BillyandKris wrote:
We are going to be staying at Dowdy Lake Campground at Red Feather Lakes, CO in August. When we leave we are going west on Hwy 14. Does anyone know of a dump station going west before we reach Walden?
Also, we are towing a 30’ Arctic Fox fifth wheel camper. Map shows quickest way is to take the 12.5 mile gravel road which is W CR 74e (Manhattan Rd.) which becomes N CR 69 and comes out at Rustic, CO on Hwy 14 where we go west. Forest Service mentioned some “steep” places and some “switchbacks”. Has anyone towed this road? Would you recommend doing this? Otherwise we will have to go back towards Ft. Collins and go south and get on Hwy 14 west—take twice as long, but we can do whatever is best/safest. THANKS
There is only 1 place between Rustic and Walden (about 60 miles) to dump and that is the Colorado State Forest SP facility outside of Gould. It's right off CO 14 at CR 41, by the North Park Campground and Never Summer Nordic yurts. Make a right and bear left for the entrance to the SP, just past the entry make a left heading toward the shops and there's a loop for the dump. It doesn't have water there though.
CR74E is the Red Feather Lakes Road. You can go west from Dowdy Lake to the intersection with the Manhattan Road (CR69), or you can double back on the RFL Rd and pick up CR68C, AKA the Boy Scout Ranch Road. Of the 2, I prefer CR68C. These 2 roads intersect and become CR69 to Rustic. This is where it gets interesting. It is steep, it is very narrow and it's 2 directions, so you are likely to encounter traffic heading uphill as you are going downhill. There are no pull offs. There are a couple of very tight turns and if you commit to them, you are committed. There is no backing up; the uphill traffic would need to back up for you. This is a short segment however. But it is definitely a challenge. If you are comfortable with steep and narrow and willing to commit once you are approaching the curves, it's doable. If it were me, I would put flashers on, honk my horn a lot because some of the curves are blind, and hope for minimal traffic. This way does save you time; stop at Rustic Resort or Archers Resort and take some deep breaths :E
You don't have to double back to US 287 on the RFL Rd and go south to CO 14. From Dowdy Lake, you can continue past the Manhattan Rd on CR 86/the Deadman Road (named for a mountain, not the condition of the road!) It is an all season road like all the others in that area, and there are a lot of curves. But it is doable and can be scenic as well. You'll be dropping down into the Laramie River Valley and as you are nearly down, you'll intersect with CR 80C/the Sand Creek Pass Road. Make a left on CR80C, and that will take you to CR103/the Laramie River Road. Make a left and stay on the Laramie River Road all the way to CO 14. Yes, it's all dirt, and there are some rough spots, but there's also some scenic portions. THIS is wild Colorado. This is my stomping grounds. Been going to this area since the early 80s when I moved to Colorado. THIS is what Colorado is all about.
A fuel caution. Fill up with gas/diesel in Red Feather Lakes. Full tank. There's a very hard to get to pump at Rustic Resort and also one at Archers Resort, but IIRC, there's no diesel at either. From Red Feather to Walden, either way you go, there's no diesel. There's 2 stations in Walden that have gas/diesel.
