1 week vacation Sunday to Sunday

[RickB]

Late august, the wife and I are taking a week vacation roadtrip round CO and maybe into Utah. Wife doesn't like wheeling that much however I think it would be great to have a few offroad adventures with destinations. Looking for something that ends with a view or has views along the way, not just an offroad trail for general wheeling fun. I would also like to include the million dollar highway. I have a stock 1992 cherokee however I purposely kept it stock to retain comfort. Everything suspension and driveline wise is redone and it now sits at upcountry. To give an example of difficulty levels, I just completed miller loop and Bill Moore lake with ease. So has anyone taken a nice road trip round CO maybe hitting Utah and thrown in a few offroad adventures along the way. Again being primarily road driving though? Just need a few tricks up my sleeve to impress the lady with some hard to get to destinations. How's Black Bear Pass btw if I am just alone without a group, I have a CB.

[Tom]

Engineer and Cinnamon passes along with a stop at Animas Forks are scenic and historic. If the wife does not like off roading black bear is not a good choice particularly in a longer vehicle.

There have been some mud slides along black bear so not even currently open thru to telluride.
"Black Bear Pass - Currently closed coming down into Telluride, due to the extreme weather conditions and mudslides. Imogene Pass - Currently there have been reports of rockslides and debris between the Town of Telluride and the Town of Tomboy"

[FINOCJ]

If the wife does not like off roading black bear is not a good choice particularly in a longer vehicle.
agreed - but Immogene pass between Ouray and Telluride would be a neat way to go between the two, well worth visiting, towns. There are a lot of roads in Utah that are relatively easy dirt roads that go off to almost nowhere and with spectacular scenery and overlooks etc - we love exploring random dirt roads all through Utah in my stock Tacoma.

Closer to home (but not that close), is the Crystal mill - classic photograph and relatively easy 4wd road to get to it.

[RickB]

The link you sent shows Black Bear as open. Also I am in a Cherokee, bout 10 inches longer than a Miata haha. I wouldn't consider this a very long vehicle. Ill check out Cinnamon Pass and Engineer though, forgot bout those!

[RickB]

Oh yeah Crystal Mill! And in Utah we would like to stay somewhere with some good celestial views.

[RickB]

Engineer and Cinnamon passes along with a stop at Animas Forks are scenic and historic. If the wife does not like off roading black bear is not a good choice particularly in a longer vehicle.

There have been some mud slides along black bear so not even currently open thru to telluride.
"Black Bear Pass - Currently closed coming down into Telluride, due to the extreme weather conditions and mudslides. Imogene Pass - Currently there have been reports of rockslides and debris between the Town of Telluride and the Town of Tomboy"


The link you sent shows Black Bear as open. Also I am in a Cherokee, bout 10 inches longer than a Miata haha. I wouldn't consider this a very long vehicle. Ill check out Cinnamon Pass and Engineer though, forgot bout those!

[RickB]

agreed - but Immogene pass between Ouray and Telluride would be a neat way to go between the two, well worth visiting, towns. There are a lot of roads in Utah that are relatively easy dirt roads that go off to almost nowhere and with spectacular scenery and overlooks etc - we love exploring random dirt roads all through Utah in my stock Tacoma.

Closer to home (but not that close), is the Crystal mill - classic photograph and relatively easy 4wd road to get to it.



Oh yeah Crystal Mill! And in Utah we would like to stay somewhere with some good celestial views.

[Tom]

The link you sent shows Black Bear as open. Also I am in a Cherokee, bout 10 inches longer than a Miata haha. I wouldn't consider this a very long vehicle. Ill check out Cinnamon Pass and Engineer though, forgot bout those!

There were mudslides the day before yesterday. Site may not have been updated. Looks open, but on Monday
https://www.ouraynews.com/news/mudslides-wash-outs-cause-road-closures

when one must double swipe the switchback in a jk. Your vehicle would likely take three swipes

[Tom]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4dHxze30R-Q&t=305s
at 4:28 and 5:17 are two of the switchbacks I am talking about.

And it appears I had to triple swipe em.

