Ouray-Silverton Wheelin [Archive] - Hummer Forums by Elcova

View Full Version : Ouray-Silverton Wheelin

RuggedH2

11-27-2006, 03:41 AM

I did a search for Ouray and Silverton Wheelin and found some interesting posts.

How many H3 owners are not yet aware of this place in Southwestern Colorado? I have run many of the trails there and find the place to be spectacular! Ouray calls itself "Switzerland of America" and it does live up to the bill. It is also referred to as the "Jeep capitol of America". There are Hundreds of 4x4 only trails (old mining roads mostly) leading to mines and ghost towns high up in the San Juan mountains. Some of the passes are over 13,000 feet and the scenery is absolutely amazing!

Most of the trails are not as technical as some of those found in Moab which is only about 3-4 hours away. Both places are beautiful and very different. The trails in Ouray can contain major pucker factor in the fact that some of them are extremely narrow with switchbacks on cliffs, but the H3 can negotiate them (not without challenge). Some of the trails are much more challenging than others of course, and some are technical.

The San Juan mountains are what many people would imagine Colorado to look like, they are spectacular and the town of Ouray is old and authentic. They have a natural Hot Springs pool there (without the sulfur of other places, so it doesn't stink) and a couple of the Inns have their own Hot Springs pools and hot tubs. Ouray has great restaurants and shopping (reasonably priced) and is a fantastic place to stay for a few days of wheeling (with Hot tubbing, after dinner and drinks).

Black Bear Pass is a great run with STEEP switchbacks over a mountain coming down into Telluride (Yuppie Hell) and Imogene back out. Both runs contain 4x4 challenge and are a blast to run. My avatar is me standing by the H3 in Telluride after coming over Black Bear.

I try to get over there every July (before I take off for the Sturgis motorcycle rally). If anybody is looking for a fantastic way to spend a Vacation, this is it in my opinion. I'm kinda giving away one of my favorite destinations but, the place is over run with Jeepers anyway and I'd love to see more Hummers with dirt all over them in town. :dancingbanana:

http://www.ouraycolorado.com/
http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/4X4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bear_Road
http://www.flashoffroad.com/Articles/blackbear/blackbear.htm

westhillsat

11-27-2006, 04:58 AM

Sounds like a cool area :cool:

K9sH3

11-27-2006, 05:13 AM

STOP!!! your making me really hate Florida...:D

NEOCON1

11-27-2006, 01:07 PM

im gonna have to make it over that way one of these days :D sounds awsome :perfect10s:

RuggedH2

11-27-2006, 01:42 PM

NeoCon1,

From reading over this forum, I think you would like it there and it's real close to where you're at.

You seem to go in for the technical/difficult trails; If you make it out there after the snow, look for the Black Bear and Poughkeepsie Gulch trails. They are a couple of the more challenging runs.

There are several Jeep rental places in Ouray, but they won't allow their vehicles on either of those, and some others as well.

Here is a great little Lodge with reasonable rates in town.
http://www.boxcanyonouray.com/index.php

yzergod

11-28-2006, 12:47 AM

Here is a picture of my club up on Black Bear during a trail repair stint with BFGoodrich. You can see my gray 3 on the right. I live in Durango, which is about 45 minutes south of Silverton. Each year the Hummer Club comes to Durango for a week of wheeling in the area. I'd be happy to play tour guide as the trails you mentioned are my playground! [thinking to self...]Hmmm, maybe an Elcova run during the summer? Hmmm... [/thinking to self...]

http://www.creeperjeepers.org/picts/BFG%20run/8.jpg

K9sH3

11-28-2006, 01:15 AM

I like the way you think....

RuggedH2

11-28-2006, 01:39 AM

Yzergod you are a fortunate dude to live there. I've been through Durango lots. (I miss the old Iron Horse motorcycle rally).

The off road options within 4-5 hours of your house are unreal! I think a Summer run there would impress a lot of people. People have heard it is a beautiful area, but until you see it you just don't get it.

Moab is close too, trip could easily include wheeling in both places for anyone interested. Even though you could easily spend days in either place.

Cool offer to guide. :beerchug: :clapping: :cool:

Crash ?

11-28-2006, 05:44 AM

Something else ya might think about with Ouray and Moab...

