to environmental reasons but there wasn’t another way down. We made it through just fine, aired up the tires on Apex Road, and headed back down to Golden.

I took the 4runner out for a spin today. From Idaho Springs, I took Oh My God Road up to Central City and then around through Central City to Nevadaville.

The continental divide was sparkly and white today.

Beautiful day today.

Going down Hamlin Gulch Road. It got a little tippy at one point. A Grand Cherokee with a bunch of kids were coming up in that section. They were trying pretty hard to roll the thing down the hill. Hopefully they made it up the hill without incident…

Down the trail toward Fall River Road.

I went up Rainbow Road following a Wrangler. We only made it three or four miles before the snow became too deep.

Heading back down Rainbow Road.

I think that’s Parry Peak. Looking back up Rainbow Road.

Out on Forest Road 175 before it turns into Yankee Hill Road.

Side spur off of Forest Road 175.

Up at the top of a hill. That’s Mount Evans in the distance.

On Yankee Hill Road. Way out in the distance is Denver. Yankee Hill Road became impassable toward the summit due to snow. Maybe in another few weeks the road will be open all the way over to Saint Mary’s Glacier.

Back home after a great day out on the trails.

Tag: Apex Road

Yankee Hill Explorations

Up Around Central City With the Toyota