Chapter 674

Sep 1-9, 2024

Imogene Pass

Camp Bird-Yankee Boy Basin- Imogene Pass -Spirit Gulch

link to Colorado 2024 Photo Album

Route 361 is a dirt road that leaves Ouray toward Camp Bird, Yankee Boy Basin and the Imogene Pass. They all become sketchy off road 4WD paths that were carved out by hand 150 years ago by the miners to haul gold and silver ore down to the mills. There are mines all over the place. They were mostly abandoned for a hundred years till off roaders got permission to re-establish them for recreational use. It's amazing to of the determination and effort that went into these endeavors over a century ago by manual labor.

I had pulled up behind this tour jeep guy on the overlook as he was giving a speel to his clients. He was giving a line of bull and trying to scare me as he mentioned the Jeep that went over the cliff right here last year killing the driver and two passengers. I had google that previously. The Jeep was a tour guide from Colorado West Jeep Rentals in town and their 72 year old driver caused the death of two nurse tourists.

This is Canyon Creek that we crossed on our Perimeter Trail hike downstream.

1890's view history of mining.

The road is pretty descent most of the time untill you get 8 miles farther in past Camp Bird toward Imogene Pass Trail. We did about 4 miles before turning around.

So magestic.

Looking farther south the road goes on and on before splitting toward Imogene or Yankee.

We took a trip to Silverton down the Million Dollar Highway one day.  I sent up the drone hoping to capture the deadly Black Bear Pass off road. It turned out to be a few miles south. Turns out this 13,000 ft peak is just another unnamed mountain in the Uncompaghre National Forest. But you can see the old jeep trails and hiking trails of Spirit Gulch meandering around it. Just on the other side of the mountain is the Imogene Pass and the valley we had driven up.

The magnitude and beauty of the scenes in Colorado is just amazing.

We had been in town for the 50 year old historic Imogene Pass Run, altered to out and back due to rock slides couldn't get through to Telluride. This was Chris Thompsonp, #1523 age 45 from Fort Collins, CO. He placed 8th in his age group and about 30th overall from a group of 1600 entries. A lot of female runners were entered.