| San Juan Range Appendix A Custom Object |
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| Page Type: Custom Object Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 32.84000°N / 113.91°W Object Type: Custom County: Various | Page By: Aaron Johnson Created/Edited: Feb 17, 2006 / Mar 15, 2008 Object ID: 173234 Hits: 2137 Loading... Page Score: 88.76% - 11 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
4WD Access: The San Juan RoadsTo see the San Juans in any satisfying detail and understand the layout of this complex range requires the use of a 4 wheel drive vehicle. In achieving expedient access to your mountain, it is essential in this range. The routes are the very same ones utilized by miners in the early 20th century. Experience in 4 wheeling is strongly recommended, although most of these narrow shelf roads are not that difficult to navigate. Be warned that the more difficult roads in the San Juans are indeed truly dangerous and have claimed lives and vehicles. Do plenty of research! This section will aid you in that endeavor.
Road Ratings:
1=Driveable with a passenger car
2=High clearance suggested
3=High clearance and 4WD required, some obstacles
4= High clearance and 4WD required, considerable obstacles, steep and exposed shelf roads
5= High clearance and 4WD required, considerable obstacles, steep and exposed shelf roads, experience mandatory, no margin for error
Please note that weather and conditions can change the above ratings dramatically in any given year.
All photos by Aaron Johnson except where noted.
CANYON CREEK ROAD (1)
Just south of Ouray off US 550, Ouray County 361 provides access to Yankee Boy Basin and the peaks of the Sneffels Range and Ouray group. The road is steep and narrow in spots but fairly well maintained. A high clearance vehicle at the least is recommended. This road becomes the popular Yankee Boy Basin road (3), which climbs to over 12,000 feet on a rough and steep jeep road. A side road to Governor Basin is equally beautiful and comparable in difficulty. Both roads dead-end in the basins. A spur road at the ghost town site of Sneffels is the Imogene Pass Road (4), which accesses the Telluride and Ouray groups. This road is steep and hazardous, with narrow shelves and a variety of obstacles. Experience strongly recommended.
Report & Photos
LAST DOLLAR ROAD (1)
A county road west of the Dallas Divide on Highway 62, west of Ridgway, provides access to the west end of the Sneffels range. The road joins Highway 145 at Sawpit, west of Telluride. This road is maintained. A spur road (2) provides stunning views of the San Miguel Range. It departs the Last Dollar Road at roughly the halfway point and joins US 145 just west of Telluride.
Report & Photos
DALLAS CREEK ROAD (1)
Ouray County 7 provides access through private property and national forest lands for northern approaches of the Sneffels range. This road departs Colorado 62 west of Ridgway. Photo by SP member theplugger.
IMOGENE PASS ROAD (4)
Departs Telluride on the north side of town and contours east into Tomboy Basin, crossing the highest jeep pass in the San Juans before descending north into Imogene Basin and ultimately Ouray. Various dead end spur roads are available. This road has its moments, and is steep and narrow near the top. Do not underestimate the severity. People have died on this road.
4x4Now Report with Photos Patrol One Report with Photos
BLACK BEAR ROAD (5)
Among the most difficult jeep routes in the state, this road provides excellent access to the Telluride group of mountains if you have the nerve. You’re better off walking, and besides, the road is only ONE WAY INTO TELLURIDE from Black Bear Basin. If coming from Ouray and Red Mountain Pass, expect narrow shelves, major drops over polished rock which you must drive your vehicle over, narrow switchbacks, dizzying heights and unbelievable steepness that will test your brakes, skill and nerves. People have died dramatically on this road. From the Ouray side, up to the pass, the road is much more civil (3). 4x4Now Report with Photos
OPHIR PASS (2)
Provides access to the Telluride and Ophir groups. Narrow in a couple spots but nothing formidable. Traverses the mountains between US 550 and US 145.
