Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
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First of all, yes, under NO circumstances should you rent from Hertz or any of the other car rental companies/brands they own! They'll try to rip you off in every possible way - that's based on personal experience that I had before I heard about this separate issue:
Also, I too have rented from a Jeep rental company in/around Glenwood Springs (among other mountain towns). In that case, I drove through Crystal and up into Lead King Basin. Had no problems, the Jeep performed well. I can't recall the company name off hand, but it should be easy enough for you to find a suitable option online. At the time - several years ago - it cost somewhere around $250 per day, I think. Generally, I have been able to pick up the car around 5pm, camp at the trailhead, hike the next day, and as long as I return the car by 5pm, I get charged for just one day.
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Maybe look into Turo (like airbnb for cars). Almost all of the times I've rented an SUV from Hertz I get 2WD. I almost got stuck on the return from Arc Dome in NV (an ultra) after a rainstorm, which turned the clay road into a mud skating rink. So when I needed 4WD to get to the Notch Mountain TH I rented a Subaru through Turo in Salt Lake City. This was a wise decision, not sure a 2WD would have made it. When the owner asked how my trip went, I said the car was great and necessary to get to the Notch Mountain TH. Also sent them the TH photo, which didn't freak them out. Maybe this could work with a Jeep from Denver? (Aside: Hertz tried to charge me a $100 cleaning fee because of the mud undercoat from the Arc Dome road, but I was able to reverse it through my credit card company)
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"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters." - Norman Maclean
Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop. -- Chris Darwin
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
Seems the best advice anyone can get is to take the full rental coverage and then make certain the car is totaled before you bring it back to them. No fees whatsoever.
The cars probably have GPS trackers in them, so they could potentially determine that you drove up the Como road and ding you for violating the contract. Maybe just ask before you rent.
Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop. -- Chris Darwin
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
I'm not trying to get up Como road - not sure how that came about, maybe b/c of the video posted. I was looking to get up Lead King Basin for Snowmass. Just to clarify.
But yes, seems like renting from the basic car rental is not going to work for all sorts of reasons even with purchasing the collision damage waiver. I worry by asking outright that would send a red flag as to what I'm trying to do. There's also the pin stripping that could be a problem, even with the CDW.
wineguy wrote: ↑Tue Jul 22, 2025 7:31 am
Maybe look into Turo (like airbnb for cars). Almost all of the times I've rented an SUV from Hertz I get 2WD. I almost got stuck on the return from Arc Dome in NV (an ultra) after a rainstorm, which turned the clay road into a mud skating rink. So when I needed 4WD to get to the Notch Mountain TH I rented a Subaru through Turo in Salt Lake City. This was a wise decision, not sure a 2WD would have made it. When the owner asked how my trip went, I said the car was great and necessary to get to the Notch Mountain TH. Also sent them the TH photo, which didn't freak them out. Maybe this could work with a Jeep from Denver? (Aside: Hertz tried to charge me a $100 cleaning fee because of the mud undercoat from the Arc Dome road, but I was able to reverse it through my credit card company)
I did a brief search on Turo and found someone that has 3 Jeeps in the Golden area, but very clearly stated no offroading. I didn't dig deeper or expand my search zone...I will try that to see. Thanks.
In response to CarpeDM (I tried to hit the reply quote button, but kept getting an error) - yes, I spoke to the guy that rents Jeeps in Glenwood. The cost now is $299 - ouch - but might be the best option. He's super familiar with the area and totally fine with the objective. Same plan, a 24 hr rental basically. Thanks!
Ptglhs wrote: ↑Tue Jul 22, 2025 12:20 pm
How is it off roading if one is on a marked and numbered road? FS422 vs i25. Both get maintenance, both are engineered for slope, drainage, etc.
Exactly. Turo's official policy prohibits "'Off roading' or driving on undeveloped or unimproved roads". You could certainly argue the FS ROAD was developed and improved at one point in time.
I rented a Jeep Wrangler once from a company called Anderson Mountain Rental out of Salida. I forgot why, maybe my car was in the shop, not sure. They were very professional, easy process, rates were fine to me but that was many years ago. The Jeep was a CJ5/7, can't remember, but plenty capable for 4wd roads. I just checked, they're still in business.
ColoNativeGal wrote: ↑Mon Jul 21, 2025 11:23 am
Hello Again,
Has anyone ever rented a 4w vehicle to get to a TH? If so, what company did you use, and was there any specific language about not taking it off road? Lol, I know this seems dumb, but I wouldn't put it past some rental car companies to have in the fine print somewhere that the damage waiver becomes voided if you actually take the vehicle off roading. This is what I'm trying to find out before actually renting something. In Iceland, if we drove into a river, it would void the damage waiver.
Thanks for the info!
Depending on where you are hiking, you can also rent and arrange to have an UTV / Side by Side ATV delivered to the trailhead and that should get you up most roads and are covered so you wont get soaked if it rains; maybe even get driven to the TH if its close to the rental location.
