TELLURIDE 2026

Officially U.S. Basin, and known to plenty of people simply as Red Mountain Pass — a beginner-rated out-and-back climbing to 12,126 ft in the heart of the Red Mountain Mining District. The Colorado silver boom of 1882–1893 literally began on this trail, and the mines are still scattered all over it, including the famous Yankee Girl. Big open views of the San Juans across the stretch people call the Switzerland of America. Easy enough for any rig in the group, which is exactly why it works as a Thursday shakedown run.

The classic Telluride warm-up — a mostly-gravel road winding from Ridgway through golden aspen meadows and ranch country into Telluride. No technical obstacles, just postcard scenery the entire way: 14,000-ft peaks, fall color (in season), and the Mount Sneffels range. Featured in countless films and a perfect first run for any rig.

A high San Juan crossing linking Telluride and Silverton over an 11,789-ft summit. The route climbs out of the Ophir townsite through evergreen forest, then breaks above treeline onto a rocky shelf road carved across talus slopes. The east side (descending toward Silverton) is the narrowest section — single-lane with limited pullouts and downhill traffic generally yields. One of the more scenic and accessible high passes in the region.

Colorado's second-highest drivable pass at 13,114 ft, connecting Telluride to Ouray over the Sneffels Range. The Telluride side climbs past Tomboy ghost town through old mining country; the Ouray side drops past the Camp Bird mine into Yankee Boy Basin. Narrow, rocky, and exposed near the summit — switchbacks tighten significantly near the top and traffic management above treeline can be tricky. A bucket-list run, but not where you want to learn the rig.

The most photographed (and most infamous) trail in Colorado. From US-550 at the top of Red Mountain Pass, Black Bear climbs to 12,840 ft, drops into the Ingram Basin above Bridal Veil Falls, then descends a series of single-vehicle, one-way switchbacks so tight that most full-size trucks require multi-point turns to navigate them. Stunning beyond description — but the switchback section is genuinely the technical limit for a Cybertruck's wheelbase and width. Plan to inspect on foot before committing, and have a turnaround plan if the rig won't fit.

The eastern crown of the Alpine Loop, crossing 12,800 ft between Lake City and the Animas River valley. The west side drops past Whitmore Falls and through Engineer Mountain's alpine bowls. The Ouray side (off the Mineral Creek spur) is markedly more difficult — narrow shelf road with serious exposure, often the technical highlight of the Loop. Connect Engineer + Cinnamon for the classic figure-eight Alpine Loop day.

The mellower southern half of the Alpine Loop, topping out at 12,640 ft. The route follows the Lake Fork of the Gunnison through Sherman ghost town and the American Basin (one of Colorado's most photographed wildflower meadows in July), then climbs to the summit before dropping into Animas Forks. Wide, well-graded, and friendly to a wide range of rigs — the perfect counterpart to Engineer's more technical west side.

A short, scenic spur off the Alpine Loop connecting Animas Forks to Hurricane Pass and Corkscrew Gulch. The trail climbs past the well-preserved Frisco Mill ruins through high alpine basins above 12,000 ft. Rocky surface, several stair-step ledges, and a few tight pinches near the upper end — generally rated harder than Cinnamon but easier than Black Bear. The connector that makes the full Alpine Loop figure-eight possible.

At 12,729 ft this is the highest road we touch all weekend, and it is entirely above timberline — high alpine wildlife is a regular sighting. The route climbs steeply up between Hurricane Peak and Brown Mountain, linking California Pass with Corkscrew and County Road 2 to form one of the many takes on the Alpine Loop. Rated mildly technical rather than punishing, so the effort-to-payoff ratio is excellent. There is a jaunt off the main pass road up toward Hurricane Peak (the summit itself is about 13,443 ft) which makes a natural lunch stop with the whole San Juan range laid out around you.

A classic west-Silverton trail named for the tight switchbacks climbing out of the Red Mountain mining district. Drops off US-550 just south of Red Mountain Pass and corkscrews up through bright orange mineralized slopes to Hurricane Pass / California Gulch junction. The switchbacks are tight but generally manageable; the real story is the otherworldly red/orange color of the surrounding peaks (the namesake of Red Mountain).

