Silverton and the San Juan Mountains

[dorocks]

We took another trip to the Silverton Colorado area again.This time my son was able to go. We did five days of trails. It was a wet trip for the most part. But since most of the trails there have a lot of rock in them "hence the Rockies", we were able to go on the trails even if it rained. The rain was mostly in the evening, but sometimes in the day. Clouds and sun played who wins all day.
Most days were a combination of two trails. We did Cinnamon and Engineer Pass first day. Second day we did Red Mountain area and Yankee Boy Basin. Third day was Kendall Mountain and Arrastra Gulch.
Fourth was Black Bear Pass and Imogene Pass. Fifth was Mineral Creek with an attempt to do Poughkeepsie Gulch. We ran into obstacles too big for my stock Rubicon, so we backtracked a bit and went up Califrornia Gulch.

While we were there, the other side of the Rockies were having the floods. When we went home, Hwy 160 in New Mexico was closed due to flash floods. They diverted us over a nice pass. We hit one whopper of a storm with deluge rain, hail, and double strike lightning. Quite awesome actually.

I only have Black Bear and Imogene Pass pictures posted so far. There is one video at the beginning of the library which is the infamous Black Bear Pass descent into Telluride.

Those with a fear of heights may not find it edifying.

http://keithbarnes.smugmug.com/Vacation/2013-Colorado-Black-Bear-Pass-

Keith Jeanne and Ian

 

[craig333]

I have so got to do that trip.

 

[Larry Perry]

That was not easy for me to watch that decent I could not do. Some spots would have stopped me in my tracks and I would have been stuck. Called a Blackhawk to get me out. I guess thats why I don't do that kind of back country travel. You are GOOD.

 

[takesiteasy]

Awesome video. The views are something else although I bet you didn't get to see most of them until you watched the video- being focused on the road and all. Great report. Thanks!

 

[Argonaut20]

Switch backs are sure fun, aren't they? Anyone with their 3/4 ton crew cab gonna try that trail?

 

[ETAV8R]

I have done all those trails with the exception of Poughkeepsie. This was last August when I still had my flippac. I would love to see a rig with a pop-up doing those trails. Made Death Valley seem like childs play.

 

[craig333]

Not sure if my truck "could" do it but I wouldn't take it there. Let the vehicle built for that stuff do it. Of course it wasn't long ago I was going, this would be better in the Jeep as I was driving my truck