Lizard head pass near telluride above 10,000 feet in southwest colorado, this pass provides staggering views of colorado s jagged san juan mountains in the uncompahgre national forest. The alpine loop is designated as one of colorados official scenic byways, and for good reason. A 4x4s complete guide to black bear pass narrated for beginners full trail run telluride co duration. A week of wheeling in the san juan mountains of colorado equals six months of wheeling anywhere else. Whether youre renting an ohv or bringing your own, these routes will show you just why the san juan region has some of the best off roading in. Tourism is a major industry in the san juan mountains. Colorado is a dream state for offroaders, with some of the best backcountry, fourwheeldrive roads and trails in the nation. Great hikes in soutwest colorados san juan mountains. Details hiking information on top rated trails near the towns of ouray, telluride, silverton and lake city. There is an interactive map with all trails in the region on one map so you can put them in perspective. Utah, colorado and idaho since 1966, holiday expeditions has provided trips to the most spectacular landscapes on earth. The south san juan wilderness is located in southern colorado near the towns of pagosa springs, south fork, and antonito.
Adventure seekers and experienced fourwheel enthusiasts alike will discover how great the san juan mountains are. This region offers a lot of exploration for those looking to day trip from colorado s biggest city and is an excellent option for those renting a jeep or offroad vehicle for the day. Almost none of the famous jeepatv trails were effected by the forest closure. Off roading in the san juan mountains is a great way to get up close and personal with some of the amazing, untamed beauty in the region, from the jagged rocky peaks to the dense coniferous forests. Badger flats provides easy ohv rides on mostly smooth and level full size forest roads. Crossing the heart of the san juan mountains, this jeep tour ascends over two renowned highaltitude passes cinnamon and engineer pass, and crosses some of the most pristine wilderness offered throughout the southwest. With the perfect combination of topography, history and trail maintenance, the mountains around ouray offer unique backcountry adventures for your jeep, 4x4, dirt bike or ohv. In 2016, the property was generously gifted to the land bank by the reiss family, and the. If you are looking for a guided jeep tour, telluride outside offers a wide variety of 4wd tours. We offer cliffhanger 4 door modified jeep rubicons and 4 seater polaris rzr sidebysides that are built to go anywhere you want to take them just some of the trails we have near by. And find our listings for offroad outfitters and tour companies here 1. This is my list of the top trails in a collection of categories. Whether you are a newcomer to 4wheeling or an experienced veteran, we guarantee you will have fun. San juan backcountry provides a variety of ohv rentals from may through mid october.
This area holds some of the most beautiful atving and 4x4 trails in the state. Must have books for your next colorado trails 4wheel drive. One of the grandest of colorados varied ranges, the san juans offer over 12,000 sq. This challenging, straightthrough trail provides users with about 6. The silverton area has over seven miles of old wagon trails to ride on. Dolores, colorado is the gateway to the beautiful san juan mountains and numerous off road trails. Our jeeps and rzrs are rented through dolores outfitters in this area. These trails are primarily on blm land that never closed. These trails wind through old mining towns and ghost towns that are as spooky as they are fascinating. So, being located in boulder, colorado is one of the reasons we are able to staff our auto repair shop with some very talented techs. Colorado has a variety of jeep trails from easy graded roads to 4wd trails, on up to very difficult 4x4 challenges. One of the most famous jeep roads in colorado is black bear pass. San juan backcountry silverton, co jeep, atv, dirt. Before you embark on a 4 x4 adventure, please check the status of mountain passes.
One of the easiest and most gorgeous of the high alpine trails in the san juan mountains. Our information comes from being up on the trails ourselves or updates from those that have been on particular trails in their own vehicles. There has been no smoke in the silverton area for about ten. An opinionated guide to the best hikes in one of colorados top hiking areas, the western san juan mountains, encompassing more than 10,000 squaremiles of some of the most spectacular peaks, ridges and glacial valleys in the state. Meet the san juan county land banks new stewardship coordinator, erin halcomb. San juan mountains things to do in ouray, colorado. If you want to see the pure untamed beauty that is colorado, look no further than these trails. In a jeep rubicon, rocky mountain adventures are right around the next bend. The road starts with a sign that states, you dont have to be crazy. You can hire the newest, nicest, and most capable jeeps in colorado.
