looking to take the Ophir Pass jeep trail Oct 11th, west to east......done the Bear and Imogine trails before in my XJ but now takeing my WJ out to stretch her legs in the San Juans.....actually just trying to jump over from
145 to Hwy 550 for a little jeeping and short cut on my way to Vail.....I hear this is an easy trail but being mid October was wondering what to expect......thanksPS: any good trails to follow in the Vail - Holy Cross area ???
That late in the year it could already be snowbound. Check with the Forest Service before you attempt it.
Ophir is a relatively easy trail that locals use regularly in the summer months. Kind of rocky & narrow near the top on the west side with one notable switchback. Can easily be crossed with a stock WJ.
Current road conditionis can be determined by calling Durango office of san Juan National Forest at 970-247-4874. Road is usually open Mid June to October according to Massey and Wilson's 4WD Adventures Colorado. The drive is lovely, but, you can easily use the highway from Telluride to Ridgeway. It will probably be less time than the "shortcut."
We got 13 inches of snow in Silverton two weeks ago but it is all gone now. This time of year is sure tricky. You could drive halfway up Ophir Pass, stop for a picnic lunch, and be snowed in by the time you got back to your car. ;o)
Earle
east......done
You'll probably be snowbound. I live in Avon just west of Vail and we normally have snow in the upper elevations (above 9000 feet) by then. What difficulty type trails are you interested in?
Paul
I agree that there is a very good chance that you will run into significant snow on Ophir in mid October. If so, you definitely should not attempt it. Under good conditions, Ophir is easier than Imogene and Black Bear. I went over Ophir (east to west) about a month ago, and the road was fine. The road on the west side of the pass has a lot of scree, it is quite narrow and steep in places, and it's a long way to the bottom of the gulch if you make an error in judgment! The east side is much easier, but I wouldn't want to do the west side in either direction with snow on the road. I would check with the local folks in Telluride or Ouray to get an idea of the snow levels. Also, as you probably know, conditions can change rapidly in the high country. There are those who are into more extreme experiences that would disagree with me, but I say play it safe. I would recommend postponing your Ophir plans until about mid-June. When they first plow out the road in the spring, going up over the top can be quite spectacular, as you drive through a channel with about a
20-foot wall of snow on each side of the road. Gary
So I see:
Seems that nearly every year someone gets snowed in up on the Flattops. I'm praying for cold temps for a while before we get snow so the ground can freeze. The last few years have been horrible for depth hoar and avalanches. The weekend after the 3 foot spring dump that caused all the avalanches last spring we did this trip:
Ed Huesers Shameless plug:
FWIW, rained lightly all day in Durango and it looks like we got a nice snowfall up on the LaPlata's this afternoon. Any snow up your way, Earle?
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