Colorado mountain passes

  • HTML tutorial

prjones

Rank II
Member

Contributor III

327
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
First Name
Parker
Last Name
Jones
Member #

27767

First post here! So far I’m loving this forum and app.

Last year I took an amazing trip to sw Colorado but I was kinda disappointed that a lot of the mountain passes were still closed Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately for me it looks like the only time I will be able to get off work this year is the same. Memorial Day and the week that follows. I was hoping to get some input on wether or not the passes will be open this year. Last year I heard that there was record snow and COVID slowed the openings.


Any recommendations on where to go and places to see is welcomed. My friend and I have pretty capable trucks but aren’t interested in super difficult trails. We are hoping to do the alpine loop and some of the other passes around the Ouray area.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neal A. Tew

Neal A. Tew

US Rocky Mountain Local Expert
Mod Team
Member
Member

Member III

3,817
Pueblo West, CO
First Name
Neal
Last Name
Tew
Member #

12384

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N1TEW
I've only ever been over there once in May and the only thing we caught open was Cinnamon.

Cinnamon and Ophir are both used pretty heavily to commute between towns and they get them open earlier.

We went about the second week in June last year and they had just gotten california, hurricane, Corkscrew open.

Last Dollar Road might be an option. You might also consider Rimrocker.

Otherwise, you might want to stay somewhere kind of centrally located and go up the trails as far as you can and then come back down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trail_runn4r

Neal A. Tew

US Rocky Mountain Local Expert
Mod Team
Member
Member

Member III

3,817
Pueblo West, CO
First Name
Neal
Last Name
Tew
Member #

12384

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N1TEW
Well fingers crossed some of them will be open the first week of June. I’m sure I’ll have a good time regardless but I’ve been skunked twice on Colorado trips
See if this helps:

 

JeepRushRick

Rank I
Member

Contributor I

233
Aurora, IL, USA
First Name
Rick
Last Name
Heckman
Member #

26727

Original poster, I will also be in the area first week in a June, had similar thoughts. I am not modified enough for extreme but hope to some moderate trails... Stony Pass, Kendall Mtn, Corkscrew Gulch etc
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neal A. Tew

Billiebob

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,835
earth
First Name
Bill
Last Name
William
Member #

18893

Original poster, I will also be in the area first week in a June, had similar thoughts. I am not modified enough for extreme but hope to some moderate trails... Stony Pass, Kendall Mtn, Corkscrew Gulch etc
Watch the weather, a sunny spring day can become a blizzard any time of the year, but at higher elevations you can have a snow day in July.
 

Neal A. Tew

US Rocky Mountain Local Expert
Mod Team
Member
Member

Member III

3,817
Pueblo West, CO
First Name
Neal
Last Name
Tew
Member #

12384

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N1TEW
Original poster, I will also be in the area first week in a June, had similar thoughts. I am not modified enough for extreme but hope to some moderate trails... Stony Pass, Kendall Mtn, Corkscrew Gulch etc
Corkscrew (all the way to Animas Forks) had just opened up the 2nd week of June last year. Stony was open too, but be careful of the Pole Creek crossing on Stony. It can be impassable under the right conditions and there was loss of life 2 years ago. It was nothing last June when we were there, however. The side crossing to Kite Lake was a good bit deeper.