Marshall Pass, Colorado

[Steve Scearce]

We met some pals over the weekend atop Marshall Pass, SW of Poncha Springs, Colorado. It's a 14-mile easy drive from US 285 between Poncha Springs and Poncha Pass. The 2wd road follows an old railroad grade from US 285 to US 50 between Poncha Springs and Gunnison. Lots of nice camping at the top of the pass, with walk-out-of-camp access to the Colorado Trail/Continental Divide Trail. There is some ATV traffic on the road, but mostly it's midday. Mornings and evenings are quiet.

 

[ski3pin]

Very nice Steve! We're going to pull out the maps and check this out. Thanks!

 

[Steve Scearce]

Thanks, Ski. It's a place that's worthy of exploration.

Checked out your blog: Great photos! Nice essays as well.
Very nice Steve! We're going to pull out the maps and check this out. Thanks!

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Marshall Pass looks like a great place and is pretty close the me as well. Good to hear from you again at WtW, Steve!

 

[rotti]

What a timely post Steve.

I am heading to the San Juans tomorrow. Have been waiting for the weather to clear and Marshall Pass looks to be a good first night stop. It has been years since I have been down there. Hope to see Lake City, Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, Pikin and drive the Ophir, Cinnamon, and Engineer Passes.

Any suggestions from resturants to bars to roads would be appreciated.

 

[highz]

That looks like a great destination for a somewhat short trip for me, too. Thanks for posting it!

 

[Steve Scearce]

Thanks, Stew. It has been a too-long hiatus!
Marshall Pass looks like a great place and is pretty close the me as well. Good to hear from you again at WtW, Steve!

 

[Steve Scearce]

Rotti,

I'd drive down the west side of Marshall Pass to US 50, then head west to the Owl Creek Pass turnoff to take the scenic route to Ridgway. Here's a pic from the Middle Fork of the Cimarron River in that neck of the woods.

What a timely post Steve.

I am heading to the San Juans tomorrow. Have been waiting for the weather to clear and Marshall Pass looks to be a good first night stop. It has been years since I have been down there. Hope to see Lake City, Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, Pikin and drive the Ophir, Cinnamon, and Engineer Passes.

Any suggestions from resturants to bars to roads would be appreciated.

 

[mtn-high]

The Owl Creek/Silverjack Res. area is very beautiful. I've been there many times. The last time was when my buddy Mark and I went that way in Sept 2010 when we met up with the WTW crew at Eureka/Silverton and stayed in the overused camp spot on the west side on the river near the bridge.

Geez...if I knew so many of ya were thinking about trippin' it to CO we coulda given serious thought to another "Rally"...

have fun out there. Do yer prep for bears cus they are out and hungry this year...(comin down into the neighborhoods here)

mtn

 

[Phird05]

The Owl Creek/Silverjack Res. area is very beautiful. I've been there many times. The last time was when my buddy Mark and I went that way in Sept 2010 when we met up with the WTW crew at Eureka/Silverton and stayed in the overused camp spot on the west side on the river near the bridge.

Geez...if I knew so many of ya were thinking about trippin' it to CO we coulda given serious thought to another "Rally"...

have fun out there. Do yer prep for bears cus they are out and hungry this year...(comin down into the neighborhoods here)

mtn


Hey Mtn.,

Oh yeah, bears. I had one on my front porch two nights ago here in Crested Butte. It was probably 400 lbs. or so. The biggest I have seen in our neighborhood. I'm just glad I didn't open the front door when I heard the noise thinking someone was going to knock on the door. The dog started acting a bit squirrelly (sp) so I decided to look out the window. Surprisingly this all happened before dark roughly 8:40 pm. What a cool surprise. He just sauntered off to the neighbors. They have been in our neighborhood for about a month now. Gotta love the CO wildlife!

 

[Steve Scearce]

While we were at Marshall Pass, a mama bear and her two cubs laid waste to our chokecherry trees. They stripped 'em bare and broke lots of branches. Then they left four large piles of chokecherry pit poop around the yard. Since then, I've seen the family twice. I suspect the Gambel Oak acorns are next on their menu. The berries in our neck of the woods are pretty weak this year, so we expect to see lots of bears from now until November. Hey Mtn.,

Oh yeah, bears. I had one on my front porch two nights ago here in Crested Butte. It was probably 400 lbs. or so. The biggest I have seen in our neighborhood. I'm just glad I didn't open the front door when I heard the noise thinking someone was going to knock on the door. The dog started acting a bit squirrelly (sp) so I decided to look out the window. Surprisingly this all happened before dark roughly 8:40 pm. What a cool surprise. He just sauntered off to the neighbors. They have been in our neighborhood for about a month now. Gotta love the CO wildlife!