ouray jeep road conditions

5838 Views 69 Replies 37 Participants Last post by kokopelli, Jun 20, 2008

toytaco970

Discussion Starter · May 31, 2008

I have been a lurker on here for awhile and decided to join to share some info. I love the FJ, but couldn't wait for them to come out so I have an 05 Tacoma, full 3" lift, bilsteins, blah blah blah.
Anyway. I live about 1.5 hrs from Ouray and love the trails down there and axiously awaiting them to open. This is a recent article from the Montrose Co newspaper about the current road conditions.
News : Snow delays road opening, jeep tours (Montrose, CO)
I'm sorry to say its not looking good for two awesome trails, Imogene and Engineer, in time for your Summit. Black Bear will probably not be open either, as it is usually the last one to open because of the switchbacks.

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FJ FunJunkie

· #2 · May 31, 2008

Group buy on a truckload of salt?? This will be quite dissapointing, I think every trail I'm signed up for is on the list:mecry:

RoverGGM

· #3 · May 31, 2008

Hmmmmm

I suspected there would be a problem, with the monstrous snowfall total for the winter.

Last year the crew finished up around July 2, with a goal to have the jeep trails open by the Fourth of July weekend. However, this year is looking grim.

Miller said he hopes they can have the areas ready by late July, but the projects could take them into August. Right now the crew is working two employees with one dozer, but the county might rent another to move things along quicker, Miller said.

In a normal year, Yankee Boy usually has 2 to 3 feet on the road and is easy to work, he said. But this is no normal year, and where the crew started plowing, the road was covered with more than 8 feet and it only got deeper.

Sean K.

· #4 · May 31, 2008

Any word on Poughkeepsie Gulch? I know it doesn't get plowed, but I wonder how much snow melt has occurred at this point....I may still make a trip in August....but with the price of diesel, I'll probably have to save the pennies to go up to Moab in October instead.

Sean

Gottagetone

· #5 · May 31, 2008

Im still going!

brutalblue

· #6 · May 31, 2008

There has been some meltage in the past couple of weeks, but overall it has been a very cool spring in Colorado. Expect those trails that are plowed (Engineer, Black Bear, Imogene, etc.) to open much later than usual, it may be as late as August depending on how the plowing goes. There is a good chance that higher elevation trails that are not plowed, Pearl pass b/t Aspen and Crested Butte, for example, will not open at all this year.

:mecry:

Carlos Mex

· #7 · Jun 2, 2008

Ooopsss. Two of the three routes we are in are in your list.

CRAW

· #8 · Jun 2, 2008

This sux. I guess I'll be in town getting my "rocky mountain high" from some adult beverages then. :lol:

DoWork

· #9 · Jun 2, 2008

if everyone on this forum who is going to ouray brings a shovel we can have those roads plowed in half a day

shane4x4

· #10 · Jun 2, 2008

Not to worry, there are dozens of trails in the area, some will be open no matter what. I'm sure we'll be fine.

I'll bring my shovel though

CUclimber

· #11 · Jun 2, 2008

Yeah, that area is littered with trails. Grab a guidebook or ask around for some good ones. Grab a few friends or do them on your own if you can't get on the ones listed. I did a bunch of these last summer and didn't see much snow. I think it was late july or august though. Don't remember. We got dumped on out here, so plowing might be slow, but Im expecting it to warm up quite a bit in the next month and speed it a long. I wouldn't be too worried about it.

Athena

· #12 · Jun 2, 2008

there will be plenty to do, I promise. I just can't wait!

SwiCago

· #13 · Jun 3, 2008

Hey, if all the trails are closed then we can have the chili cookoff in the middle of the day or even have a hot dog eating contest

frogeye

· #14 · Jun 3, 2008

I wonder if the ski resorts will still be open? If so, I'll bring my snowboard.

SwiCago

· #15 · Jun 3, 2008

frogeye said:
I wonder if the ski resorts will still be open? If so, I'll bring my snowboard.

That is a good idea...I'll have to get mine waxed up ready to go

jeshua

· #16 · Jun 3, 2008

frogeye said:
I wonder if the ski resorts will still be open? If so, I'll bring my snowboard.

Last year they still had that small run open at the top of Imogene pass going into Telluride.

kokopelli

· #17 · Jun 3, 2008

I saw lots of "ski tracks" on the mountain looking from Telluride with binoculars over the week of th 4th. last year. Ron

jeshua said:
Last year they still had that small run open at the top of Imogene pass going into Telluride.

TrAiLbUs1

· #18 · Jun 4, 2008

I'm bringing the snowboard! I know most of the trails up there but are there any HARDcore ones @ lower elevations we can hit up?

Sky

· #19 · Jun 4, 2008 (Edited)

2

jeshua said:
Last year they still had that small run open at the top of Imogene pass going into Telluride.

kokopelli said:
I saw lots of "ski tracks" on the mountain looking from Telluride with binoculars over the week of th 4th. last year. Ron

The last ski area open is Arapahoe Basin and it will close June 8th.

That wasn't really a "run" on Imogene. Every year the locals from Telluride have a slalom race up there - lots of alcohol involved.

I was up on Red Mountain Pass Sunday here is a photo of the Black Bear Pass Trailhead, covered by about 3 feet of snow.

Yesterday I drove up to Bridal Veil Falls at the Telluride side of the Black Bear trail, near the bottom this is what is looks like, about a 7 foot high pile of snow, imagine how deep it is 3,000 feet higher up.

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FJ4X420

· #20 · Jun 4, 2008

Where is global warming when you need it?

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