Please let me know if you would like to add some categories or dont agree with my picksclay. The ascent is gradual to the top, winding through aspen forests and past beautiful mountain wildflowers, to an elevation of 11,789. Abandoned when the mine went dry, tomboy ghost town is the perfect place to explore in the summer. The front range region book includes details of offroad trails and routes in fairplay, denver, colorado springs, pueblo, boulder, fort collins, longmont areas. San juan backcountry tours and rentals silverton, south. The san juan area around silverton and durango, colorado is americas most pristine wilderness. Be aware of runners, hikers, and mountain bikers while driving. Then venture above treeline and discover the majestic san juans, with endless mountaintop views. Although the san juan national forest reopened a week ago, keep in mind that the sjnf covers only about 25 percent of the huge san juan mountains. Exploring the san juan mountains of colorado with dan mick. Presented below are tour companies that offer guided atv or other offroad adventures andor rent vehicles in and near san juan mountains. At riverside jeeps, our jeep rentals are well equipped late model jeep wrangler rubicons for use in the san juan mountains of southwestern colorado.
San miguel has announced an attempt to begin bulldozing ophir pass open in middle june. Tour information san juan scenic jeep tours ouray, co. He continued to get lost, run into places too difficult for his vehicle and waste time on boring roads. Mccall made this road infamous with his spoken word song and album of the same name. The trails are just between colorado springs and denvereasy access for a weeklong trip or for city natives. Silverton and ouray, colorado have a variety of jeep and atv trails from easy graded roads up to one fairly difficult 4wd trail. For the full san juan backcountry experience, we recommend our total package which allows you to add a round trip train ride and an overnight stay to. Trek as high as,000 feet in gorgeous san juan county.
Fall is the perfect time to visit the san juan mountains and quiet colorado mountain towns of ouray and ridgway. Not all trails require a jeep many are suitable for pickups, suvs and even passenger cars. Crazy considering this is the first back country trail to open up in the san juans. Inside you will find 100 of the best trails in colorado. The book features 26 easy family fun runs, 32 moderate sport utility adventures and 42 difficult hardcore challenges. Situated at the base of the northern san juans and just 11 miles apart, ridgway and ouray are your longweekend escape. Take a trip with brooke and the jeep jamboree through this scenic christmas card town. San juan is one of the oldest touring companys in colorado.
Unfortunately, most of the information was vague, incomplete or inaccurate. South san juan wilderness, colorado maybe not as famous as the larger weminuche wilderness, the 158,790 acre south san juan wilderness of the rio grande and san juan national forests offers of 180 miles of trails, including 42 miles along the continental divide. Its no surprise that five of our local trails have been awarded jeep s badge of honor status. Ouray trail map, ouray co map ouray mountain adventures. Access to the wilderness is mainly from the north via hwy 160 or from the east through the town of antonito. The good news is the melt has finally begun in the san juans and trails will open slowly over the summer. Established in 1946, san juan scenic jeep tours is colorados first and oldest scenic jeep tour company located in ouray colorado. Today, we offer whitewater rafting in utah, colorado and idaho, on the colorado, green, yampa, san juan, and salmon rivers. San juan backcountry silverton 2020 all you need to. The wilderness boundary extends from south of hwy 160 to just north of hwy 17. Sharing a backyard with the striking beautiful san juan mountains offers our community with an unbeatable access point for high elevation adventures. Take cinnamon pass over to lake city and the engineer pass back to silverton or ouray. The descending trail from ophir pass is a narrow, shelf. There is a lot of overlap between offroad enthusiasts and mechanics.
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