Lionel Hutz
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Last year was my first trip to the San Juan region of Colorado. I only had the time to complete Ophir and Imogene pass before leaving the area. Black Bear pass was also on the list, but the trail was closed and not an option. It felt like there was a lot unseen so this year I was back.
The planning for the trip started with all the 60k mile and regular maintenance items needed. Engine oil and air filter, cabin filter, front/rear differential fluid changes, transfer case fluid change, tire rotation, main and aux battery replacement, transmission fluid change, and new brake pads/rotors. It felt like a mad rush to complete things prior to the trip, but knew if I didn’t get them done I’d be on the road without the peace of mind knowing I did everything I could for a successful trip. I mention this part here because I referenced the forum posts countless times for how-to’s, oil weights, part reviews, tools for the trail, etc. Thanks to everyone for the questions and contributions over the years. I was able to find answers to every question I had.
I’m on the road for 10-12 hours each day so it takes me about 2.5 days to get to the San Juans from Michigan. I could make it in two days, but I don’t push it. I arrived to the Ridgeway area in the early afternoon and it was too early for room check-in. Off to find some trails. Trails Off-road was a decent guide for the trip and I recommend it for anyone that is only interested in the more popular trails to help reduce some of the trail noise as I call it. Governor and Sydney Basin were close by so I set the navigation to the trailhead and was on my way.
I started on Governor Basin and all was going well until the fork. The fork allows the option to continue on Governor or pick-up the trail to Sydney. I somehow chose the Sydney route and it quickly became a narrow, steep shelf road, with some off-camber sections that I had not mentally prepared for. In my haste to get on the trail I also didn’t air down. Always air down.
Between the two trips I’ve learned that I really don’t like the high elevation trails or mountain roads. I can do them, but there’s always this irrational fear of going over the edge. “What if lose my lug nuts on a wheel and I go over the side?” Just ridiculous stuff. Anyway, after the off-camber sections the trail continued to climb and required the rear locker in a few spots. This is the first time I’ve needed my lockers so it was cool to see how effective they are. At the summit of each trail the views were worth the effort. A curious marmot also made an appearance.
The following day was the Alpine Loop. It started outside of Ouray with entry at Mineral Creek (aired down this time), into Poughkeepsie Gulch, to California Pass, onto Cinnamon Pass, Engineer pass on the way back, and exiting through Mineral Creek. Mineral Creek and Poughkeepsie were the more technical of the trails in the loop and lots of fun. There’s a little bit of everything on these two trails and it made for some really enjoyable and engaging driving.
Once on California, Cinnamon, and Engineer Pass the trails became a little less enjoyable. A lot of the driving is dirt road, two track, type trails and became a little boring after a while. The scenery is amazing, the historical mining areas are hard to comprehend at times, and it’s all very worth it if you’ve never done these trails before. Engineer Pass doesn’t feel like it should be a Badge of Honor trail IMO, but I’m sure not every trail in the program can be a 9.9/10 difficultly.
Black Bear and Imogene Pass were both closed by the time I arrived so it was a second year of not being able to complete Black Bear. Black Bear is my last BoH trail to complete in the area and I’d like to get that one done too, but it feels less and less likely because of weather incidents and overall maintenance needed to keep the trail open. I hope I’m wrong, but it feels like it’s a trail that won’t be open to the public for much longer. I have nothing to base this on other than articles I’ve read over the last few years and Facebook posts when it closes.
As beautiful as the area is it feels like I’ve seen the best parts of the San Juans between the two trips. If I were to plan a trip for 2025 I’d look for other areas of the country to explore. If you haven't been to the area before, allow yourself at least a few days to explore and take your time.
I’ve probably shared a similar sentiment in other posts, but get out there and use your Jeeps. Between the two trips I’ve put close to 7k miles on the Jeep between road travel and trails. All of them have been problem free
We have incredibly capable vehicles that border on engineering marvels when you consider everything they can do and do in a relatively comfortable way.
And by use I mean get out on the trails, get them dirty, and use them as they’re intended to be used. The weather was perfect on the trails and having the roof open, sun shining in, windows down, and fresh mountain air all around makes for a really special time on the trail. You’re going to bang a few things, scrape, and hear sounds you don’t like, but it’s all part of the drive. Your Jeep is likely far more capable than you are and it will take whatever you throw at it in stride. I will probably never get all the dust out of the interior and I couldn’t care less. The memories made on the trail were worth it.