Report & Photos
CORKSCREW PASS & GRAY COPPER GULCH (3)
Provides access to the Red Mountains and Brown Mountain sub-ranges. Starts at Ironton, south of Ouray on US 550 and exits at the Gladstone Mine, 8 miles north of Silverton. County 110 (1) will take you south into Silverton. Steep and narrow, and subject to rapid erosion that changes conditions quickly. Gray Copper Gulch climbs the mountain from a junction just north of the Gladstone Mine, providing access to the central Ouray group of mountains. This is a newly developed jeep road (2), which connects with Poughkeepsie Gulch (5) and California Gulch (2). Above photo by SP member nader.
Report with Photos, including the Corkscrew Turntable
ENGINEER PASS (3)
This scenic byway provides a challenge to beginners expanding their skills. Narrow shelves, rock obstacles and steep, slick inclines are the rule. Starts at US 550 south of Ouray and connects to Poughkeepsie Gulch (5), Mineral Point (3), and host of dead end routes. Ultimately the road crosses Engineer Pass into Hindsdale County, bound for Lake City. The Ouray group and Uncompahgre, as well as Lake City group of ranges can be accessed from this spectacular jeep road. This road from Lake City to the pass is rated at 2. A spur road on the Lake City side at the Capitol City town site provides access to the Uncompahgre group via Matterhorn Creek (2). Another potentially muddy spur road (3) from the Matterhorn Creek road gets you to the trailhead for popular 14er Wetterhorn Peak, as well as Matterhorn and Uncompahgre Peak. The Nellie Creek road (3) also departs the Engineer road in the depths of Henson Creek, 10 miles west of Lake City. This road can be slick in bad weather, and features steep shelf portions. It provides access to the standard eastern approach of Uncompahgre Peak.
Report & Photos
POUGHKEEPSIE GULCH (5)
This is a rough and dangerous road that eats vehicles for breakfast and it is not recommended if you are planning on climbing a mountain, because you’ll never get there to climb it in the first place. Recommended direction is downhill from the Gray Copper Gulch road at Hurricane Pass (2).
Report & Photos Including Rollover
Report & Photos
MINERAL POINT (3)
This spur road off of the Engineer Pass road is sometimes signed, and gives a tour of the mines surrounding the mining camp of Mineral Point, in the heart of the Ouray group of mountains. Mud bogs and various obstacles may be encountered.
4x4Now Report with Photos
Photo Presentation
110 TO ANIMAS FORKS (1)
This road is maintained to the Eureka ghost town site, and during the summer is still passable for passenger cars if executed carefully in ideal conditions, all the way to the preserved ghost town of Animas Forks. The road continues (2) on up to the Mineral Point Road (3) or ultimately the Engineer Pass road and on to Ouray (3).
Report & Photos Photo Presentation
TREASURE MOUNTAIN ROAD (3)
Occasional steep grades and narrow spots. Provides limited access to the central Silverton group of mountains. Joins the California Gulch road (2) below and northeast of the pass to Gray Copper Gulch (2), ultimately ending at the Animas Forks ghost town.
Report & Photos
CINNAMON PASS (2)
A steep climb requiring high clearance and 4WD is right at the junction above Animas Forks, which is signed. Beyond, the road is easy and provides access to the talus covered mountains of the Lake City group, including popular 14ers Redcloud, Sunshine and Handies peaks. At the junction with the American Basin dead-end road (2), the road becomes maintained (summer only-1). The road narrows and becomes steep on the southern flanks of Sunshine Peak, but presents no serious 4WD hazard. The Carson City road (2) departs the Cinnamon Pass road west of Lake San Cristobal, and climbs south over the Continental Divide. The road descends the south side of the Divide and seems to wander aimlessly and offers a host of challenges (4) before joining Colorado 149 south of Slumgullion Pass and west of Creede. Above photo by SP member nader.