[Jim]

Depending upon your wife's aversion to "obstacles with consequences", from Lake City take either Engineer Pass or Cinnamon Pass (Cinnamon is "of less consequence", imo) to Animas Forks. Both are scenic. Odom Point (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Odom+Point/@37.9698754,-107.5956627,763m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x873ee1ca1fa319fd:0xb bc8a1f26fa94a00!8m2!3d37.9698712!4d-107.593474) is a nice stop and is 'on the way' for Engineer Pass. Once you're at Animas Forks you can decide - take the "easy route" down to Silverton/US-550 (family sedan / car capable) or stay on trails, heading west to US-550 via California, ?Hurricane?, Corkscrew passes.

Black Bear is one of the "checkbox" trails due to it's impressive "obstacles with consequences" switchbacks plus the scenic powerhouse / water falls. Otherwise, it's on par with Engineer / Cinnamon / Imogene for mountain grandure.

A comment for "Celestial Views" - are you planning the trip in a new moon phase (just bringing it up if you had not considered it).
www.TimeAndDate.com/moon/phases/ (http://www.TimeAndDate.com/moon/phases/)


edit: Re-reading your post... A mountain colorado road trip...

Start with Paul's gravel road trek from Monarch Pass to Slumgullion Pass
Overnight in Lake City
Cinnamon Pass to Animas Forks
Drop down to Silverton then US-550 up to Ouray - overnight with hot springs
Maybe Yes/No Black Bear or Imogene to Telluride
From Ouray or Telluride head up to Gateway via Naturita / Uravan on CO-141 (my favorite CO road for motorcycling)
Consider the car museum at Gateway - or if you wish to splurge - a nite at the resort.
www.GatewayAutoMuseum.com (http://www.GatewayAutoMuseum.com)
www.GatewayCanyons.com (http://www.GatewayCanyons.com)
From Gateway - possibly take the gravel road west to Moab/Castle Valley or set a destination up to Dinosaur National Monument
At Dinosaur... Visit the Harper's Corner vista point (https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B032'03.0%22N+109%C2%B000'28.3%22W/@40.534166,-109.0084112,184m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m13!1m6!3m5!1s0x873ee1ca1fa319f d:0xbbc8a1f26fa94a00!2sOdom+Point!8m2!3d37.9698712 !4d-107.593474!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d40.534165!4d-109.0078644) (approx 1 mile walk, not much elevation change, great views)
Dinosaur route (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.2429552,-108.9732616/40.5341661,-109.0078837/40.5199647,-108.9936002/40.3550858,-108.4488909/@40.4584641,-108.9976384,39618m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m11!4m10!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-108.9288636!2d40.4782602!3s0x8745052c445b2bd7:0xd2 27fe67f503e265!1m0!3e0)
Heading east out of Dinosaur, take the gravel road with a stop at the Echo Park campground at the river. While the campground is not the destination - there's some interesting stuff to see on the way there.
From the campground - head east through Echo Park to Maybell CO and east to Steamboat / Walden (quick stop at the north sand flats??) / Fort Collins via the Poudre Canyon (or drop south to Granby then route through RMNP)

[Java]

the best way, IMO, to go to Moab from Colorado is from Gateway.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HywZtsjB8jU

Between Ouray and Gateway is a cool place called Escalante Canyon off 50. Awesome dirt road with two historic cabins and more.

https://vimeo.com/142965873

[JandDGreens]

I went on a trip in June to the Saun Juan area with Overland Bound. We spent 5 days bouncing from place to place .I have done a couple trips down there. While I'm down there I am always looking for trails/campsites that my wife wouldn't mind doing. She hates heights , especially shelf roads. She tolerates trails that are quite rough but the second we get to a trail with a drop off she isn't having it. In fact we went down to Durango one year for a long weekend to ride the train and enjoy the town. We drove the million dollar highway and as we were leaving Silverton they were working on part of the highway that obviously washed out. Half of the road (the outside half) was being built back up with a retaining wall to support it. Needless to say we weren't going back that way.

I'm hoping by next season things get back to normal, so my wife and I can take a week to go down to enjoy camping, hiking and the surrounding towns down there. I have it all mapped out in my mind, were to go.

The thing is sure you can definitely do Black Bear Pass by yourself, but honestly I wouldn't. It's one of those trails that things can go wrong and when they do the consequence wouldn't be something you can write home about (maybe your own wife could).

I'm lucky my wife doesn't mind my hobbies, in fact she supports them as long as it doesn't break the bank. And at times she will tag along.

Hope yours gets hooked on the incredible scenery and ends up enjoying jeeping, the trips you can take would be unforgettable.