The planning for the trip started with all the 60k mile and regular maintenance items needed. Engine oil and air filter, cabin filter, front/rear differential fluid changes, transfer case fluid change, tire rotation, main and aux battery replacement, transmission fluid change, and new brake pads/rotors. It felt like a mad rush to complete things prior to the trip, but knew if I didn’t get them done I’d be on the road without the peace of mind knowing I did everything I could for a successful trip. I mention this part here because I referenced the forum posts countless times for how-to’s, oil weights, part reviews, tools for the trail, etc. Thanks to everyone for the questions and contributions over the years. I was able to find answers to every question I had.
I’m on the road for 10-12 hours each day so it takes me about 2.5 days to get to the San Juans from Michigan. I could make it in two days, but I don’t push it. I arrived to the Ridgeway area in the early afternoon and it was too early for room check-in. Off to find some trails. Trails Off-road was a decent guide for the trip and I recommend it for anyone that is only interested in the more popular trails to help reduce some of the trail noise as I call it. Governor and Sydney Basin were close by so I set the navigation to the trailhead and was on my way.
I started on Governor Basin and all was going well until the fork. The fork allows the option to continue on Governor or pick-up the trail to Sydney. I somehow chose the Sydney route and it quickly became a narrow, steep shelf road, with some off-camber sections that I had not mentally prepared for. In my haste to get on the trail I also didn’t air down. Always air down.
Between the two trips I’ve learned that I really don’t like the high elevation trails or mountain roads. I can do them, but there’s always this irrational fear of going over the edge. “What if lose my lug nuts on a wheel and I go over the side?” Just ridiculous stuff. Anyway, after the off-camber sections the trail continued to climb and required the rear locker in a few spots. This is the first time I’ve needed my lockers so it was cool to see how effective they are. At the summit of each trail the views were worth the effort. A curious marmot also made an appearance.
The following day was the Alpine Loop. It started outside of Ouray with entry at Mineral Creek (aired down this time), into Poughkeepsie Gulch, to California Pass, onto Cinnamon Pass, Engineer pass on the way back, and exiting through Mineral Creek. Mineral Creek and Poughkeepsie were the more technical of the trails in the loop and lots of fun. There’s a little bit of everything on these two trails and it made for some really enjoyable and engaging driving.
Once on California, Cinnamon, and Engineer Pass the trails became a little less enjoyable. A lot of the driving is dirt road, two track, type trails and became a little boring after a while. The scenery is amazing, the historical mining areas are hard to comprehend at times, and it’s all very worth it if you’ve never done these trails before. Engineer Pass doesn’t feel like it should be a Badge of Honor trail IMO, but I’m sure not every trail in the program can be a 9.9/10 difficultly.
Black Bear and Imogene Pass were both closed by the time I arrived so it was a second year of not being able to complete Black Bear. Black Bear is my last BoH trail to complete in the area and I’d like to get that one done too, but it feels less and less likely because of weather incidents and overall maintenance needed to keep the trail open. I hope I’m wrong, but it feels like it’s a trail that won’t be open to the public for much longer. I have nothing to base this on other than articles I’ve read over the last few years and Facebook posts when it closes.
As beautiful as the area is it feels like I’ve seen the best parts of the San Juans between the two trips. If I were to plan a trip for 2025 I’d look for other areas of the country to explore. If you haven't been to the area before, allow yourself at least a few days to explore and take your time.
I’ve probably shared a similar sentiment in other posts, but get out there and use your Jeeps. Between the two trips I’ve put close to 7k miles on the Jeep between road travel and trails. All of them have been problem free
(even without using Amsoil).
And by use I mean get out on the trails, get them dirty, and use them as they’re intended to be used. The weather was perfect on the trails and having the roof open, sun shining in, windows down, and fresh mountain air all around makes for a really special time on the trail. You’re going to bang a few things, scrape, and hear sounds you don’t like, but it’s all part of the drive. Your Jeep is likely far more capable than you are and it will take whatever you throw at it in stride. I will probably never get all the dust out of the interior and I couldn’t care less. The memories made on the trail were worth it.
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