Calvary 4-Wheelers

Tuesday we tackled the infamous Black Bear Pass. This road has a reputation of being very tough and dangerous but the trail itself isn't really that hard. As long as you stay on the road there is no problem. The problem is, wandering off the road can lead to certain death on this steep, narrow track carved out of the side of the mountain.

With the cool, wet summer Colorado has enjoyed, everything was lush green and the wild flowers were spectacular. We stopped a couple of times to admire the view on the way to the top. After we reached the top of the pass and began the decent toward Telluride. The road got steeper and narrower as we approached the treacherous corner above Ingram Falls. A little before the falls we encountered a traffic jam. Someone had run out of gas and left their vehicle locked and immobile, blocking the main trail. Fortunately there was a bypass around it but it was much rougher and more difficult than the main trail and everyone was wisely taking their time and being very careful getting around it.

After getting past the disabled Jeep, we headed on down to Ingram Falls. Here you can see the creek the road follows tumble over the precipice and it looks for all the world like the road goes with it. The road actually makes a sharp, steep right turn and goes down a rough, rocky section carved right out of the cliff face.

Once you get past Ingram Falls you're pretty much guaranteed to get down to Telluride. The trick is to be careful enough around the very tight switchbacks to get there in one piece and alive. We successfully negotiated the tricky turns and made it down to Telluride in one piece. After getting into town we headed to the city park for lunch. We had originally planned to take Imogene Pass to Ouray but it was late enough by the time we got to Telluride that we opted to take the paved road back around through Ridgeway. We had a slight delay for some paving work but made it back to camp in time for dinner.
[Trip Pics]

Click HERE to return to the 2009 Schedule Click HERE to return to the Calvary 4-Wheeler's page