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U.S. 550 from Ouray to Durango

Started by wphiii, August 12, 2012, 01:06:52 PM

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wphiii


Better south-to-north or north-to-south?


Milepost61

#1
I would say northbound. Good views of the Hermosa Cliffs north of Durango and good perspective of the shelf road in Uncompahgre Gorge.

kphoger

#2
I guess I agree about northbound, but it'a a great drive in both directions.  If you're in a vehicle with four-wheel drive capability, then I also recommend this detour:
http://goo.gl/maps/JAXdi

Do not attempt it without four-wheel drive.  But, if you have the vehicle for it, it is simply breathtaking.  Ophir Pass is out-of-this-world scenery, and would be doable without four-wheel drive.  But Tomboy Imogene Pass required low gear plus four-wheel drive back when I drove it in 2002 or so.  A short spur to Alta Lakes yields some great views as well.

Without four-wheel drive, you could still do the detour as far as Telluride (decent gravel from US-550 to CO-145), but then you'd have to either double back or wrap around to Ridgway on CO-62.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kphoger

#3
(Oh, by "gravel", I mean "rocky".  I wouldn't try it in a Honda Civic coupĂ©, but our Dodge minivan wouldn't have any trouble.)

Here's someone else's picture of the Ophir Pass road:


However, this road is not for the faint of heart or anyone who doesn't have experience taking their vehicle on rocky roads.  Here are two pictures to illustrate my point:


Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

agentsteel53

#4
I've always wondered what happens if you meet someone coming the other way on a road like this...

are there any pullouts at all?
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

kphoger

#5
There are few true pullouts.  In Colorado, uphill traffic gets the right of way, and downhill traffic must reverse to a point where the road is wide enough to let the other car by.  This usually means you end up riding the gravel right next to a sheer dropoff, or getting your mirror really close to the side of the mountain.  Fun stuff!
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

agentsteel53

#6
Quote from: kphoger on August 13, 2012, 10:56:58 AM
There are few true pullouts.  In Colorado, uphill traffic gets the right of way, and downhill traffic must reverse to a point where the road is wide enough to let the other car by.  This usually means you end up riding the gravel right next to a sheer dropoff, or getting your mirror really close to the side of the mountain.  Fun stuff!

awesome!

how many cars on that road at any given time?  I'd venture to say no more than one per hour.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

kphoger

#7
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 13, 2012, 11:00:46 AM
Quote from: kphoger on August 13, 2012, 10:56:58 AM
There are few true pullouts.  In Colorado, uphill traffic gets the right of way, and downhill traffic must reverse to a point where the road is wide enough to let the other car by.  This usually means you end up riding the gravel right next to a sheer dropoff, or getting your mirror really close to the side of the mountain.  Fun stuff!

awesome!

how many cars on that road at any given time?  I'd venture to say no more than one per hour.

Back in the summer of (2002? whenever that was), we passed probably four to six vehicles on Tomboy Road.  We only had to find a wide spot a couple of times, though; the other times, the road was wide enough already.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

national highway 1

#8
Quote from: kphoger on August 13, 2012, 10:07:56 AM
(Oh, by "gravel", I mean "rocky".  I wouldn't try it in a Honda Civic coupĂ©, but our Dodge minivan wouldn't have any trouble.)

Here's someone else's picture of the Ophir Pass road:

However, this road is not for the faint of heart or anyone who doesn't have experience taking their vehicle on rocky roads.  Here are two pictures to illustrate my point:
Wow, it's just as treacherous as Camino del Muerte (Death Road) in Bolivia!   :wow:
"Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take." Jeremiah 31:21

agentsteel53

#9
Quote from: national highway 1 on August 13, 2012, 08:18:51 PM

Wow, it's just as treacherous as Camino del Muerte (Death Road) in Bolivia!   :wow:

yeah, huge convoys of buses and trucks everywhere...
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

kphoger

#10
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 13, 2012, 08:40:33 PM
Quote from: national highway 1 on August 13, 2012, 08:18:51 PM

Wow, it's just as treacherous as Camino del Muerte (Death Road) in Bolivia!   :wow:

yeah, huge convoys of buses and trucks everywhere...

