Pick a spot and go. Or, in our case, pick out just shy of a dozen points, combine those into a couple of hundred-mile loop, and head out into the Rocky Mountains for a three-day adventure. Yep, that sounds like a plan to me. And that’s exactly how I started this Colorado overland adventure.
But let’s back up a minute. As a member of the Overland Expo staff, the 2024 Ultimate Overland Build has been on my radar since late last year. I’ve been able to track it through the build process, and I was really excited to see it debut at West. But I’ll be honest, what I was really excited about was the week after Overland Expo Mountain West when I could finally get behind the wheel of this awesome truck. The AT4X is an incredibly capable midsized overland vehicle option right off the lot, and our build partners helped us make it even more trail-ready with gear that increases the comfort and convenience of the truck.
A Colorado Overland Adventure
Within minutes of the gates at Overland Expo Mountain West closing, I was heading towards my friend’s house to pick him up, and then we pointed to Canyon West. Before we hit the first section of our route we stopped at Vern’s Place on Dustin’s recommendation. This restaurant in Laporte, CO, is a great spot to grab a burger, but the real winning move is picking up a cinnamon bun for the next day’s breakfast. These cinnamon buns are the size of your face, somehow only $4, and delicious. Our only regret was buying just one.
As we turned onto the route, I nervously looked at the GPS and back at the road ahead of me. Anytime I’m picking a road on the map, hoping that it’s an interesting journey, I also worry it’s going to be graded and groomed from one end to the other. While the beginning of Old Flowers Road passed through ranch land with homes and barns scattered along the route, it wasn’t long before it narrowed and curved up into the hills. By this point, it was getting dark, and a steady rain was falling. We passed one turn-off that looked promising for camping, and soon after, a short section of mud was reason enough to hop out and scout ahead. About that time, a mountain biker came down the trail and let us know that this was the first of a couple of rough spots and that any camping ahead wasn’t as protected as the spot we had just passed. With that info in mind, we pulled a quick three-point turn and headed back to a nice campsite tucked into the trees.
READ MORE: The Art of Letting Things Happen with the 2024 Ultimate Overland Build
The next morning, the rain had cleared, and within minutes of leaving camp, we had cruised through the mud hole and found ourselves at the bottom of some elephant tracks. Initially, I was hesitant, given the wet conditions, the sandy soil, and the steep incline on the trail. Then I remembered what I was driving, dropped the Canyon into four low, and pushed the accelerator. Without hardly any effort, the truck crawled and articulated up the steep section of the trail without issue. As the pitch and roll swung wildly, I thought to myself, “Dang Peak, you guys put together an excellent package.” The suspension is essentially in stock, but Peak Suspension added skids, tie rod reinforcements, and a few other parts that make sure it’s ready for anything the trail throws at it. This truck just kind of does it all in a play-it-cool and don’t look like you’re trying too hard sort of way.
After the elephant tracks, we gained some significant altitude and enjoyed the wide-open views. As we passed alpine lakes and sweeping vistas, a bald eagle kept watch. As we dropped back into the valley, we stopped for a quick roadside coffee stop to stretch our legs and plan for the rest of the day. As the Jetboil brought our coffee to a boil, we decided to swing south to check out some reservoirs just north of Rocky Mountain National Park to try our luck at some fishing. We split up to cover more ground, but the Midland two-way radios and the Micromobile in the cab made sure that we could stay in touch as we explored or any other times we needed to communicate in the wilderness.
After a couple of hours of hiking and fishing, a storm started to blow in, so we hopped back in the truck and headed toward our next camp. We traced Hohnholz Lake Road north, and scoped out the abundant dispersed campsites along the way. Some were a bit muddy from the recent storm, but one had a surplus of cut wood that we capitalized on. Dustin grabbed the Forrest Tool axe from the back and made quick work of splitting some of the rounds.
After comparing a couple of sites, we landed on one, parked the truck, popped the tent, and deployed the awning. Much like the night before, it was tucked back amongst the pines, but thankfully, it was sunny, and instead of a muddy road, a stream surrounded one side of the camp, and aspens provided a backdrop. With plenty of daylight left, we decided to explore a bit and check in with family via the ZOLEO satellite communicator.
We fired up the JetBoil Basecamp System and started prepping a dinner of bacon-wrapped dove breast and some mushrooms we foraged earlier in the day. After that obviously delicious dinner we enjoyed some Vietnamese coffee that we picked up at Overland Expo Mountain West and enjoyed a nice campfire while some overly emboldened squirrels sprinted between the trees all around camp.
The next morning, I was awakened by loud pops and pings just before sunup. Initially, I thought another storm had rolled in, but that seemed highly unlikely. Before turning in the night before, I had connected to the WeBoost to check the weather forecast and saw no predictions except for sunny skies. Perplexed, I unzipped the tint and squinted into the early morning light. Seconds later, a loud plop answered my questions. Up amongst the branches of the pines the squirrels were munching on pinecones and dropping the scraps onto the truck. With the unexpected wake-up call, there was no chance of sneaking in a bit more sleep, so a quick and early breakfast was in order.
READ MORE: How to Find Overland Trails
From there, we had 60 miles of dirt and a bit more than that on the pavement to get back to Dustin’s, so we got on the road, but not too quickly. The majority of our route that morning had us heading east, paralleling the Wyoming border, and most of it was designated as open range. While we were covered by a great policy from Tredder insurance, we still didn’t want to have to exchange information after any bovine accidents, so we took it slow and enjoyed watching the terrain change from thick willows to open desert and back to more residential areas as we headed towards civilization.
As we wrapped up the trip, I was already looking forward to my next outing with the truck. The 2024 Ultimate Overland Vehicle is a great extension of the AT4X platform, and I found that it was plenty capable on trail, no matter if it was low speeds through rock-strewn sections or putting down the miles on graded dirt roads. Once we hit the pavement, it was plenty comfortable, and we kept up with traffic heading back to Denver. Now, I’m prepping to take it out for one more trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains after Overland Expo East, before it heads to auction to support the Overland Expo Foundation. No matter who ends up with this truck, they’ll have a comfortable and capable midsized truck that’s ready for any adventure.
