Went to Lake city via Creede last weekend. Long but beautiful drive. Left Sun morning and got back Mon night. More driving than shooting although I did shoot a yeller bellied marmot. Got some good shots of him too!
But to the point. Now I am curious about Engineer pass. It was too long to do this trip and it was still mushy and snowpacked in palces. Has anyone made this trip? What is it like? Is my Pathfinder Off-Road sufficient?
Thanks!
John
It's rough, but your vehicle will have no problems with it. The pass just opened, and I read reports that it's still muddy and slushy, which is not ideal conditions when you're heading down the steep, rough, Silverton side. Cinammon Pass is no problem, so that's also an option.
If you haven't already gotten it, I'd recommend Charles Wells guide to Colorado back county and 4wd trails vol 1. It covers some of the roads south of I-70. It is a nice reference that will tell you what to expect on a portion of the 4wd roads in the state. It obviously doesn't cover everything, but it does cover all of the major passes in the Ouray/Silverton area and alot of the roads around Crested Butte.
Todd, I was getting a flat fixed on Monday am and the tow truck driver got called to retrieve a Jeep from Engineer (very expensive tow at $100/hr). I think I will wait for it to dry out some. Mel I will look for that book and I did find a fairly comprehensive link on the subject (after posting of course) http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/4X4.html . After reading the description of Black Bear I think I will just scratch that off the list My daughter and her beau did that one last summer and it scared the you know what out 'em!
John
Hi John,
I was snowboarding up near Cinammon Pass on Sunday (which is completely clear and dry) and got a good view of Engineer Pass. Here's a picture (the Engineer road and valley is at the top right portion of the picture) : http://www.widerange.org/images/engineer.jpg
Jack thanks for the photo view. It will likely be several weeks before I can make this trip so I expect the road conditions will improve. I am planning a week long trip to do a thorough explore of that neck 'o the woods. Anyone up for a road trip?
Discussion
5 repliesBut to the point. Now I am curious about Engineer pass. It was too long to do this trip and it was still mushy and snowpacked in palces. Has anyone made this trip? What is it like? Is my Pathfinder Off-Road sufficient?
Thanks!
John
If you haven't already gotten it, I'd recommend Charles Wells guide to Colorado back county and 4wd trails vol 1. It covers some of the roads south of I-70. It is a nice reference that will tell you what to expect on a portion of the 4wd roads in the state. It obviously doesn't cover everything, but it does cover all of the major passes in the Ouray/Silverton area and alot of the roads around Crested Butte.
John
I was snowboarding up near Cinammon Pass on Sunday (which is completely clear and dry) and got a good view of Engineer Pass. Here's a picture (the Engineer road and valley is at the top right portion of the picture) : http://www.widerange.org/images/engineer.jpg