Argentine Pass
We had a happy group of people as we drove through Georgetown and arrived at the Argentine Pass trailhead. It was enough room for airing down as we watched a number of ATVs start the trail ahead of us. We also fell in behind a lone Jeep driver who we would pass later. Though the trail was busy with a few vehicles, ATVs, dirt bikes and mountain bikes it never felt crowded.
We started up and the weather was absolutely fantastic. The skies were blue and it was sunny, though it was a bit chilly. The forecast for Georgetown called for a high of 66 degrees so it wasn't going to be very warm. Still, a few of us were sunburned by the end of the day.
The early switchbacks were mellow and we didn't have to pass anyone coming down. It wasn't long before we were at the Waldorf Mine site. We all snapped pictures but we didn't get out to explore.
When we got to the "Y" in the road we took the right-most fork to head up to the pass itself. There had been a few mountain bikers on their way up, and the ones at this point were really working hard. The switchbacks were steep in places, and always filled with small rocks.
The last switchback had rocks in it that made small shelves. We popped over them without any issues, but wondered how some SUVs made it through.
When we got to the top there were a few people on ATVs checking out the scenery. Everyone was very friendly and happy to be there. We could see the basin trail below us where we would be next. Also, it was easy to see the Peru Creek trail on the other side along with its many spur trails.
It was very windy and very cold, so we didn't stay very long. We hoped that it would be a bit warmer in the basin so we could break there for lunch. We drove back down to the intersection without any issues, enjoying the views.
The basin trail was short and twisty, and soon we were at the end. It was sunny and not very windy at all, so it was a great place for lunch. We set up our chairs and had a great time.
We worked our way back to the Waldorf Mine site and the big hill we'd take up to the McClellan Mountain trail. It was already a great day and we were just getting started.
Reports from Other Days: 5
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Argentine Pass. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
