Black Bear Pass

Busskipper wrote:

IdaD wrote:
Based on pictures it doesn't look too hairy aside from the dropoffs that don't really make it harder, just scarier. I dunno. If a full size Hummer can do it which many seem able based on pictures I don't see why a qualified driver in an adequate full size truck couldn't also (meaning some skills and good tires, obviously 4wd with low range - better yet with lockers and swaybars disconnected).

Years ago I had a mildly modded Xterra and there were a lot of guys with similar rigs from CO who ran it successfully. My current truck isn't as good offroad just from a size and weight standpoint, but it does have some advantages with bigger tires, more torque and solid axles on both ends compared to my old X.

Plain and simple - the guys behind you will push you off the road after you take 30 minutes to one switch back - some jeeps take 5+ minutes to make the turn. Tight - and Narrow - SEE HERE
If you decide to go in a regular Pick Up let us all know - so as to not be there waiting on YOU.

Ya, that's all the descent west of the summit. I am talking about going up to the pass and then heading back to 550, without heading further west to puckerland.

I think one could drive to the top of the pass and back. There are two things to consider about a vehicle on a 4x4 road. What is the width? A 3/4 ton pickup is 6" - 8" wider than the normal SUV. Doesn't seem like much, but when passing a vehicle going the other way on a shelf road, it can get interesting.

As for ground clearance, it's not just how much spacing is under the axles. Vehicle length must also be considered. Don't know what your truck configuration is, but you can imagine that a crew cab with an 8' bed will hang up on a lot smaller obstacle than a short bed standard cab.

If you decide to do Ophir, the tricky part is on the west side of the pass. There aren't many good passing places for a mile or so near the summit. If travelling east to west, stop at the last switchback going down and look for traffic coming up. You can see the road coming up around the amphitheater or bowl. We've sat there and waited for 15 minutes or more waiting for the traffic to clear so we didn't have to try to pass someone.

I've done the whole thing in our 96 4Runner. Taller tires, rear locker, pretty good 4x4 capabilities. (We notice that when one gets to the really tough trails, one sees Jeeps and Toyotas.) We went over the pass after it had snowed a little the night before. The section along the stream gorge just before the waterfalls was pretty extreme pucker with everything being wet with a skim of slush on it. :E

IdaD wrote:
Based on pictures it doesn't look too hairy aside from the dropoffs that don't really make it harder, just scarier. I dunno. If a full size Hummer can do it which many seem able based on pictures I don't see why a qualified driver in an adequate full size truck couldn't also (meaning some skills and good tires, obviously 4wd with low range - better yet with lockers and swaybars disconnected).

Years ago I had a mildly modded Xterra and there were a lot of guys with similar rigs from CO who ran it successfully. My current truck isn't as good offroad just from a size and weight standpoint, but it does have some advantages with bigger tires, more torque and solid axles on both ends compared to my old X.

Plain and simple - the guys behind you will push you off the road after you take 30 minutes to one switch back - some jeeps take 5+ minutes to make the turn. Tight - and Narrow - SEE HERE
If you decide to go in a regular Pick Up let us all know - so as to not be there waiting on YOU.

My impression from the videos and photos of the descent is that the main difficulty is the tightness of the switchbacks. If you are too long or don't have a tight enough turning radius, you have to do a multipoint turn. With rocks on one side and cliff on the other that can be scary, if not impossible. I'd also want low range to be in full control of movement, even when the road is steep or loose rock.

As a kid I lived in the Andes, and rode in Landrovers on similar roads. Even the short wheelbase ones tended to require multipoint turns, but being in the back of a long wheelbase one was scarier.

Off Pavement wrote:

TBammer wrote:
I have seen a lot of vids of the road(?) into Telluride, but had not seen anything about the drive from the highway up to the pass. Sounds like Cinnamon pass or a tour ride. Thanks for the advice.

Here is a 4x4 route review of Black Bear including video of the east end of the trail to the pass. It has waypoints and route description for you to make your own decision. The first 3 minutes of video cover getting to Black Bear Pass...

trailsoffroad.com - Black Bear Pass

It likes there is a place to turn around at the summit. I did not see anything in the pictures that a 4 wheel pickup couldn't handle. Might want to make sure there is some weight in the bed, but the truck has as much ground clearance as the vehicles in the photos. Really looks beautiful.

TBammer wrote:
I have seen a lot of vids of the road(?) into Telluride, but had not seen anything about the drive from the highway up to the pass. Sounds like Cinnamon pass or a tour ride. Thanks for the advice.

Here is a 4x4 route review of Black Bear including video of the east end of the trail to the pass. It has waypoints and route description for you to make your own decision. The first 3 minutes of video cover getting to Black Bear Pass...

trailsoffroad.com - Black Bear Pass

I have seen a lot of vids of the road(?) into Telluride, but had not seen anything about the drive from the highway up to the pass. Sounds like Cinnamon pass or a tour ride. Thanks for the advice.

I do not think the rental companies will rent a Jeep for Black Bear. Or at least so I have read.

Don't Colorado West Tours and Telluride Outside use full size pickup trucks for their tour businesses? If so, that proves a pickup is not too wide.

A decade ago I drove the area in a cutu-ute (Element).

In Moab I drove down Long Canyon without problem (low range would have been nice, but not essential)

In Teluride I drove a short ways UP Black Bear, just enough to get a good view of slope. Since there was a festival in town (Blues and Brews), the campground in town was full. Instead I drove up to Alta Lakes (typical Forest Service road) where we spent a blustery night.

I was planning on driving some of the easier passes (possibly even to the top of Black Bear as proposed by the OP). The Element doesn't have much clearance, but has a great turning radius - so turning tail when the going gets too rough is an option). But with the storm, I decided it was wiser to stick with paved roads, and instead looped around to Ouray and Silverton and down to Durango and Cortez.

On a previous trip I'd taken a S10 (extended cab, 4x4) from Silverton to Ouray via Animas Forks. I was intending to take Engineer Pass but there was snow on the north side.

You might be able to drive it over Ophir Pass, but even on that you will have to do multiple turns to get around the hairpins. I've had to do that on Ophir and Cinnamon Passes even with a mid-size truck (Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier).
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Yeah, we have a long bed F350 4FWD and took it over Cinnamon. On a few hairpins I had to do some backing and froing to get around. It seems like those were mainly after the pass on the way down to the Animas ghost town. It was well worth it tho. The view from the pass is incredible, like nothing you'll see driving the paved roads in RMNP or Glacier. Engineer's pass road was closed on the west side so we missed that. I had been told the interconnect between Cinnamon and Engineers was not to be done in a big 4WD so we didn't try it.

When we stopped in Animas to look around some of the jeep drivers were asking us if we had any difficulty with the road. We really didn't, but we've driven a lot of 4WD roads of less vertical nature so we were mentally prepared. WE also hit some roads in Canyonlands that we just turned around on after hitting some 18 inch steps. And one terrifying road in Capitol Reef that made me a real believer in stopping when you hit a "JEEPS ONLY" sign. That one had me praying non-stop that we would live to the other end.

There were a lot of rental jeeps and quads going over Cinnamon. Think the jeeps were like $220/day in Ouray (where we we staying). One of those would be a better option for you.