Solo trip SIlverton/Ouray/Lake City for July 2023- HELP NEEDED

[Smokey_Bear_JLUR]

Greetings my friendly Rocky Mountain types! It has, unfortunately, been many years since I was last in the SW corner of Colorado, and I am looking for help on a few things. I am traveling from St. Louis, MO. to the Alpine Loop area in late July for an approximate 10 days solo overland excursion. No dog. No kids. Just me, myself and I. Pretty much a mental health trip... Anyway, I will be hitting the Alpine Loop, Black Bear Pass, Imogene and Ophir as well as wherever the road leads in the SIlverton/Ouray/Lake City area. My two main questions are:

1.) Route. Could I get a local (or anyone having more experience in the area than normal) to help me make a generic route? IE: best route to hit all the major touristy passes, and maybe a few off-grid, not-so-touristy recommendations? Coming from MO, I will likely get into the area in Lake City. BUT, I could just as easily come down through Montrose or Ouray. Thoughts on the best area to see and hit it all?

2.) Camping. I will be camping the entire time (ground tent Gazelle T-8 because I'm apparently posh like that...) and I am more interested in finding one EPIC spot to set up basecamp, lose the roof and doors and make day trips to and from than I am in breaking camp every day and finding a new spot. I am not a fan of commercial campgrounds and prefer being alone on BLM land when possible. I am a friendly guy, but PTSD is a b!tch and I often find myself feeling closed-in when camping around large groups. Anyone have coordinates they'd be willing to share? A nice view would be fantastic, but seclusion is just as important to me.

I sincerely thank you all in advance for any information you could drop my way. I use Gaia and onX Offroad for navigation as well as old school maps/books. So if you have any specific spots you could point me to, I'd be ever so thankful! Also, I'm in a well-built 2020 Jeep JLUR with many decades of off-roading experience, so I am not against taking the proverbial "road less traveled" to experience God's beauty in nature!

Cheers,

Chris

 

[OTH Overland]

Do not have local knowledge to offer, but have been in the Alpine Loop and surrounding areas several times and it never gets old:) I use all the newfangled navigation stuff, but I am old school and like my paper maps and guidebooks for planning. The guide to Colorado Backroads and Four Wheel Drive Trails is a worthwhile book to have if you do not already have it. Sounds like you have a great trip in the making

 

[Smokey_Bear_JLUR]

Do not have local knowledge to offer, but have been in the Alpine Loop and surrounding areas several times and it never gets old:) I use all the newfangled navigation stuff, but I am old school and like my paper maps and guidebooks for planning. The guide to Colorado Backroads and Four Wheel Drive Trails is a worthwhile book to have if you do not already have it. Sounds like you have a great trip in the making

I do have the Colorado book. I've been a fan of those fun traks books for years. There's some excellent info in them! As with all my travel- I prefer to get with locals as much as possible. Nothing wrong with touristy stuff, but I love getting a good recommendation that can lead me to places the normal tourist would likely never find!

 

[Smokey_Bear_JLUR]

Looking at centralized camp spots and found Angel Creek Campground. Anyone spent time here? Looks like its just south of Ouray and while small- doesn't look like it would be jammed. I want a place where I can set up base camp and ditch the doors and top of my Jeep. Any and all suggestions are welcome!!

 

[jeepers29]

great side trip, go to Crede,Co and go up to the reservoir and take the road all the way to Silverton. From Silverton you can take the 550 right into Ouray, The re is many places to camp on that road. It is a great2 day one night trip but can be driven in a day if you want. Enjoy, Ouray is one of ny favorites.

 

[Troy Laffey]

Sounds like a great time. Please keep an eye on the snow pack as we've had an unusual amount of snow this winter. This was 2 weeks ago in Ridgeway (Just north of Ouray) and it has snowed a few feet since then in the San Juans. July is usually a safe bet, but this year may prove otherwise. Good luck!!

 

[bgenlvtex]

You're probably aware, but that is an insanely (obnoxiously) busy area and that is beginning of peak season. If you legit want a planned place to stay you will probably be wise to find and reserve a spot, free sites fill up immediately. If your first plan is free dispersed and if you can'r find one, then getting a pay site, be advised most if not all pay sites will be reserved, same with the handful of hotel/motels. There is a FS or BLM campground on the west side of 550 just a few miles north of Silverton that we have stayed at a couple times, expect it to be crowded, I didn't leave anything there unattended and probably wouldn't

The road down the back side of Stony Pass (Continental Divide 12,000ish) that goes to the Rio Grande impoundment has quite a few dispersed campsites on it and is a mix of public and private land. I wouldn't be too concerned with leaving an unattended camp there but it will not be a short commute to the hot spots.

Silverton doesn't have much and rolls up the sidewalks at 8pm. There will be traffic on every trail. It is a cool area and Jeep Mecca, very pretty, lots of history. I'm not trying to discourage you, just an awareness thing.