Dry Gluch off Loveland Exit?

[OhioMitch]

Hey guys has anyone ever ridden up Dry Gluch off of Exit 216 near Loveland Ski Area?

We are coming out to CO in March and trying to explore options for places to use the sled just to get back into the woods a bit to camp between ski days not so much to ride.
Also thought about riding up to the Grays/Torreys Trailhead but thats a pretty pretty solid hump up the road.

Open to any input really.

 

[backcountryislife]

Not exactly the two places guys talk about usually from out of town!!!

Dry is technically legal, but only accessible via an area that shut down last year, Frey Gulch, "the Dump" in Keystone, and required riding the ridge across Loveland... so aside from very serious Avy Danger getting up to loveland from frey, and then the tresspassing across Loveland (they used to be ok with sledders, so we could do this without it being an issue) and the fact that the approach area is now closed too... it's good to go!!! All you have to do is HELI in
It's also not legal to ride up from the bottom, I believe the lower section belongs to Loveland.


Riding up toward Grey's & Torreys is legal, but this is what you're looking at riding...

Big stuff, nothing else really to ride aside from very big, very dangerous slopes.

This is on the backside of Torreys (the top that you see here is a bench at 13,800 I believe), looking toward it from Grizzley. There's some fun riding in there coming from the Zuma side

If you head up toward Stevens rather than Grizz, the road some years is VERY sidehilled, there's one spot where it's a 45 deg. + section, or was when I was there last, that goes for about 100 yards... with rather nasty consequences if you fell off your line.

Going toward Grizz could be cool, never done it, but the terrain back there is a death wish. It's huge stuff, with big terrain traps in many places.
This whole area is the kind of stuff you go check out in May.. not march. I'd be up for showing you guys up there if that was the plan, or if the snow HUGELY stabilized between now & your trip

 

[OhioMitch]

Wow thanks for all the info and pics!
I think you have however slightly jumped the scope of my question.
We are more or less looking to park at the "trailhead", which is basically a gate, at the bottom of Dry Gulch and ride the rest of the way up the road to set up and camp a couple nights between ski days.
Same situation with Grays/Torreys, basically just riding the road to get to the summer trailhead and pop a tent.
Definitely not trying to screw around on slopes like those with a snowpack like this.
We will likely be riding at Vail Pass because the other people who will be along are more into the trails and powder play than serious mountain riding and I'm pretty new to mountain riding as well. If you want to join us/me there on March 12th and don't mind riding with a newbie feel free to PM me.

 

[rhalloran]

Dry is technically legal, but only accessible via an area that shut down last year, Frey Gulch, "the Dump" in Keystone....
It's also not legal to ride up from the bottom, I believe the lower section belongs to Loveland.

Dry Gulch (not "gluch") is one of those "legal to be there, illegal to get there" places.

Or, at the very least, very difficult to get there. I believe there's a legal way to the Dry Gulch area from the north, but it is one of those theoretical deals, not practical.

Too bad that Dry Gulch _road_ is not legal, but alas, it is not. I pulled in there to skin earlier this season, had sleds on the truck. While I was getting ready, some guy in a truck (no markings) politely informed me that I could not ride sleds there.

It'd be nice, but nope.

 

[backcountryislife]

Wow thanks for all the info and pics!
I think you have however slightly jumped the scope of my question.
We are more or less looking to park at the "trailhead", which is basically a gate, at the bottom of Dry Gulch and ride the rest of the way up the road to set up and camp a couple nights between ski days.
Same situation with Grays/Torreys, basically just riding the road to get to the summer trailhead and pop a tent.
Definitely not trying to screw around on slopes like those with a snowpack like this.
We will likely be riding at Vail Pass because the other people who will be along are more into the trails and powder play than serious mountain riding and I'm pretty new to mountain riding as well. If you want to join us/me there on March 12th and don't mind riding with a newbie feel free to PM me.

Mr halloran... I'll call it GLUTCH, OR GLTUHC.... as much as I darn well please & you can't stop me



As to what you're talking about here, he pretty much nailed it. Dry is a no go, for all intents & purposes. I've spent MANY fun days in there, and it's AWESOME... but it's not currently doable. The only legal way past the gate is by foot.


As to greys... if you want to go to THE summer TH, the only issue is the sidehill... it was NASTY last time I was in there, but I'm sure that depends on recent weather. If I recall it was right after the turnoff to grizz. There's some cool spots up there though, like in the grizz valley that are wider & safe, that would make for a fun camp, there are also a number of huts in the county that you can ride to near there that are pretty cool... leave that tent at home & start a fire!!!


There's way more than the "normal" spots folks talk about. I'm happy to show an out of towner around... you're not gonna come back each weekend & tear up the spots


btw, few pics from dry... I miss being able to ride there.

Shanny & CO matt in the zone

 

[shanny]

Boy, turn back the clock on those shots. I'm kinda looking forward to hoodie weather again...wait, no I'm not

 

[backcountryislife]

Boy, turn back the clock on those shots. I'm kinda looking forward to hoodie weather again...wait, no I'm not

I'll admit, spring was way more fun when we used to ride those areas!!

Last year we found a whole huge riding area right in the backyard that we had never hit before, was just a matter of crossing over in the right spot... pretty stoked for this spring again actually.

Mostly just stoked to have the jackass skiers go the he** away.