Colorado Passes: Engineer -> Cinnamon -> California -> Hurricane -> Corkscrew

[I Like Soup]

Looks fantastic. I'll be there August 27 staying 6 nights in Ouray. Was Mineral Creek trail open to access the loop or did you come in a different way? The website I use for trail updates hasn't had any updates for Mineral Creek yet. Hopefully by late August Imogene and Poughkeepsie will be open as well.

Hi,

I just returned from 11 days in Ouray. Mineral creek is open all the way to the alpine connector loop near Animas, so no problem there. It was a bit tedious and I did my skid plates a few times but nothing horrible.

OP: great pics!

As for most scenic pass, my vote is for Cinnamon as well

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[BroncoTrail]

I attempted it 10 years ago from the animas forks side in a Suzuki hatchback with 6in clearance. I made it up a quarter mile and reversed down the ledge and slept at the base of the trail before heading back. Time for a second shot at it

LOL well at least you gave it an attempt! 6" of ground clearance is definitely insufficient hah.

I couldn't say it any better than Spicoli .

Thanks for sharing

We gotta get a Bronco group together and tear up CO one year! I know it's a far drive for you but you can swing it P.S. I didn't air down my tires while driving between trailheads - hope you're proud.

Such a badass…

Looks like a great trip and you got some cool pictures too!

LOL I didn't even see that! It's amazing that you spotted it in the photo... Honestly if they put a new sign there with clear letters then I probably wouldn't have driven past that point.

Why's your bronco always turning? Lol jp good placement, show off those meaty tires.

LOL true....

I'm hoping to go the first weekend of October, weather permitting. Was wondering how much I could do that Sunday (maybe something late afternoon Saturday). The routes you mentioned you were able to do by yourself? For instance, I'd love to do Red Cone, but that looks like group-only, where I wouldn't want to be by myself.

Yes you can definitely do it all alone. All of it can be done in one day, but I'd recommend two days. Also, if you go on a weekend, you will not be alone. There will be plenty of other people on the trails. If you have limited time, I recommend doing just Engineer Pass, or Cinnamon + California + Hurricane + Corkscrew. Engineer is the roughest of them all, but very doable in a Bronco.

Looks fantastic. I'll be there August 27 staying 6 nights in Ouray. Was Mineral Creek trail open to access the loop or did you come in a different way? The website I use for trail updates hasn't had any updates for Mineral Creek yet. Hopefully by late August Imogene and Poughkeepsie will be open as well.

These two Facebook groups have lots of info and updates.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanJuanMountainTrailGroup
https://www.facebook.com/OurayCountyRoadandBridge

Awesome pics! I'm hitting it next week for the first time!
Were you dispersed camping? Do you have any good spots marked you recommend and wouldn't mind sharing?

Thanks!

I have lots of info I can share, but I'll need to gather it all. I'll try to report back tonight.

Was just there over the weekend myself. Lots of broncos out and about enjoying the trails. The only trail I couldn't complete was Imogene Pass, which got a bit too dicey at the top and hadn't been cleared yet by the Telluride side.

Dude! That's hilarious that I bumped into you in Moab, and then we both wind up in the same area again in a different state!

 

[KT_bronco]

@BroncoTrail Ohh wow I didn't put the two and two together LMAOOO. Small world indeed.

 

[Felix808]

We gotta get a Bronco group together and tear up CO one year! I know it's a far drive for you but you can swing it

Would love to get out there. So far next years schedule is looking like this:
April-May- Moab Safari
June- Big Bear Bronco Bash
Sept - Sedona to camp on Shelby hill & run Broken Arrow- Still trying to get some people together for this one

I didn't air down up my tires while driving between trailheads - hope you're proud.

Now you're learning

 

[F150rubyred]

We love it out in Ouray area; I probably like Moab better for the wheeling but wife likes Ouray better. My wife and I will be out over Labor Day Sept 3rd-8th also my cousin will us in their Jeep Rubicon. If any Bronco are around would love to meet and wheel a pass or two; let me know??

 

[jzweedyk]

Will be in Ouray Aug 20-27. Also going to do Black Bear.

 

[buzpro]

Had a BLAST in Colorado this past weekend!

OH My Oh my oh my ...... when i was still waiting for my Bronco this is the scenery I was imagining when i daydreamed about off roading ..... simply MAGNIFICENT views.

Thank you so much for sharing! Any way you can show the whole trail you drove on a map?

 

[BroncoTrail]

Any way you can show the whole trail you drove on a map?

Here ya go. That'll be $49.99.

 

[buzpro]

Here ya go. That'll be $49.99.

Thanks but WTF is a .gpx file? i can't open it or convert it to a PDF

 

[BroncoTrail]

Thanks but WTF is a .gpx file? i can't open it or convert it to a PDF

A GPX file is the exact route that I took. You load/import it into GPS mapping software. It's pretty easy actually.

I recommend using an app (and website) such as Gaia GPS to open the file. You can also use the AllTrails or onX Offroad app.

Gaia GPS should have a free version that you can use, or it's $30-35/year. WELL worth it! P.S. If you're not used to using GPS apps, well, you can use them while you're in the middle of nowhere with no signal and your phone in airplane mode.

 

[BroncoTrail]

@buzpro Here is what it'll look like when you load the GPX file.

 

[tyrobronco]

We were in that area June 9th.

Going from Lake City, up Cinnamon Pass with the idea of going through to Ouray.

Had a blast - throughout Cinnamon seeing more marmots than people there.

Went down Mineral Point - that was an adventure for this Florida boy and we ended up losing enough sunlight to camp for the night.

We were right at the junction where Mineral Point and Poughkeepsie Gulch meet (see above). Poughkeepise was snowed in so after enduring a 31 degree night we started our march to Ouray only to discover about an hour in that the way was blocked with snow, too.

Luckily we ran into a hiker coming from that way who told us how to get out - heading back up Mineral Point to Animas Fork and out through Eureka.

I gotta give Ford props, Jolene handled it all like a champ. Any limitations were 100% on me.

I'd love to go back someday.

 

[buzpro]

A GPX file is the exact route that I took. You load/import it into GPS mapping software. It's pretty easy actually.

I recommend using an app (and website) such as Gaia GPS to open the file. You can also use the AllTrails or onX Offroad app.

Gaia GPS should have a free version that you can use, or it's $30-35/year. WELL worth it! P.S. If you're not used to using GPS apps, well, you can use them while you're in the middle of nowhere with no signal and your phone in airplane mode.

Sweet,

just curious if you attempted to use the Bronco GPS app when you were out there? any feedback on that?

 

[BroncoTrail]

Sweet,

just curious if you attempted to use the Bronco GPS app when you were out there? any feedback on that?

Tbh I'll never even attempt to use that garbage lol. After 7+ years of using various GPS apps, I know the Bronco app will never come close to these companies that specialize in it.

I went to Patagonia to hike and Gaia GPS even showed small spur trails that lead to glaciers that you couldn't even see from the main trail. And it wasn't on the tourist brochures either. Ford will never top that.

 

[buzpro]

Tbh I'll never even attempt to use that garbage lol. After 7+ years of using various GPS apps, I know the Bronco app will never come close to these companies that specialize in it.

I went to Patagonia to hike and Gaia GPS even showed small spur trails that lead to glaciers that you couldn't even see from the main trail. And it wasn't on the tourist brochures either. Ford will never top that.

how about wildlife? did you have a rifle? were you concerned at all?

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