There’s nothing like the possibility of plummeting off the sheer face of a mountain encourage you to focus and keep those hands on the wheel. Infamous Black Bear Pass in Colorado is one of the place that drives that kind of self-preservation focus. It is also one of my most favorite trails- for the combination of scenery, terrain, pucker-factor, and the destination at the end.
Black Bear Pass begins south of Ouray and goes up Red Mountain and down a famously narrow Jeep road that switchbacks its way down a near-sheer mountainside into Telluride. Recently, Black Bear has been all over social media as pictures have come out of a Jeep that recently rolled near the top of the pass. Thankfully no one was hurt.
Jeep Rolled on Black Bear Pass (photo source: frontrange4x4.com)
Becca and I drove the trail, which is 12 miles total, on our recent trip out to Colorado and Utah in August. The first portion of the trail, driving up FS Road 648 up Red Mountain is pretty uneventful from a difficulty perspective, but is quite scenic. We made pretty quick work on the way up to the 11,018 ft summit of Red Mountain Pass.
Summiting Red Mountain via Black Bear Pass
The whole way going up to the Summit, your mind is already thinking ahead to the descent. Having done the trail in the 2 prior years, I was still getting that nervous energy, which I guess is warranted since the trail changes slightly every year as it gets snowed-in and cleared for the couple summer months. Still, we enjoyed the scenery:)
Did I mention the scenery and wildlife are spectacular?
The going is easy for a couple more miles after the summit – at which point you’re acutely aware that the descent is beginning. The first pucker-worthy section is a rocky descent and turn to the right with a drop-off to the left and a sheer rock wall the the right. No issues here for us – we took it slow and walked right down.
Following the first rock descent is a rocky sweeping turn on the narrow shelf road. I hit my engine skid on this obstacle, which slid my truck a terrifying 3 inches towards the edge. Felt like 3 feet! By getting out, looking over the obstacle and my wheel placement I cleared it clean on the second try. I think this was the same obstacle that claimed the Jeep I mentioned earlier.
The rest of the trail is devoid of traditional obstacles, but narrows dramatically in spots; I literally had about 6” trail between the outside of my tire and a sheer drop-off at one point.
What about the switchbacks? The 4Runner handled the switchbacks fine with multi-point turns and a little spotting. The most unnerving part was the dual sport motorcycle rider that tried to pass me in a switchback and wiped out pretty hard! I helped him get up and on his way, minus a handlebar tree guard and some of his ego…
The bottom of Black Bear provides some great views of Bridal Veil Falls – the tallest free falling waterfall in Colorado at 365 feet. At this point, with the scary parts of the trail behind you, it is time to head into Telluride, drink a beer, and celebrate your safe completion of Black Bear Pass!
Checking out Bridal Veil Falls
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