Montrose, Colorado

Black Bear Pass (el. 12,840’), officially known as Forest Service Road 648, is an infamous 4WD road that runs between U.S. Highway 550 (between Silverton & Ouray) and Telluride, CO. From the pass downhill through the Ingram Basin to Telluride, the road is one-way and features switchbacks and ...

The ghost town of Animas Forks, CO is located in the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of 11,200 feet. There are several original buildings remaining. The best way to explore the region is by Jeep or other high-clearance 4×4. The cabins began being built by prospectors in 1873. Three rivers meet...

Spending much of the trek above tree line, Hurricane Pass is situated at 12,730 feet above sea level and offers up views of Poughkeepsie Gulch (a more extreme off-road trail) and sapphire blue mountain lakes, such as Lake Como. One of the most beautiful roads in the lower 48 states, Hurricane Pas...

This short loop trail starts and ends at Mesa Lakes Lodge, it is a little less than 2 miles round trip. From the lodge, we walked up the road towards our cabin (Bear cabin). Just past the cabin a trail starts that skirts the edge of the first lake and then winds around a few other lakes (Mesa Lak...

Along Colorado’s Alpine Loop, Cinnamon Pass sits 12,640’ above the San Juan Mountains. A high clearance vehicle preferably with 4WD is needed to reach the pass, but the breathtaking views along the challenging journey make it worth the ride.  During the gold rush in Colorado, Cinnamon pass was us...

Placer Gulches 4WD trail is a gorgeous route offering scenic vistas of the San Juan Mountains and traverses an area rich with mining history. This area provides gorgeous wild flowers in the peak season of late July/ early August. Some of the best preserved mine structures in Colorado can be found...

I've been visiting Telluride, CO for the last 20 years, and I'd never once heard of this place. Mystic Falls is not marked on any map I've ever seen. And even some locals seem to have never heard of it. So I feel like I lucked out on this last trip to Telluride when a friend found a blog post and...

Ophir Pass (el. 11,114’), officially known as Forest Service Road #630, is one of the easiest of the high alpine trails in the San Juan mountains, but still can provide trouble to the inexperienced or when bad weather is present, particularly on the western/Ophir downhill side. The pass and road ...

Just outside of the small community of Lake City, Colorado is Engineer Pass, a dirt road that has amazing views and opportunities to hike, take pictures, and maybe even explore an abandoned mining town. Four wheel drive or all wheel drive is preferable, but the road can definitely be driven by a ...

The easier drive to the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead is reached by traveling south from Lake City and turning right onto County Road 30. Although parts can be rough and the shelf road around the base of Sunshine Peak may cause a tighter grip on the steering wheel, in dry conditions a hi...

Lost Lake Slough offers camping, hiking, photography, kayaking, and more in a remote and beautiful part of Colorado. At an elevation of over 9,600 ft., the lake typically opens in mid-June after the snow is melted, and closes in October after the first significant snowfall. The campground is on...

The Three Lakes trail near Crested Butte is a great loop if you're looking to hit up a couple mountain lakes. At 4.5 miles with moderate incline, this trail can easily be knocked out in under 2 hours. It also is a great hike to admire fall colors as you'll get great views of the Ruby Range and th...

The road to Clear Lake offers wonderful views of the South Fork Mineral Creek, and the San Juan Mountains. Some people make the 9-mile round-trip hike with 2,600 feet of elevation gain, others drive as far as their vehicle will allow and hike from there, and some make the drive all the way up. It...

Between the city of Silverton and prior to reaching the ghost town of Animas Forks a wonderful area of alpine beaver ponds that are teaming with trout, many species of ducks, beavers, and moose.  Along the forest road in the early morning and evening many moose can be easily seen from the road wa...

Kebler Pass near Crested Butte is a leaf peepers paradise considering that one of the largest groves of aspens in Colorado makes its home here. If you want those postcard views of rugged mountain peaks and vibrant aspens, then I recommend hiking the Dyke Trail to Dark Canyon loop. Put this on you...

From the Ice Lakes trailhead begin hiking through a meadow that quickly enters the forest and begins to climb. The trail will climb ~1,600 feet in the next two miles. As the trail climbs there is a scenic waterfall just over .5 miles, it is worth it to scamper up for a closer look (at ~1.0 miles ...