4x4NOW Report with Photos
STONY PASS (3)
Departs County 110 north of Silverton at Howardsville, providing access to a wide array of mountains in the Silverton group. Steep and narrow on the Silverton side, with a wide array of obstacles on the Creede side. This is a long road-30 miles between the two San Juan towns! It will take most of the day to drive its length. The Cunningham spur road provides access to peaks in the heart of the Silverton caldera, along with the Highlands, just north of the Grenadier range and the heart of the San Juans. The Beartown spur road (4) provides access to the east end of the isolated Grenadier range, as well as the Oso group and Rio Grande Pyramid portions of the central San Juan, all located in the vast Weminuche Wilderness. All of these destinations involve overnight backpacking efforts. The popular area of the central San Juan and the Rio Grande Pyramid can be accessed from the Thirty Mile Reservoir.
Report & Photos Including Cunnigham Gulch
THE DURANGO-SILVERTON NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD
Durango-Silverton Train Schedule
ALPINE MESA (2)
Departs Colorado 149 north of Lake City and eventually meets up with US 50 west of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Can be slick and muddy but presents no serious hazards. Provides north access to the Uncompahgre and East Cimarron ranges.
OWL CREEK PASS & CIMARRON ROADS (1)
Departs US 550 3 miles north of Ridgway due east over Owl Creek Pass. This is maintained Ouray County road number 10. Provides access to the west fork of the Cimarron River and the western Cimarron sub-range of mountains via a moderate jeep road (2) that starts just east of Owl Creek Pass. Roads for the Middle and Big (east) Cimarron drainages (2) begin just south of Silverjack Reservoir. The main Cimarron Valley road proceeds north through farm land and private areas to meet up with US 50.
Report & Photos
ELWOOD PASS (2)
Parallels Wolf Creek Pass (Highway 160) to the south over the crest of the South San Juan and the Continental Divide.
NOTABLE DEAD END ROADS THAT GRANT GOOD ACCESS FOR CLIMBING
The Eureka Gulch Road (2) departs County Road 110 at Eureka townsite, north of Silverton and climbs west up Eureka Gulch to emptied Lake Emma and the defunct Sunnyside Mine.
The Cunningham Gulch Road (2) departs The Stony Pass road on the Silverton side and climbs south toward the Highlands and King Solomon Mountain.
The Beartown Road (4) departs the Stony Pass road on the Creede side and climbs toward the Highlands and Hunchback Pass, granting access to the Oso Group, the Grenadiers, the Highlands and the Vallecito Creek Drainage.
The Mineral Creek Road (1) (San Juan County 7) departs Highway 550 two miles west of Silverton, and grants access to the Ice Lake Basin group.
The Clear Lake Road departs the Mineral Creek Road and climbs north to Clear Lake for access to the Ice Lake Group of mountains south of Ophir Pass.
The Dexter Creek Road (2) departs Highway 550 north of Ouray for access of the Ouray Group via the Horsethief Trail.
The 44Z road (2) departs Highway 145 1.5 miles east of Norwood for access to Lone Cone.
The Turqoise Lake Loop Road (1) departs Highway 145 north of Lizard Head Pass, passing through a private community. The south side is sketchy but passable for most cars. No camping allowed. Accesses the west side of the Ice Lake Group via Lake Hope.
The Dunton Road (1) is not a dead end road, but for access purposes, not much of the road needs to be driven. Difficulty can increase depending on weather and conditions. Departs Highway 145 5.4 miles south of Lizard Head Pass. Accesses the San Miguel Range from the south from a trailhead 5 miles from the highway.
The Illium Road (1) is not a dead end road and grants access to fee camping and the east approach to Bilk Basin in the San Miguels via the Sunshine Mesa Road. More information is found here.
The Sunshine Mesa Road (1) departs the Illium Road and climbs west up Sunshine Mesa beneath Sunshine Peak for access to the Lizard Head Wilderness. The road is closed two miles before its terminus due to landslides that have obliterated it. Open to motorcycles July-September.
The Boomerang Road (1)is a dusty county road that departs Route 145 two miles north of Ames and meanders up forested slopes to the ghost town of Alta. Access is to isolated spots on the west end of the Telluride-Ophir range. The road used to make its way north to Telluride, but is probably blocked or rerouted by the ski area now.