The west-to-east gateway into the Alpine Loop, starting on US-550 just south of Ouray — not Silverton, which is a common mix-up worth getting right before you go looking for the turnoff. Mineral Creek climbs roughly 1,500 ft in the first 2.5 miles, runs a picturesque shelf section, crosses a stream, and delivers you to the Engineer Pass and Poughkeepsie Gulch junctions. It is the most technical route in our Friday and Saturday rotation: the trail's own guide warns of multiple rock obstacles that will have you pausing to pick a line, plus narrow sections where oncoming traffic is a genuine problem. In a full-size truck, that narrowness is the thing to respect.

One of the most popular 4x4 routes in Colorado, and deservedly so: evergreen forest opening into some of the best wildflower fields in the state, waterfalls, alpine lakes, and 14,150-ft Mt. Sneffels framing the whole basin. Its own guide pitches it as the way to soak in the very best of Colorado without being on a scary road — true, with one caveat. The road is easy as far as Twin Falls; the difficulty is concentrated in the last 2–3 miles, where there are rocky sections that need good line choice and a reported drop of about two and a half feet just past the falls. That staging is useful for us: a bigger rig can enjoy the basin to Twin Falls and turn around before the technical upper section, and the switchbacks above lead to Wrights Lake at roughly 12,170 ft.

The top end of the Yankee Boy Basin road and the highest point of the Yankee Boy group's day at roughly 12,170 ft. Past Twin Falls the road stops being a scenic cruise: rocky sections that need real line choice, a notable drop just beyond the falls, and a set of tight switchbacks climbing the headwall to the lake itself. The reward is a shallow alpine lake sitting in a bowl directly under the Sneffels ridgeline, well above timberline, with the whole basin falling away behind you. This is the optional upper leg — anyone not comfortable putting a full-size truck through the switchbacks can turn around at Twin Falls and still have had the best of the basin.

A short spur off Camp Bird Road and, unlike its busier neighbors, typically a quiet drive where you would be surprised to see another vehicle. Wildflowers, old mines, waterfalls, clear alpine lakes, and views into the southern Sneffels Range, ending at a pair of glacial lakes at treeline. Steepness is the whole character of this one — the guide's phrasing is that your vehicle will be pointed skyward for most of the journey. Under two miles, but it is sustained grade plus rock, which is the combination that matters most for a long wheelbase and low breakover.

Yankee Boy's quieter sister trail — same caliber of scenery, a fraction of the traffic. Jagged St. Sophia Ridge dominates the views, wildflowers peak in late July, and the route ends high above timberline at the remarkably well-preserved Mountain Top Mine. Rated on the line between moderate and difficult, and the named hazard is exposure rather than technical obstacles: as one driver put it, the road is not that difficult but you do need to pay attention through the shelf sections, and sometimes the hardest obstacle in the San Juans is the scenery.

The access corridor for the entire Yankee Boy network and our drain-out route back to US-550. An easy gateway into the mountains above Ouray, winding five miles up into the Uncompahgre National Forest along Canyon Creek with waterfalls in view and earshot, past numerous designated campsites, ending right where Yankee Boy Basin begins. Rated 2 out of 10 with a single flagged concern — nothing here suggests a width or clearance problem for a full-size truck. The history is the other draw: the Camp Bird Mine produced roughly 1.5 million ounces of gold and 4 million ounces of silver between 1896 and 1990. Thomas Walsh found it in 1896 and sold out for $5.2 million in 1902; his daughter Evalyn Walsh McLean went on to buy the Hope Diamond. The name comes from the camp birds that helped themselves to the miners' lunches.

The geographic and historical hub of the Alpine Loop. A well-preserved 1870s mining ghost town at 11,200 ft, sitting at the junction of Cinnamon Pass, Engineer Pass, and California Gulch. The drive in from Silverton via CR-2 is wide and graded — not technical at all — and the ghost town itself is the day's centerpiece for many Alpine Loop runs. The famous Walsh House (with bay windows facing the valley) is worth the stop alone.