ouray jeep road conditions

5841 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.

21 - 40 of 70 Posts

Woodsman

· #21 · Jun 4, 2008

Woodsman not liking the sound of closed trails but it is what we all suspected months ago due to heavy snowfall. Have your trail guidebooks ready so we can hit alternative trails

Athena

· #22 · Jun 4, 2008

or consider sneakin over to Moab for a few days...hehehe...it's not that far...honestly

kokopelli

· #23 · Jun 4, 2008

That's true... I wouldn't go all the way to Ouray without also going to Moab. JMHO.. When I was there last year it was snow on the mountains around Ouray and 106 in Moab.. What a trip...

athenaceleste said:
or consider sneakin over to Moab for a few days...hehehe...it's not that far...honestly

kokopelli

· #24 · Jun 4, 2008

It looked incredibly steep (the tracks).. That would have to be fun.. Especially if i could ski.. LOL.. Ron

Sky said:
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.

Racer001

· #25 · Jun 5, 2008

Woodsman said:
Woodsman not liking the sound of closed trails but it is what we all suspected months ago due to heavy snowfall. Have your trail guidebooks ready so we can hit alternative trails

I half expect you to bring a pack of mules, and the tools to build your own wooden plow so you can plow the trails

Woodsman

· #26 · Jun 5, 2008

Racer001 said:
I half expect you to bring a pack of mules, and the tools to build your own wooden plow so you can plow the trails

Sorry, no mules but I could bring a Bobcat and a new front wheel assist tractor with blades.

uphill

· #27 · Jun 5, 2008

Woodsman said:
Woodsman not liking the sound of closed trails but it is what we all suspected months ago due to heavy snowfall. Have your trail guidebooks ready so we can hit alternative trails

X2

But we're not all going to Ouray just to ride the trails - we're going there to ride them, hang out, meet people for the first time we've been arguing with about mods on line about for the past year, tell lies, eat food - and ride trails. I'm positive we can all have fun even with Black Bear and some of the other more challenging and popular trails closed. It's not as if there is a shortage of places to drive in the area.

HOWEVER, I would have preferred them all to have been open.

TonysBlueFJ

· #28 · Jun 5, 2008

More snow expected for them today. 2 -5", not much but still more. It is raining in Denver right now and is supposed to continue through the day.

Racer001

· #29 · Jun 5, 2008

BIG bummer...as I do not know if I'll be able to make it back out west anytime soon. I was really looking forward to hitting the trails that seem to be closed

TonysBlueFJ

· #30 · Jun 5, 2008

There's still hope.

Racer001

· #31 · Jun 5, 2008

but its still snowing there! LOL

Athena

· #32 · Jun 5, 2008

Hey guys alot can happen between now and then...there's still plenty of time for alot of hot days in a row to melt the trails... besides.... I'm sure there are other terrific trails in the area... that maybe more challenging.

shane4x4

· #33 · Jun 5, 2008

I'll be bringing my shovel

Athena

· #34 · Jun 5, 2008

actually it's 42 degress in Ouray... Ouray Colorado :: Home

Sky

· #35 · Jun 6, 2008

Cold and snowed in Telluride for about half an hour today.

Sean K.

· #36 · Jun 6, 2008

May I make a suggestion for the future?

Considering I have a pretty good amount of experience in that area, can I suggest if you guys continue to go to Ouray for Summit that you push the date back to August?

Usually, by the first or second week in August, the trails are as devoid of snow as they are going to get.

It just makes more sense if you want to run the higher mountain passes in the area without having to worry as much about plowing.

Granted, there are some years that some passes NEVER open....this may be one of those years, but generally speaking: August is a better time of year.

2 cents,
Sean

Athena

· #37 · Jun 7, 2008

Brilliant...and it doesn't take a mountain man to have that kind of logic.. I was feelin the same way...

t2cruiser

· #38 · Jun 8, 2008

We had considered a later date, however 2007FJSummit was great. I was there the same week for the 2006FJSummit (attendance - 1 FJ. me

) no problem. I also know that Jason had conversations with Ouray about the dates, the town has a calendar with other events we have to respect also. This particular week was deemed best for hotels, local businesses, non conflicts with other events.

Rather than worrying if Black Bear will be open, and for those new to the area, believe me, this area is a huge playground. Plenty of trails, and many other terrific things to do. Don't forget to do some research, lots of non FJ attractions that shouldn't be missed! You could spend a lifetime there and not see and do it all.

Personally, I am going to steal Vince's snorkle equiped FJ and try it out in the Hot Springs Pool! Then I'm taking the asphalt to Telluride and drinking a latte while I wait for the authorities to arrest me...

Trailbus has the right attitude: "I'm bringing the snowboard! ":bigthumb:

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Sean K.

· #39 · Jun 8, 2008

Ya, but last year, Imogene and Blackbear only got plowed about a week (IIRC) before Summit which was cutting it sorta close.

I understand about other events in the area, but perhaps they are more crowded for a reason....i.e. more trails are open....more trails that the area is known for. It's kinda like going to Paris and not getting to see the Eiffel (sp?) Tower, IMHO.

It's not just Blackbear. It's Imogene which gives access to Yankee Boy Basin. It's also trails like Poughkeepsie....the only one in the area that a passenger car can't very easily make.

Granted, it's totally your call.....I was just trying to make a helpful suggestion.

Sean

Canito is1

· #40 · Jun 8, 2008 (Edited)

brutalblue said:
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:

Im living in Aspen for the summer and have heard all the locals talking about this trail and I couldnt wait to do it... this bumms me out, but I did get to enjoy the huge snow a few times this winter so I cant ***** too much.

It has been snowing here in Aspen for the past few hours - around 45-50, cloudy and windy... still a ton of snow at and above 10,000 ft.

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