Mount Herman Road, Trail 318 & 316C – Colorado 4x4 – Jeep WJ ● SWH Adventures
Out of Monument, Colorado, Mount Herman Road (320) connects to Rampart Range Road (322) just north of Colorado Springs. This video is of side roads 318 and 316C. 318 is a small 4 mile dead end trail off of Mount Herman Road that runs south along the power lines and out to view the Front Range. 316C is a small 2 mile dead end trail with a campsite at the end.
318 has some amazing rock formations including a large patch that I call Detroit, aka “Rock City”. Tons of caves and nooks and crannies to explore. The trail ends by looking back across the canyon at Mount Herman Road. It offers fantastic views of the Air Force Academy, Glen Eagle, and Monument, but reaching this point is not for everyone.
318 is easy for the first mile or two, I’ve seen crossovers and camper trailers for the first mile. However, the further into the trail you go, it does require a properly outfitted four wheel drive. Moderate grades, significant erosion (large wombat holes), narrow passage through trees (an inch on each side of stock mirrors on the WJ), and a winch if you want to make it to the end. The last few hundred yards of the trail requires passing a highly eroded side hill with soft gravel—many have slid off and require rescue and recovery to get them out. There is an easy and obvious turn around before the soft side hill—I have made it to the true end of the trail and there is no reason to continue beyond the turnaround.
We came across a highly modified Jeep Cherokee XJ and he said he ran the difficult sections locked both front and rear. We were not locked in the WJ, but pick your line wisely. Beware—I did not film any of the difficult sections of the trail as I was the one driving, so don’t let this video fool you.
316C is short and narrow trail that is easy up until the last couple of hundred yards. The end of the trail descends to a cropping rocks and a campsite, but the trail is extremely eroded. Four wheel drive and properly outfitted rig is required to make the last few hundred yards.
I will be including a link to the specs / build of the WJ soon.
This video was filmed during a camping trip over Father’s Day weekend. Short ribs in the dutch oven—we did it right! Great times with Dad.