Yeah, this is not a national route by any stretch; traffic is very light.  And most of the road does not look like that last shot.  It's not really a huge deal to drive, as long as your vehicle is up to the task.  Tomboy Road, OTOH, over Imogene Pass should under no circumstances be attempted without 4WD.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

NE2

#11
Black Bear Road off US 550:

pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

The High Plains Traveler

#12
^ Black Bear Road is listed in my Colorado 4WD book as one of the most challenging roads in the Rockies. As may be evident from the photo, a Jeep is the only vehicle that has the turning radius you would need to make the hairpins, and then only with backing several times on each turn. A tight sphincter is required as well. The road is one way only, downhill. I never had the cojones to try this road when I had my Jeep.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

hm insulators

#13
I've hiked on hiking trails that were wider than either of those roads. :)
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

kphoger

#14
Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on August 14, 2012, 01:34:26 PM
^ Black Bear Road

Reminds me of this road:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ECp8ZyeFbw&feature=relmfu

In December 2001, I took this road....by bus.  Yes, there were guys riding on the roof rack.  For part of the way (admittedly, not the cliffhanger part), we were towing an old Internatinoal Scout with a chain.  Meeting oncoming traffic was interesting.  85 miles took 5 hours.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

wphiii

#15
Thanks for the responses, everyone, just wanted you all to know that they weren't just ignored and forgotten.

Didn't have 4WD, unfortunately, so I was consigned to the main roads...in the end I compromised (partially due to time constraints) with just Ouray-to-Silverton down and back on the MDH.

Might post some pictures once I get them up on Facebook.

texaskdog

#16
Ive done it both North & South.  North of Silverton is the best part either way.  Take Mount Evans drive if you can.  Its not quite like the dirt road but its a road like that which is paved and just barely holds two cars

Milepost61

#17
Too late. The road to Mount Evans closes every year the day after Labor Day. You can still go part way, but not to the summit.

texaskdog

#18
Quote from: Milepost61 on September 07, 2012, 10:55:35 PM
Too late. The road to Mount Evans closes every year the day after Labor Day. You can still go part way, but not to the summit.

Really?  It doesn't snow this early does it?  Well it was 43 at the summit in mid-August.

kphoger

#19
Quote from: texaskdog on September 10, 2012, 10:26:18 AM
Quote from: Milepost61 on September 07, 2012, 10:55:35 PM
Too late. The road to Mount Evans closes every year the day after Labor Day. You can still go part way, but not to the summit.

Really?  It doesn't snow this early does it?  Well it was 43 at the summit in mid-August.

I've been snowed on while driving I-70 in July.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

thenetwork

#20
Quote from: texaskdog on September 10, 2012, 10:26:18 AM
Quote from: Milepost61 on September 07, 2012, 10:55:35 PM
Too late. The road to Mount Evans closes every year the day after Labor Day. You can still go part way, but not to the summit.

Really?  It doesn't snow this early does it?  Well it was 43 at the summit in mid-August.

Oh yes it does...In fact, one of the Denver channels this morning was talking possible flurries in the higher elevations this week.  Meanwhile, I actually saw it snow here in Grand Junction (elev 4800') on the last day of summer, 2006.

texaskdog

#21
Glad I live in Central Texas then :)

kphoger

#22
One of my childhood teachers and family friends had lived in the town of Estes Park, CO, for nineteen months.  He claims it snowed at least once every month for that period of time.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

agentsteel53

#23
I once ran into a fairly serious snowstorm in Wyoming on US-14 on August 21st, which is generally one of the hottest days of the year*. 

about 9000 feet elevation... will do it every time!

(* due to the buffering effect of the world's oceans, actual planet temperature lags behind solar radiation by a few months, so June 21st is the day with the most sunlight, but it generally isn't the hottest.  the ocean effect makes it a very reasonable approximation to mark the solstices and equinoxes as the beginning, as opposed to the middle, of their respective seasons.)
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Milepost61

#24
Quote from: texaskdog on September 10, 2012, 10:26:18 AM
Quote from: Milepost61 on September 07, 2012, 10:55:35 PM
Too late. The road to Mount Evans closes every year the day after Labor Day. You can still go part way, but not to the summit.

Really?  It doesn't snow this early does it?  Well it was 43 at the summit in mid-August.

Doesn't matter what the weather is doing, the agreement CDOT has with the Forest Service requires the closure the Tuesday after Labor Day. CDOT doesn't own the Mount Evans Highway, it's on USFS land and is leased to CDOT.



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