Run 145 and 141 out of the Ouray/Telluride area up towards Gateway, CO... Just south of Gateway is a road called John Brown Road.. Run it east into Utah and if you get lucky and follow the right paths it'll run you right into Moab.

I haven't confirmed this first hand, but have heard the route is there... It's broken up on MS Streets and Trips, but I've found a couple of routes across on my Garmin Navigator v.7 maps.

I may be looking to confirm the route in late June...

Rob

RuggedH2

11-28-2006, 05:52 AM

Neo lives in Moab, I'm not trying to volunteer him against his will, but he could confirm that in a few free hours.

Crash ?

11-28-2006, 03:17 PM

Neo lives in Moab, I'm not trying to volunteer him against his will, but he could confirm that in a few free hours.

Now what fun would that be for me..???

Rob

RuggedH2

11-28-2006, 07:41 PM

Now what fun would that be for me..???

Rob

Good point Crash. I was looking at that from a selfish point of view, those are two of my favorite places. I was seeing it from a shortest distance between two places perspective. I had never heard of that route before. :o

yzergod

11-28-2006, 08:11 PM

Yzergod you are a fortunate dude to live there. The off road options within 4-5 hours of your house are unreal!

Cool offer to guide. :beerchug: :clapping: :cool:

True dat! Moab is 2½ hours West of me, Silverton about 50 minutes North with Ouray another 30 past that, and as an added bonus, Choke Cherry Canyon in Farmington, NM is about 45 minutes South of me. Choke Cherry is the site of numerous rock crawling race stages/events throughout the year. It is a playground of sandstone/slickrock that is vastly different than Moab. What is neat about it is that you can follow a trail or find an area to play around in. Since it is all BLM, you can drive anywhere. Fun, fun!

Here are a few pics of Choke Cherry. Remember, since it is a 'playground', everything has a bypass if wanted/needed, and no... not everything is at that level of difficulty! :D

Club member in his Scout buggy...
http://www.frontier.net/~yzergod/temp/mid1.jpg

A few shots taken from one of the ARCA (now RCAA) races...
http://www.frontier.net/~yzergod/temp/mid2.jpg

http://www.frontier.net/~yzergod/temp/mid3.jpg

http://www.frontier.net/~yzergod/temp/mid4.jpg

NEOCON1

11-28-2006, 08:22 PM

sweeet :beerchug: i wanna come play over there :jump:

yzergod

11-28-2006, 08:30 PM

sweeet :beerchug: i wanna come play over there :jump:

You're invited next time we go play! :beerchug:

Wisha Haddan H3

11-28-2006, 08:41 PM

Crash ?

11-28-2006, 11:08 PM

Good point Crash. I was looking at that from a selfish point of view, those are two of my favorite places. I was seeing it from a shortest distance between two places perspective. I had never heard of that route before. :o

I did a bit of surfing on the web for it a while back and didn't come up with much.. A report of it made on bikes and another made by of all things.. A MIATA club that made the crossing.. I don't think what I've found is the same route the Miata club did.. My Garmin shows primative roads as dotted lines.. I've never seen what it calls a primative road that could be crossed by a Miata. I think it would be a long way from being a CHALLENGING trail for a Hummer, but it would be an interesting route anyway...

Rob

Mr. I - Man

11-28-2006, 11:27 PM

I ran the trail from Ouray to Telluride in August

kayraja27

12-06-2006, 03:00 PM

Hey..I just went there in July. We wheeled black bear, imagene pass, and most of the others in the Silverton area. My H3 went over nearly everything my sisters jeep went through except for one obstacle that was entirely too narrow to take the H3 through. We camped out right outside Silverton on San Juan county road 19 I believe. There is a campsite located approximately 8mi from Silverton, only thing is, they don't have RV set-ups like electric and stuff. Excellent place and right by the jeep trails. I have a base model H3 and had know problems, even made it over the stuff when everyone else had the lockers and still had problems. I recommend anyone to go there. It was such an adrenaline rush driving on those trails with that cliff right there. But we had a freaken blast!

