
<p>We were invited to join friends on their traditional family camping trip to the Chapman Dam campground near Meredith, CO. This annual tradition goes back 50 years for their family. From our perspective, this area seems remote &; relatively untouched, but the stories of days gone by from the folks that have been visiting the area for generations paint the area as having been much more isolated and quiet. Either way, it is still a great place to get off-grid and enjoy the outdoors.</p>


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<p>The drive to Chapman was a bit stressful as a number of wildfires had caused I-70, the main corridor across Colorado to be closed. The result of this was drivers losing their minds and causing many of the alternate routes to also close. We eventually made it to the campground safely and spent the rest of the day setting up camp and relaxing.</p>


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<p>The next day we headed out on an exploratory ride on gravel roads that we had not been on before. The three of us each chose a different class of bike for the ride; Bob on his Intense full suspension MTB, Sue on her <a href="https://www.specialized.com/us/en/diverge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diverge gravel bike </a>and me on my <a href="https://fatbike.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Borealis Crestone fat bike</a>. We were all happy with our choice of steed for this ride.</p>



<p>The first stretch of the ride started out on the Frying Pan road along the Frying Pan river to Eagle-Thomasville Road (AKA Eagle cutoff). The condition of this gravel road is very good with only a few loose spots on the steeper switchbacks. There was some car traffic on this road as I-70 was closed and this was one of the detour options. Overall, traffic was polite and not problematic. I would expect this to be even less of an issue when I-70 is open.</p>



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<p>We followed the Eagle cutoff for about 8 miles, which included almost 1500 feet of climbing. This was mostly through forest, but the views started to open up as we got to and over this first climby part. </p>


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<p>Once we got to the intersection with Burnt Mountain Road, it was time to make a decision on which direction to head next. We could continue on the cutoff toward Sylvan Lake State Park or be more adventurous and explore Burnt Mountain Road with the intent of finding a way to make the ride a loop. We chose the latter.</p>


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<p>Shortly after starting on Burnt Mtn Rd, we saw Woods Lake Road and took that until the uninviting private property gate, so it ended up being just a short detour that ended with a view of a lake.</p>


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<p>After the lake, we turned around and continued on Burnt Mtn Road. There is an unmarked entrance to <a href="https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744451/lime-park-aka-lime-creek" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lime Park</a> that we only learned what was there later, it is a rock climbing area. There were also quite a few nice looking dispersed camping sites in the area.</p>


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<p>Beyond Lime Park, the condition of Burnt Mtn Road deteriorated considerably to the point that only high-clearance 4wd vehicles would be able to make it through. It was perfectly fine for all of our bikes, but there were very few vehicles on the road to worry about.</p>


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<p>We continued along Burnt Mtn Road until it intersected with N Fork Rd (4B). Burnt Mtn Rd pleased us with 2 significant climbs, the second with grades approaching 10%. There were several signs marking trailheads for hiking trails that looked to be worth exploring on another day.</p>



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<p>The descent at the end of Burnt Mtn Rd was a bit chunky and the wider your bike tires, the happier you were.</p>


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<p>Once we were on N Fork Rd, it was an easy and scenic ride back for us to Frying Pan Road and a quick paved jaunt back to the campground. </p>


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<p>This is a ride we would do again and probably add in some more exploring of side roads &; trails or add in the stretch to Sylvan Lake.</p>


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<p>The next day we spent time on the Chapman reservoir to hone our fly fishing skills and play around on the standup paddle board.</p>


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<p>After the relaxing day on the reservoir, the next day we went out on another exploratory ride on gravel roads that we hadn&#8217;t been on before. This time we left the campground and headed to S Fork Rd knowing that there is a lake a few miles up the road.</p>


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<p>This ride really just whet our appetite for more in this area. Seeing the sign for S Fork Pass planted a seed for another ride in this area for more exploration.</p>


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<p>We&#8217;d been getting reports that the wildfires in the area and traffic were both getting worse with additional road closures. Our trip home was going to take a looong time. The next day, we were up early and out. We&#8217;re very much looking forward to getting back there next summer.</p>