Rangely, Colorado

Box Canyon

Peak 6975

Willow Creek 

Coal Oil Rim

Cabin ruins at Coal Oil Rim

Willow Creek

1. Rangely has a market and Dollar General. A lot of BLM land is near town with cell signal. Texas Beach is a shady camp area a few miles down river but no signal. It's not for big rigs but I saw big rigs at another spot down the road. Posted 2024.
2. PEAK 6052 is a good rim walk near county 1. I took county 1 to mp 6.6 and turned on county 96 then went half a mile and parked. I coasted back to 1 then on to mp 7 near point 5552 and started up the rim there. I stayed on the low rim then to N40 11379, W108 51288 where I stepped up a level then on to the summit. Then I went to the NW point at 11006, 51581 and went left down a game trail. 2 hours, easy gain, good juniper forest. Posted 2024.
3. SPOOKY MOUNTAIN, PEAK 6521 have roads most of the way up. Take county 1 to mp 6.6 and turn on county 96 then go nearly 6 miles to a 4-way where the road tops out. Left goes almost all the way to the summit of Spooky. Right goes to towers on peak 6521. The last mile or two of each might need 4wd. Take an ebike. Posted 2024.
4. COAL OIL RIM el 6021 is a good rim walk and loop ride on a two wheeler.  I took county 1 to mp 6.6 and turned on county 96 then on 3.1 miles to the 4wd road that goes to Nate Spring Reservoir which is BLM #1736. I parked where I could walk the rim directly out to point 6021. Cabin ruins are there at N40 08700, W108 49247. I walked the rim a mile and a half to the end at 08054, 47911 then retraced to point 6005 then headed back. 2 hours, easy, good juniper forest. I followed the road to a 4-way at Chase Draw then down that on #1737 and then right along the base a short way then on to Rangely and back on pavement to camp on county 96. That's about a 25 mile loop with half on pavement. CHASE DRAW - later I returned to where #1736 crosses the draw and walked up canyon then left in the fork that goes under peak 6008. At the 5660 line I came across several potholes that hold water for weeks. I was going to turn south to peak 6204 then down the rim, but that was before I saw how pleasant the canyons are. I stayed in the canyon to 09219, 46510 where I took a ridge up to the rim then on along the east side of peak 6287 and then to the north rim of the descent canyon at 09500, 45813. I walked it to 09491, 45519 then down to the creekbed and back. 3 hours, 300 noticeable gain and all easy. It's a perfect juniper forest. I did this in shorts. I'll return for the peak someday.  KENNEY RESERVOIR - from the 4-way in Chase Draw, BLM #1735 goes south a mile and a half to a fork. Left goes smooth for 2 miles to a shaded table on the shore. Right goes to the rim then down to the dam but is rough bedrock. A steep road connects the dam to the table but bad for cycles.  Posted 2024.
5. MELLEN HILL el 6350 has a good county road to a cell tower. County 98 leaves highway 64 at mp 7.6. I could have drove a car all but the last tenth mile. 98 goes on north to county 130 but is high clearance and ebikeable. But with an ebike I would start on 130 and make a counterclockwise loop of about 30 miles using 64 and county 1. Posted 2024.
6. DINOSAUR VISITOR CENTER LOOP RIDE-  I started at the visitor center and took the paved road up the mountain to the sign for county 16. I turned there and went along Wolf Creek for 16 miles to county 95 then down that to highway 40 and back to the start. That's 54 miles and county 95 is not good for low slung cars and good for nothing when wet. I put a track on peakbagger under Lone Mtn. Posted 2024
7. WILLOW CREEK is a major attraction in the WSA of the same name. A good route is a one way over Moose Head Mtn then down the creek. I left my bike at mp 10.5 on highway 40 near BM 5861. Then rode my cycle on 6 miles or so to the Dinosaur visitor center and turned up the mountain for 6 miles to BLM road #1520. It's a high clearance road for 3 miles to a gate el 8050. I walked from there and stayed left at the first fork then right at the next ones and for the final road I was reading N40 18547, W108 52960. I went on to the summit el 8495 then down to a faint road fork at el 8335 and took the low road thru point 8105. I wandered off the road on a cow trail but should have stayed on the road then down a ridge at 17699, 52413 and then it leveled off some and I moved left to 17601, 52269 and then hit bottom. I went down to the spring but it's below a double drop and I couldn't see it. I was blocked by a deep fork so I went up and crossed it at 17495, 52399. A trickle was there with mossy pools and water striders. I walked level to merge with the west rim then on down a gully at 16874, 52494 el 6950 then down the ridge to the flats. I crossed the small stream on an elk trail at 15986, 52568 then on out. Private land is in the lower canyon but there was no fence or signs and easy to skirt anyway. I went on to my bike and coasted a mile and a half to camp on county 134 and retrieved my cycle the next day. Nearly 6 hours, 10 miles, 700 gain but  nearly 300 of that could be avoided by skipping the spring. Brush is very light and not a factor with pants. Just walking the west rim all the way down might work but I couldn't tell if there was a way thru the rim at el 7200 but it seemed likely. No cattle in Willow for years. I put a track on peakbagger under the peak.  Posted 2024.