Prophyry Basin (3) departs Highway 550 a quarter mile south of the Black Bear Road turn-off. This road is not signed. It is an easy shelf road for the first mile, then becomes a narrow, tilting shelf road that would be dangerous in wet conditions. Accesses the magnificent Prophyry Basin, a seldom visited location.
Arastra Gulch (2) departs County 110 2 miles north of Silverton. This road climbs up a draw between Little Giant and Kendall Peaks, becoming a loose shelf road that crosses great talus mining dumps before ending at the closed mining entrance of the Mayflower Mine. Be wary of rockfall. Accesses the Silverton Group, including the Kendall Peaks, Little Giant and the Silver Lake Mine ruin.San Juan Historical Time LineIn addition to historic first ascents of the San Juan summits, some other important and interesting events that shaped the future of the San Juans are listed here. The first ascents, first explorations and other important climbing-related events are noted in red for context to the other events going on at the time. Interesting stuff!
1270 Slumgullion Slide occurs. The collapse of a mesa seco forms Lake San Cristobal
1765 Don Juan Mira de Rivera leads expedition to the La Plata region
1848 Colonel John Fremont’s 4th Colorado expedition meets with disaster when the party is stranded in dire winter conditions in the La Garita Mountains. for 16 days. Livestock died, 12 out of 34 men died.
1859 Geologic expedition led by Lieutenant John Simpson
1870 Summitville established (this mine would later become a Superfund Clean-up site during the 1990s)
1871 Little Giant Mine near Silverton is one of the first in the area
1874 Silverton founded; Ute Nation turns land over to the United States, mining begins near Lake City; Alferd Packer cannibalizes 5 of his 6 companions when his mining expedition is stranded in the San Juans just south of Lake City; Hayden & Wheeler surveys begin and make first ascents of the San Juans
1875 Ouray & Lake City founded; Wheeler survey party ascends Uncompahgre, Rio Grande Pyramid, La Platas and others; Sheridan Mine near Telluride strikes it rich
1876 Colorado becomes a state
1877 Otto Mears designs the Engineer Pass and Mineral Point routes; Animas City is established, later to become Durango
1879 Wagon road up Cement Creek to Gladstone leads to development of Corkscrew Pass over the Red Mountains; Stony Pass wagon road reaches Animas Canyon
1880 Telluride founded as Columbia; Durango established
1881 Railroad reaches Ouray and Durango; the Enterprise Mine opens in Rico; all Ute tribes removed from Colorado
1882 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad reaches Silverton; Otto Mears builds toll road between Red Mountain and Ouray
1883 Otto Mears builds the road to Eureka from Silverton; Silver Lake mine strikes it rich and becomes Silverton area’s most prosperous operation
1886 Alferd Packer sentence commuted to 40 years in Canon City prison
1887 Otto Mears begins construction of the Silverton Railroad; Columbia changes its name to Telluride due to post office confusion with the mining camp of Columbia in California; rail line over Red Mountain pass arrives in Ouray
1889 Holy Moses mine strikes it rich near Creede, railroad reaches Lake City; Corkscrew turntable completed and in operation; Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch rob the bank at Telluride
1890 Creede Founded; Percy Thomas ascends El Diente; Fredrick Chapin climbs Mount Sneffels; the railroad arrives at Telluride
1891 Railroad arrives at Rico; Ridgway established
1892 Bob Ford shoots Jesse James in Creede, fire burns the town to the ground. Ford is blamed by the townsfolk and is eventually shot by Edward O’Kelly. Railroad reaches Creede, increasing the population to over 10,000; the Ames Power Plant near Telluride is the first AC plant in the U.S.
