The Calamity Mesa Loop Trail

Calamity Mesa Loop

By Jerry Smith

5/17/2009

            The 4-wheeling God was working overtime May 16 & 17, 2009.  Members of the Grand Mesa Jeep Club of Grand Junction and Western Slope 4-Wheelers of Montrose joined forces for two days of “best of this world” wheeling on Calamity Mesa near Gateway, CO.

 The Beginning and End of the Calamity Mesa Loop trail.

            Gateway is in a remote corner of western Colorado.  Approximately 50 miles south and west of Grand Junction, Gateway is located at the confluence of West Creek and the Delores River.  Beautiful Colorado canyon country at its peak.

            Members in nine rigs on Saturday and six on Sunday were put to work moving literally tons of rock either into washes or off of the road to make safer headway for the next guy.   The work to re-open roads long closed by obstacles that had kept the wheeling public off these roads for what we believe to be at least 25 years was made much easier by the number of volunteers. 

            Prior work to make these roads just barely “passable” was done last fall by Mike Click, Harold Delfelder, and Jerry Smith.  In fact, that trip led to an unplanned “overnight” in the woods for the three when darkness made further travel on this class 7+ trail very dangerous. 

"Overnight Wash" being widened for passage.

The trail around lower Calamity Mesa at that time was very dangerous in one place.  A washout had left only a couple feet of the road width (barely enough for a motorcycle) with a vertical drop on the low-side of nearly 5-feet.  With a lot of digging and rock placement, the three made it through only to become trapped between this obstacle and more rock falls ahead on the trail.  With the work done this weekend the washout is now safely (just barely) passable.

"Twisted Drop" will wind you up.

Most of the heavy work done took place between the Calamity Loop trail and the Blue Creek ranch.  Several large rocks were moved by brute human power and many other huge rocks and boulders were moved by a winch.  Some of the rocks were so large that Roy’s Jeep had to be tied to Chuck’s Cherokee to keep it in place.  The roads now are passable though only by the severely adventuresome.

The Blue Creek Gorge lunch overlook.

These trails were originally found in a search for trails to be used for the Gateway 4X4 Rendezvous in June ’09.  Mike Click and Jerry Smith spent nearly a week scouting the mid-level Uncompahgre Plateau near Gateway last summer for potential trails for this event.  These roads were found to have many of the traits most fun-loving 4-wheelers search for but seldom find.  To find an unused primitive 20-mile loop is exactly rare.

"The Squeeze" is why NO FULL-SIZE VEHICLES.

On the Calamity Mesa Loop trail, there are still several places just wide enough for passage (deep washes on one side and steep side-hills on the other).  Other places have tight squeezes between rocks and trees, rocks to weave through or over, off-camber climbs, deep washes both across and down the middle, and some great rocky hill climbs to ascend and descend.  A true Jeeping Mecca!  There are several rocks along the trail that will suffer a long time from the undercarriage abuses they absorbed this weekend.

Gyration Wash is ripe with hazards.

Another draw to this trip was the passage through the Blue Creek ranch, which is normally closed to the public.  This is one of two ways to access the bottom of these two trails and will be used for the Gateway 4X4 Rendezvous.  We will be showing some of Colorado’s “best” to the entrants of this event.

Del Albright's TJ got a workout.

Many thanks to the hardy individuals who made this trip one to remember.  Please remember to continue reaping your reward by making more trips on these wonderful trails in the future.  You definitely earned your grins.

"Drop-off Corner" comes with sound effects... "THUD"

Last, be sure to remember when you’re out in the Great American BackCountry that when you come to a fork in the road… take it!  You never know what you might find.

NOTE:  The Gateway 4X4 Rendezvous never happened.  The sponsors decided at the last minute that the area was too remote and had no camping areas in close proximity to accommodate the entrants expected.