Scouts Out

12-06-2006, 10:03 PM

I want to know how the Willy's wagon did

Gottmud

12-06-2006, 10:41 PM

I love to stay in Ouray, at the KOA campground there. Play in the mountains for a week, and go home. I will be there July 8th 2007 for a week of play with my buddy. he has a 1972 Blazer. Check this out. http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/4X4.html

______________________________________________

2006 Victory red H3, 35" Toyo's, Doi.

yzergod

12-07-2006, 06:04 AM

I want to know how the Willy's wagon did

It did great! Of course, you can do Black Bear in a VW bus (which I've passed up there)! :eek:

The "Willy's" is owned by a club member that takes late model Toyota trucks and mates the frame/drive train/chassis to Willys wagons and trucks. According to his findings, the Toyota's are a half an inch longer in the wheelbases to the Willys. According to him, it is the best of both worlds in that the body work and interior of the Willys are fairly easy to redo and the Toyota running gear is super easy to fix and get parts for. Since he doesn't build them to run hard core trails, the yota stuff more than holds up. It's cheaper and more fun than trying to restore the old Willys running gear. So, what you see here is a restored Willys wagon tub on a mid 80's Toyota chassis. Cool, huh?

http://www.creeperjeepers.org/picts/BFG%20run/4.jpg

Wisha Haddan H3

12-07-2006, 08:36 PM

Sweet ride :iagree:

Scouts Out

12-18-2006, 09:41 PM

I had a chance to pick up a Willy wagon cheap a few years back when I was wheeling in my International Scout II. I passed for just those reasons, parts and in particular drive line parts, and frame rust. I wish I had know that then, There are a ton of Toys sitting around here waiting to be put to better use. Was an awesomem Scout pic too

Desert Dan

12-18-2006, 11:48 PM

Wow that Willys Utility Wagon looks great. I think that is the original SUV in my book.

You either have to up grade them or keep them all original.

I had one years ago and miss it sometimes, but having disc brakes, power steering, a heater and defroster that work, and a stero you can hear is kind of nice. I took mine all through Death Valley and the southwest.

ETD

12-19-2006, 03:22 AM

Man, I love Ouray. Durango is pretty too. I was a bit shocked when someone in Durango messed with one of my stickers on the H3. I woulda thought Hummers would be more welcomed in places like that.:confused: Anyways, plan on going every August. It's only 10 hours for us with options to stop at Mesa Verde. Cool! I thought that it could not be "Switzerland of America" but I was wrong. It did look like the Alps once you are on the trail. :) Did Imogene and Pioneer Pass (?). Rained like heck one day and the next day a boulder fell on a jeep and killed the driver. Y'all remember that?

lvs

12-19-2006, 05:20 AM

Gottmud

12-19-2006, 03:10 PM

I will be there in July also. Love to meet up with the rest of the Hummers. July 8th for a week. I will be staying at the KOA in Ouray. I pull my H3 behind my Monaco.

RuggedH2

12-19-2006, 05:04 PM

I am headed that way in July with a group of Hummers and we want to stay in Ouray. Has anyone stayed there or is there anyone who lives close who can give some recommendations? No campers in this group :(. All I know so far is that the Twin Peaks Best Western is a definate NO.

I posted a link earlier in this thread to a great little lodge called the Box Canyon Lodge. It is not a five star, but I love to stay at this little Inn. They have natural hot springs hot tubs, and they are very friendly. It is right in town so walking is an option after hitting a few of the close-by bars.

lvs

12-19-2006, 07:39 PM

Box Canyon sounds great. I did take a look at it. Sounds like it will work well.

Sorry, we will not be there until the end of July, but if anyone else will be in the area, feel free to join us!

yzergod

12-21-2006, 07:55 AM

Durango is pretty too. I was a bit shocked when someone in Durango messed with one of my stickers on the H3. I woulda thought Hummers would be more welcomed in places like that.:confused:

Yeah, unfortunatly Durango is NOT Hummer friendly as there is an overabundance of liberal, Subaru driving, granola types :twak: who single out the Hummer brand because it is the root of the war in Iraq and symbolizes George Bush. :lame: Never mind it falls in line with all other SUV's and trucks in the milage department. I could slap hybrid or hydrogen powered all over it and it still wouldn't matter. :rant:

But, it is where I call home and I defiantly continue to love my H3. Might have to join up with some of you throughout the summer!

RuggedH2

12-23-2006, 02:55 PM

Apparently the FJ's are having a nationwide FJ summit in Ouray, mid July.

http://www.fjsummit.org/

If 100 or more of them show up, it would put a pinch on rooms available there.

I hope most of them are gone by the last couple weeks of July. So I won't have to pay a higher price for the same rooms.