On Sunday July 30th, I got up and ready to head over to the staging area for my 8:30am trip to run the Middle St. Vrain/Coney Flats Trails.  As this was the 1st day for trails, everyone was ready for a great day of scenery and rocks (of which we had both). Some 20-odd jeepers lined up behind me in the staging area, and we pulled out at 8:30am and headed up HWY 119 for a 30-mile drive to the trailhead.  Being the furthest most Northern trail to run, we finally started up the trail after airing down about 10:15am. I aired down my 33's to 18 for the week.  Riding along with myself (and my jeepin-sidekick Molly) was Bobbette Matthews who kept us company.  As Coney Flats is known as a "bumpy" trail, she took every one and still kept smiling.  She has a 2000 TJ, so she understands the "Jeep Thing".

    Once on the trail, your speed right off is dictated by the size of the rock you are about to go over. From fist-size, to boulder sized (about 18"), there was defiantly no shortage of rocks on this trail.  The trail follows up the drainage of the Middle St. Vrain Creek.  There was no real obstacle to really stop and guide people over, but many little rock fields, which left un-attended by the driver, could easily dent a diff cover or a skid plate.  To my pleasure, I didn't have even a minor breakdown.  I prefer not to use or hear the "B" word over the CB. So, sorry no really cool trail fix stories for me to tell ya on this day.

   After about 2 miles of rock fields to drive thru, we reached the end of the Middle St. Vrain Trail, and took a break next to the Middle St. Vrain Creek.  At the start of the Coney Flats trail is a hillside climb, which for stockers poses a challenge to maneuver up and over.  Once on the "Flats", a nice set of boulders keeps you on your toes, as your mind is calculating where each diff and every low spot on your undercarriage is to avoid collision.  Just past the boulder fields, we came across Coney Creek, and had lunch at a small lake with excellent views of the Front Range and 12,300' Sawtooth Mountain in the background.

    Being about halfway thru the run, more rock fields await.  Yep, if you like rocky trails then do Coney Flats. Just when you get a break and the trail smooths out for a few yards, another little rock field awaits around the corner.  But hey, that's why it's a jeep trail, and that's what makes the day so fun.  Driving in low gear over rock after rock is much more fun then burning up my clutch in 1st gear on I-25 at 4:46pm every day!