Bears Pass/ events? [Archive]

SPECIALKAY28

07-13-2009, 12:14

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 22:47

Are you talking about Black Bear Pass above Telluride? If so, yes. Most of the trail is easy to moderate. The hard stuff starts on the switchbacks at the end. On some of them you may have to do 2, 3, or 4 point turns even with a short wheelbase. A spotter is very important at that point and you may have a wheel in the air a time or two. If you are unsure of this, check out traildamage.com or use google for pictures.

HillBillE

07-13-2009, 22:53

I'll be wheeling CO for my first time this Sept. (Going with my buddy who's been there quite a few times)

Black Bear Pass is one I want to do. We drove into Telluride and could see the trail, still covered in snow, on our way back from Moab. Seeing the switchbacks in the snow, really made me want to do it!

I hear Mt Alero is a nice one also.

http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=51

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong wheeling anywhere in CO!:D It's all beautiful!

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 23:07

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong wheeling anywhere in CO!:D It's all beautiful!

You, sir, are 100% correct.

HillBillE

07-13-2009, 23:11

You, sir, are 100% correct.

I've been through CO a few times, just running I-70. We stay at my buddy Dave's brothers house just outside Denver, when we go to Moab. I've been itching to wheel there for years, now this Sept I will!

We're taking 10-12 days and hitting CO and Moab. Probably just do Moab for 1 day, then head for the coolness of the mountains!:D

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 23:15

Find this book at a library or order it from Amazon. I keep a copy in the pocket of my driver's side door. Great stuff.

HillBillE

07-13-2009, 23:16

Find this book at a library or order it from Amazon. I keep a copy in the pocket of my driver's side door. Great stuff.

Yep! I have one for Moab, going to order one for the trip, they are very informative!

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 23:22

:)Can Bears Pass be completed by a stock cherokee or wrangler? Does anyone no of any events going on in Colorado/ Utah the 5-20 Aug. This is my first time wheeling Utah/ Colorado and would like to now what I should see with my father. Thanks Devin

Sorry I didn't answer the second part of your question. See if you can find the above book I mentioned. It's a great primer for well-traveled trails. Be prepared to feel a definite loss of power above the tree-line. What part of CO will you be driving through? If you're driving the I-25 corridor, we have lots of good trails here right outside of Colorado Springs. If you're able to stay in one place, then I would recommend the San Juan mountains. Places to stay there are Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. Check out each town's websites for events. They're all excellent mountains towns, lots of famous trails and Ouray bills itself as the Jeep Capital of Colorado. Here are some pictures I took of that area. The second pic is Silverton. The valley it sits in is above 9,300 feet.

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 23:44

North of the San Juans are the Elk Mountains, home to Aspen, Glenwood Springs and the often photographed mill at the ghost town of Crystal. Here are some more pics I took of that area.

ColoFreeJeeper

07-13-2009, 23:53

Just west of the Arkansas river valley is the Sawatch range and the Collegiate Peaks (Mount Harvard, Mount Yale, Mount Princeton, etc. All above 14,000 feet.) I took these during a camping trip just a few months ago. The first pic is looking down into South Park. Yes, that South Park.

trailsnail

07-14-2009, 19:19

Those pictures are beautiful. I can't wait until I get back. I hope that during R&R I'll be able to get into the mountains.

ColoFreeJeeper

07-15-2009, 00:27

Those pictures are beautiful. I can't wait until I get back. I hope that during R&R I'll be able to get into the mountains.

Glad you liked them. Be safe out there bro. I'm sending something to your APO shortly. I'll let you know when it's on the way.

the_expo7

07-16-2009, 20:13

Telluride is one of the best places I have ever been wheeling. Check out all the trails around there such as Engineer, Black Bear, Ophir, Imogene, Mineral Creek, Yankee Boy Basin, and Poughkeepsie Gulch. Great Camping too. If you plan on doing all the trails up there in one trip plan on at least 4 days.

trailsnail

07-17-2009, 11:45

SGM O

08-03-2009, 22:32

A day in Moab? Have you been there before? Even in a stock Jeep there is so much to see and do. Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, the town itself and then there are all the Jeep trails :) Black Bear can be done in a stock Jeep in Aug - Sep when it is mostly dry and before the snow flies. Same with Imogene and the others, just need to pay attention and don't get to close to the edge. Above the tree line there is nothing to stop you hence the bumper sticker "Real Men Don't Need Guardrails" :) The biggest challenge of wheeling in Colorado is not getting lost in the view and lose track of where your tires are, take your time and remember if you have to turn around, back up hill towards the mountian, not over the edge :)

A route we have done a few times is (coming from Colorado Springs) is From Lake City, CO follow Henson Creek up and over Engineer Pass in to Ouray, have lunch and then do Imogene Pass to Telluride. The next day come back over Black Bear Pass towards Silverton and then follow the trail up to Animas Forks. It is good to have the trail guide as there are a lot of trails off the main one and most dead end and some are much easier to get down than to get back up. If it is open a great side trail is to take Parsons Gulch down to the lake. Animas Foks is an old mining town, there are still a lot of buildings. From there follow Cinnamon Pass back accross to Lake San Cristobal. So if you started in Telluride you could just do it in reverse. I will tell you that the toughest part of Engineer Pass is the first mile heading east from Hwy 550. Have a great trip.

MoyMch

09-01-2009, 18:05

Black Bear and Imogene can both be done in stock Jeeps. The trails are very easy technically, but have a high pucker factor if heights aren’t your thing.