Next up is Jaws 2.5. "What? Where did that come from? It is not on the list!"
This newer challenge has emerged from the dirt just 100 yards short of Jaws 3. Keeping with "tradition," wheelers have gleefully tagged it Jaws 2.5. When dry, a careful straddling of the V-crack allows a vehicle to walk right through. When wet, dodging all of those projecting granite points can be a real challenge!
Jaws 3 is much less of a menace than it once was, and there is a short bypass down and to the right that skirts around the named impediment. Once past Jaws 3, it is a short climb up to the shores of Lake Como. The four-wheeling fun doesn't stop there. The route continues along the north shore of the lake, crosses the inlet, and scales Jaws 4. Above Jaws 4 (hug the tree on the far right really close), the road climbs through the last of the trees and emerges into a beautifully rugged high-alpine basin. The trail bumps and crawls over and around piles of boulders to terminate just above the lowest of the Blue Lakes. The end of the motorized trail is a wild and awesome place with the stark granite peaks of Ellingwood Point and Blanca Peak soaring above.
Now the route reverses and so does the role of gravity. On the downward trek, gravity now seeks to "help" the vehicle back down the mountain. Jaws 1 gets a lot trickier coming down, and when the typical afternoon or evening rains further slick the granite, watch out! We were happy (and lucky) to make the run dry this year and returned to the trailhead by noon Sunday after a perfect night by the lake.
Lake Como Road on Blanca Peak is a true Colorado four-wheeling classic. A stiff challenge, a historical route, gorgeous scenery, and a fabulous setting combine to provide one of the truly unforgettable routes still available to the four-wheeling public. Be careful, respect the dangers, keep the area clean, stay on the road, and have fun!
How To Get There
The trailhead for the Lake Como Road on Blanca Peak is located east of Alamosa, Colorado. Take U.S. Highway 160 east out of town. Fourteen miles east, turn north on Colorado Highway 150 toward Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The unmarked trailhead is located a little over 3 miles north of the 160 and 150 intersection. Lake Como Road (dirt) heads diagonally away from the highway and directly for the mountain. There is a Forest Service information kiosk about a half-mile down the road. Camping facilities are located in Alamosa and within the Great Sand Dunes National Monument.
The drivers checked out Jaws 1. The exposed granite bones of Blanca Peak provide most of the challenge along the Lake Como Road. | 
Pat Brady of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers eased his Ford-powered YJ shod with 37-inch tires up and over the slick offending fin of Jaws 1. | 
Leon Duggar eased his fully custom early-Ford pony up Jaws 1. The typical technique is to drive until the skidplate touches and then turn downhill and let gravity pull you off. Sometimes it even works. |