1893 Silver Crash marks the beginning of the end of the mining boom
1895 Otto Mears builds the Silverton Northern Railroad
1896 The successful Camp Bird mine is opened by Tom Walsh in Imogene Basin
1898-99 Big snow storm-snowed continually for six weeks
1901 A deadly miner’s strike in Telluride begins
1902 Creede devastated by fire; Union strike at Telluride mines
1903 Silver Lake Mine sold to the Guggenheim empire
1904 The Telluride mining strike is resolved with fair wages for the miners
1095 Severe winter threatens starvation of 3,000 miners in the area
1906 Alferd Packer dies of natural causes; Mesa Verde established
1908 William Cooper climbs Vestal, Arrow and Pigeon Peaks
1912 Colorado Mountain Club founded
1913 Federal government starts hunting area's wolves and grizzlies
1914 Flu epidemic in Silverton
1916 Wolf Creek Pass opens
1918 Spanish flu pandemic in Silverton
1920 Albert Ellingwood & Barton Hoag make the first ascent of Lizard Head
1923 Carl Blaurock & William Ervin are the first to complete all of Colorado’s 14ers
1929 San Juan Mountaineers founded. H.G. Wilm & Dobson West, 1929-retreived Ellingwood’s rope and pitons from Lizard Head.
1930 Narrow guage operations in the region are abandoned; mountain lions hunted out of area
1931 North face routes of Sneffels climbed, CMC & Appalachian Mountain Club climb Lizard Head.
1932 Standard guage railroad ceases service to Creede; added north face routes on Sneffels established, along with routes on Jagged Mountain & The Index; the San Juan Mountaineers Climber’s Guide to Southwest Colorado, a typewritten book, is completed by Dwight Lavender
1933 Lake City rail line abandoned
1936 Creede devastated by fire; rail passenger service to Ouray ceases; heavy snow year-7 feet on the level
1937 Vallecito Reservoir construction begins
1940 Lime Creek burn between Cascade Creek and Grand Turk mountain destroyed 26,000 acres of forest. The result can still be seen today, and until 2002, was Colorado's largest forest fire event.
1941 First ascent of Wham Ridge by Rit Barrows & Jim Patterson; Avalanche destroys Iowa Tiger mill at Silver Lake
1945 Silver Lake mansion and offices are torn down, like many other mines in the San Juans, for metal to be utilized in the war effort
1946 Creede courthouse burns down
1947 First ascent of the Monitor East face by John Speck, Joe Stettner & Jack Fralick; "last" wolf killed in Colorado
1952 Rail service between Ouray and Ridgway abandoned; grizzlies declared extinct in Colorado after a gizzly is killed in the Weminuche Wilderness
1959 Silver Bell mine in Telluride closes
1961 Portions of "How the West Was Won" are filmed near Ridgway
1962 First ascents of Arrow and Vestal Peak east face routes by Jon Orenschall & Doug Ward; Martin Etter climbs the north face of Coxcomb, Arrow’s west face and north face of Wildhorse Peak; George Bell makes first ascents of Sunlight Spire & Ominuous Pinnacle
1963 63 active avalanche paths south of Ouray
1964 Telluride designated as National Historic Landmark; passage of the National Wilderness Act
1968 Monitor East Face is climbed via a more direct route by Larry Dalke and Paul Stettner jr. (Joe Stettner’s nephew); True Grit filmed near Ridgway
1970 First winter ascent of Lizard Head on January 18, 1970
1972 Telluride Ski Area opens; rail service between Ouray and Montrose abandoned
1974 Telluride Film and Jazz Festivals established
1975 Weminuche Wilderness established
1976 Spencer Swanger makes the 3rd reported ascent of Dallas Peak
1977 Telluride Jazz Festival established
1978 Sunnyside Mine flooded by collapse of Lake Emma (which would finally close in the 1990s)
1979 Official last grizzly bear killed in the South San Juan
1980-81 Monsoon floods prompt Ouray to redesign two drainage flumes running through town, Bill Fries is Mayor (C.W. aka McCall)
1989 Ridgway Reservoir completion & grand opening
2001 SummitPost goes online March 19. George Bell, Jennifer Roach & John Prater (SP member) climb Lizard Head on September 9. With this climb, Jennifer Roach completed all of Colorado's thirteen thousand foot peaks. This amazing account is well written by George Bell and can be read here.