8. WILLOW CREEK EAST RIM - I went up the rim then down the rim of Red Wash. I rode my cycle to mp 12.3 on highway 40 and turned on a crude road. I went a fifth mile and parked at a sunny camp spot then rode my bike to mp 10.5 near BM 5861. Then I walked to an elk trail at N40 15168, W108 52463 and that took me to the rim. I went up and got on the best part of the rim at 16201, 52178 el 6700. I went on along the left side of peak 6958 then to the right side of peak 7102 where I found an old logging road at 16974, 51343. I walked it a short way to an area of trees cut by axe. I kept going to the rim of Red Wash and went up it on trails as far as a good view at 17912, 50970 el 7150. I could see that canyon is brushy. I retraced down the rim to the 6480 line then turned south to my cycle. 5 and a half hours, 9 miles, and 1500 gain, all easy. I wore shorts. It's a good pj forest and the one on the rim of Willow is as good as it gets. SHORT VERSION- go as far as the logging road and come back on that. It would be the same shuttle.WILLOW CREEK CENTER - I returned the next day to mp 10.5 and started out the same but went into the canyon not expecting to get far. I crossed the stream on a trail at 15962, 52574 and walked the left bank until it fizzled then crossed to the right bank. Then I crossed to the left bank at 16350, 52249 and moved far left against the wall. I dropped to the stream at 16640, 52150 and stayed low along it. At 17175, 52174 I came to a spring on the left bank. At the 6600 line I ran out of trail but could walk up the one inch deep stream to a dry fall of 100 feet or higher. The main spring is coming out of the base there, not at the top like the map shows. It took me 107 minutes to get there and about 3 miles. Some light brush. Posted 2024.  
9. BOX CANYON, PEAK 6975 - I made a loop over the peak then back on the rim of Box. Take highway 40 to mp 15.5 and turn on county 165 then go 1.3 miles to BLM land. I walked to N40 15885, W108 47487 then stayed low along the slope to a fence then cut over into Box Canyon. I went up that and took a faint road at 16231, 47403 that leads to an elk trail that goes over the low rim into Little Red Wash then down to a finger at 16283, 46482. I went 230 feet down that and then across to the far bank then downstream a little to get up onto the rim. I walked it to 16651, 45718 el 6550 then looked up at the rim and saw a gully with promise. It's only class 2 and then it's a stroll to the summit. The reg was soaked and needs a better jar. I went down the north side at 16982, 45374 but should have gone down a little more to the left on an elk route down a main ridge. All ridges go as there are no cliffs on that side. I hit bottom and got on a trail at 17313, 45392 and on to a wash at 17214, 45996 then to a canyon. I went down a draw there at 17273, 46258 and hit a 6 foot class 3 drop at the bottom then up the other side and followed the high ground to point 6761. I then detoured to a view of Box at 17469, 47270 el 6650. I came back up and walked the rim down to a class 2 break at 16601, 47645 el 6300 to get down then out. 6 hours, 13 minutes, and 10 miles. All the gain is mellow but for 500 feet. I could do this in shorts. No cattle for years. County 165 soon ends at private land. BOX CANYON - later I returned and went up canyon. No issues other than boulders here and there. At the first main fork I stayed right because left is choked. It got super easy and I came to some tall grass. I put on pants but that soon cleared up and I strolled on to the fork at el 6600. I went right 50 feet or so then up to the right and back to a bench at 18315, 46635 el 6750 then crossed a drainage at 18174, 46692 el 6700. I walked benches on to point 6761 then on down the rim to the class 2 break at 16601, 47645. On the way out I detoured up peak 6400. The drainage that leads east into the north saddle has a trail on the right side on the red soil.  The canyon loop takes nearly 5 hours, 8 miles and 300 or so noticeable gain.The peak side trip adds 40 minutes. I put a track on peakbagger under the peak. Posted 2024.