I'm in Utah, So a little west of where you want to go. But I can answer some of your question. Colorado is a big state. There is a lot of areas to ride. You need to be just little more specific about what you want? How big are your rigs and what kind of roads are you willing to travel? Snow will be gone from the 8,000 elevation around 1st of June. This will let you get into most trail heads. Of course a bad winter could push that to the 1st of July Snow will probably linger on the north faces, and higher elevation well into July. I usually don't try to cross mountain passes that are higher than 10,000 foot until late June or early July. The Forest Service clears and maintains the trails as the snow recedes and on most used basis first. So lower elevation trail used heavily, will get cleared of dead falls first. The higher up the mountain or the deeper into wilderness areas a trail goes, The later in the season before somebody comes along and clears the trail. With all the beetle killed trees in the west. This is an issue each spring. Winter storms will blow over lots of old dead standing trees. If you are trying to get too high or too deep into the wilderness. You are better off waiting till July or bring your own saws. As the snow melts, You have much more water than you will have later in the summer. This causes the rivers to be much deeper to cross. Do the trails you are interested in cross streams? Just how comfortable are you with fording high water? I once came across a family of 3 ( Mom, Dad and 8 year old boy) They were stuck on an island that the Popo Agia river formed as it split and went around both side forming an island. They had had such a scare crossing the first branch of the river and they had set up camp on the island and gone no farther. They were hoping for colder temps and a slow down of the snow melt so the river would drop and slow. It wasn't a terrible crossing, but I got wet up to my knees sitting on a 16H horse. It wasn't what I considered a scary crossing, Just something you had to do if you wanted to proceed down the trail. With all the excess water during the run off, you also get more mosquitos. As the snow melt subsides and summer temps climb, The mosquitos go away and you start to see more deer flies. So which bugs do you prefer to fight. June you are getting bit by mosquitos and July your horses are getting bit by deer flies. I am sure there are areas you can ride in early June, Just as there are areas that are better suited to riding in July or August. Choose a date and it will be easier for folks to give you an idea of where to ride. |