2004 Texas developer wants to build a huge destination ski area near Wolf Creek Pass, the controversy continues
2005 100th Birthday of the San Juan National Forest
SOURCES
The Rainbow Route by Robert E. Sloan & Carl A. Skowronski
The San Juan Mountains-A Climbing & Hiking Guide by Robert F. Rosebrough
A Quick History of Lake City by Margaret Bates
A Quick History of Creede-Colorado Boom Town by Leland Feitz
Colorful Colorado-Its Dramatic History by Caroline BancroftSan Juan GeologyIn geologic terms, the San Juans are a young range. Born in volcanic upheaval 65 million years ago, and then subjected to rapid cooling, the San Juans eroded into a collection of jagged spires, pinnacles and domes of infinite variety. Four volcanic centers in the region, three of which were in the San Juans, formed as the sea retreated from the area for the last time. Similar to Italy’s Mount Vesuvius. the La Plata, Rico and Ouray volcanoes injected large amounts of granite into the area. Heating, baking, spreading and bulging, the first incarnation of the San Juans was created.
35 million years ago, continental drift and plate tectonics went into action 160 miles beneath the San Juans. The Atlantic Ocean was growing wider and the floor of the Pacific Ocean was forced under the western edge of North America. The Pacific floor went deep beneath the earth’s crust and melted under southwestern Colorado, among other locations. Seven major craters resulted in the uplifted San Juan dome, spanning from Silvertron to Lake City and Creede, south to Chama and north to Bonanza. Over the next 5 million years, 8,000 cubic miles of Basaltic Lava (similar to that found at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park) were deposited on the area. The San Juan tuff rock you will encounter (such as at Wheeler Geologic area, or at The Window) in the range are these earliest lavas. At the time, the main vent, located near Gladstone (north of Silverton), was 10,000 feet higher than the countryside near Durango. Along with several major vents to the east, these were major peaks on the continent.
About 30 million years ago, as temperatures cooled and hardening crust pressure increased, explosions of volcanic ash occurred, which traveled great distances. The brightly colored rock of the Badlands in South Dakota came from the San Juan volcanoes as well as from Yellowstone.
Further cooling and resulting subterrainean hollows caused the volcanoes to collapse into calderas, sinking as much as 3,000 feet in elevation. More minor volcanoes formed at Ophir, Sneffels, Camp Bird and Mount Wilson, and other locales, resulting in the formation of extensive mineral and metal deposits that would lead to a flurry of mining activity with man’s arrival eons later.
Beginning 24 million years ago, the volcanic episodes ended. Rain, snow, wind and glacial ice carved and eroded the seven San Juan calderas down to the San Juan range we know today.
Due to the fiery genesis of this range, the San Juans are a maze of rock types heaped up on one another, subjected to geologically rapid cooling, resulting in highly fractured, unstable loose rock.
What significance does this hold for a mountain climber? Lots of varied terrain, and much of it challenging in the form of ridges, spires and catwalks. Most of the climbs in the San Juans must traverse a wide array of rotten rock. Acquaintance with San Juan rock on a basic level is required before tackling the many difficult challenges that experienced climbers routinely encounter on these rugged peaks.
Unlike other ranges in Colorado which were formed by faults, the volcanic nature of the San Juans has resulted in a sprawling range that extends every direction. Access to the many sub-ranges and isolated peaks in the San Juans is a direct result of the cataclysmic volcanic activity that formed these mountains. This is why some mountains are easily accessed and others are not. The mining activity that followed was decided by where the ore deposits were the most abundant. Hence, access to the mountains around Silverton is easy due to a plethora of mining roads and your 4WD vehicle, whereas the solid granite in the isolated Grenadier Range south of Silverton precluded any profitable ventures. Add to that very rugged terrain, and access to these mighty peaks becomes a logistical challenge.
Source: Geology appendix by Jackson Thode of the Rainbow Route by Robert E. Sloan & Carl Skowronski Sundance Publications, Silverton, Co. ISBN 0-913582-12-3 Additional San Juan AppendicesSan Juan Range Appendix B
One Range or Many?; The Ranges of the San Juans
Includes additional link to the San Juan Ranges album on SP.
San Juan Range Appendix C
The towns of the San Juans and links to additional information.
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