stateforeststatepark – Through Mountains

(Maps & Stats in the bottom of post)

I’ve had my eye on the area around State Forest State Park and Rawah Wilderness for some time and wanted to explore it deeper. Also, I wanted to climb Clark Peak (highest peak in the that area) which I discovered from the book “Best summit hikes in Colorado” by James Dziezynski. Lastly I’ve been wanting to do a true bikepacking adventure and test my beloved Breezer bike‘s capabilities in rugged conditions, so why not combine all of those things.

I planned a route that combined dirt roads and hiking trails. I used local maps, Cotrex, Mapout, Google Maps and Ridewithgps to plan the trip. I knew there was a risk that some sections would be too technical and that we would have to carry the bikes a lot, but the elevation changes looked doable and I had a backup plan if things didn’t work out. I couldn’t find any info on people bikepacking there before so there was a big unknown factor but I think that’s part of a true adventure. If you know exactly what you’re going into some of the excitement goes away. With an element of unknown the fear and awareness level goes up and coming out on the other side gives a big confidence boost and expands the comfort zone. To me it is necessary to go beyond the comfort zone sometimes in order to truly live and grow as a human being.

Day 1 – Seven Utes parking to Jewel Lake (Strava link)

We logged in at the Moose Visitor Center, parked the car at 7 Utes parking (close to where Bockman road connects to the main road) and began our adventure. I was joined by my friend Josh who was on his own personal journey to find his balls. Rumor had it that at least one of them would be located atop Clark Peak. I thought it was an important journey and was very happy to partake in that, besides I think it’s a good idea to be looking for them once in a while to make sure they don’t get lost.

We were off to a great start hitting Bockman road which is a fun and beautiful 4×4 dirt road to ride. We passed by Bockman camping and hit the Fransisco Loop road that connects with Ruby Jewel road and eventually Ruby Jewel trail. The Ruby Jewel road is a very rough and steep 4×4 road that was very hard to bike with a big load so eventually we got more into pushing the bike and that’s what we did for more or less the rest of that day. The trail is beautiful going up into the valley of Jewel Lake below Clark Peak. Mountain biking the whole thing without load is definitely possible (if you’re in shape) and would be an awesome day adventure looping around Kelly Lake. In fact that’s the original route that I planned but we ended up staying by Jewel Lake for 2 nights instead.

We set up the tent and I broke out my new cooking gear: The Pocketrocket Deluxe, a Toaks Titanium 900 ml pot and a Mugmate coffee filter. I decided to change my cook system from my beloved jetboil that i used for the last 10 years since I want to cook my food instead of the pre made meals. I loved the new setup, it performed beautifully and it’s actually a lighter system. I could even cook enough couscous for 2 people in the 900 ml pot. So dinner was couscous with tuna and spices, on day 2 I added some mayo which turned out to be a golden move.

Here are some shots from day 1, click the pictures for description and more story…

Dqy 2 – Clark Peak round trip climb from Jewel Lake (Strava link)

The plan was to climb Clark Peak scrambling up from the north side of the lake and loop around on the ridge as described in the book. Getting out of the tent was pretty cold but not freezing, also it was pretty windy so it felt a lot colder than it was. After some good coffee from the new stove system Josh stopped shaking and we started the scramble. It was steep but not technically difficult. It’s such a beautiful loop with amazing views into the Never Summer Wilderness and Rocky Mountain NP to the south, Rawah Wilderness to the east, Medicine Bow Range to the north and the flat area and Zirkel Wilderness to the west. Thankfully Josh located one of his nuts on the top, he was very happy since it has been lost for a while. The other one was nowhere to be seen so the search continues, but still, one is better than none!

We had a rest back in camp and decided to explore the valley a little bit. When we came back we ate some good food and had some whisky watching the sun set. I have to give it to Josh, he did a very good job on the whisky, What a day!

Shots from day 2, click the pictures for description and more story…

Day 3 – Jewel Lake to Seven Utes Parking (Strava link)

We reserved day 3 for some pure bikepacking. After breakfast we started to ride down the mountain, and to my surprise most of the way was actually rideable even on my Breezer Doppler Pro bike which is a hard tail with 650b and 47mm tires, and fully loaded too! Yes, of course it would be better on a mountain bike but that’s the bike I have and I’d rather go with less optimal equipment than not go at all. There wasn’t one single moment where I wished I had another bike and besides we weren’t in a hurry. It confirmed the versatility of this bike and that I can take it almost anywhere!

Coming down from Ruby Jewel road we turned right on the Canadian Trail which was a beautiful forest trail and didn’t seem like it was getting a lot of visitors. Eventually we linked up with the main dirt road and then the main road. It was a beautiful 3rd day ride with a nice lunch break by North Michigan Creek Reservoir. We logged out at the visitor center on our way back before getting to the car park, what a great trip!!!

Shots from day 3, click the pictures for description and more story…