San Juans

[Altitude]

The thing about living in Denver is that it’s close enough to the San Juans but far enough that it’s hard to pull the trigger on the drive. My house is about 270 miles from Telluride in a straight line but it’s almost 400 miles of road, most of it secondary state highways at best and two or three significant passes along the way. It’s not a trivial endeavor to get down there.

This is me saying I love it down there but I don’t come often enough. Then a few years ago we bought a second place in Avon so we are usually going the wrong direction when we go up the hill.

 

[justaprado]

Thank you. Looks like a great resource, but doesn't look like it includes the San Juan's and SW Colorado.......... But, maybe there is an additional book for that area? Thanks again for sharing!

yes it does, it is map area 1 I believe. Includes everything from Imogene Pass and Black Bear to Cinnamon and California Pass/Gulch. I know because I used it along with Gaia five years ago.

 

[lcq]

We were in this area last fall and wanted to do some back roads but we were in a small rental car..............long story on vehicle we had reserved not being there and needing ANYTHING to drive at 11:30 at night...... but I have considered going back this fall with the LC- are most of the roads open enough that it wouldn't be all scratched up when I got finished? Have some recommendations for middle of the road drives for non experienced off roaders?

Most of the high country trails are clear of brush. Not sure how to recommend for you because it's all subjective on how hard a trail appears. Most drivers consider the San Juans fairly easy in terms of rock crawling. The challenge around here is handling fear of heights and ledges and cliffs (being quite close to the edge at times). If you're non-experienced you could start with the drive to Animas Forks from Silverton. If that feels super easy to you, then you can head up to Cinnamon pass. Then you can go from there with the trail book aforementioned ratings (which does include the Silverton area). I prefer non-passenger rated tires, but did take the stock Geolanders up to Cinnamon without a puncture. The beefier Toyota skid plates are nice to have along with 275 70 18s for some extra 3/4" clearance.