TrailDamage.com

Photos, videos and information about 4x4 trails in Colorado and Utah

  • Trails
    • Colorado
    • Utah
  • Reports
    • Featured Photos
    • Featured Videos
    • Reports Calendar
  • Members
  • Search
  • Trail Damage Winners
  • FAQ
  • Community
  • Upcoming Events
  • Membership
  • Log In
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Black Bear Pass 140919

September 19, 2014 by Roger Ryken

Black Bear Pass

Trail Run on September 19, 2014
Report and photos by Roger R., Trail Leader
View trail information for Black Bear Pass

Roger R.
White 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Walt S.
Gray 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

Our objective for the day was to do the loop made by Black Bear Pass and Imogene Pass and then run Yankee Boy Basin. If time permitted, we also wanted to check out Governor Basin. The weather was bright and sunny -- a perfect day for wheeling in the San Juan Mountains. We reached the trailhead at about 8:30AM, so time was on our side.

The climb to the top was fairly mellow, and we enjoyed it immensely. We stopped briefly at the summit for a couple of pictures and took in the views from the pass. We could see the trail stretched out in front of us. We didn't see anyone heading up so we headed down. The basin and the mountains in front of us made our drive beautiful the whole way down.

As far as we could tell, we had the entire trail to ourselves. We were surprised to see that, as Black Bear Pass is a very popular trail. As we worked our way down we found many optional lines, along with some that offered a bit more of a challenge than others, but nothing was really that difficult. It wasn't long before we had Telluride in sight and were on the rocky switchback above Ingram Falls.

This switchback had just claimed another Jeep. Someone must have had a momentary lapse of concentration on the trail and went over the side. Fortunately no one was hurt and they walked out. The switchbacks are not that extreme but you definitely have to pay attention.

We got around that and the next switchback, and then were at Ingram Falls. We spent a lot of time there. We posed for pictures in and around the falls and in the creek with Telluride as a backdrop. It was fun and the break was welcomed. Soon, we headed on down through the many tight switchbacks along the way.

The trail is very narrow through the next couple of switchbacks. It is easy to understand why this trail is a one-way trail for traffic. We went down the next few switchbacks, and ended up at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. For some reason, access to the falls had been blocked off with yellow tape put up by the local authorities. Since we had all been to the falls before, not having access was less of disappointment and we headed on down to Telluride.

We made the quick trip through Telluride to start Imogene Pass. Black Bear Pass is definitely one of our favorites, as always. It has gorgeous waterfalls, great mountain scenery, and some dangerous sections to get the adrenaline flowing. Who could ask for more?

airing_down
at_ingram_falls
at_the_bottom
at_the_summit
big_view
bridal_veil_falls_part_1
bridal_veil_falls_part_2
color_along_highway_550
falls_near_the_trail
first_telluride_view
foreboding_sign
heading_down
house_on_bridal_veil_falls_part_1
house_on_bridal_veil_falls_part_2
lake_view
mining_at_ingram_falls
on_the_way_to_telluride
ore_chute
roger_and_telluride
roger_at_the_falls_part_1
roger_at_the_falls_part_2
roger_at_the_falls_part_3
roger_at_the_falls_part_4
roger_crossing_ingram_falls
roger_in_scenery
roger_in_the_creek
summit_sign
telluride_part_1
telluride_part_2
telluride_part_3
the_falls
trailhead_sign
walt_and_georgina
walt_at_the_creek_part_1
walt_at_the_creek_part_2
walt_at_the_creek_part_3
walt_descending_to_the_stairsteps
walt_in_scenery
walt_in_the_creek
working_our_way_down
yellow_aspens

Reports from Other Days: 4

Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Black Bear Pass. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.

September 5, 2020

Led by Matt K.
It was going to be a nice, warm, and sunny day in early September, and thankfully it was not very smokey or hazy in the area all weekend. We met in Ouray and then drove to the beginning of Black Bear Pass, which was just a few miles off the…
»
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
Join Us!
If you aren’t a Member or Subscriber, you can’t see all of the content on this site. Get membership information to see why this site is best when you join and log in

Information for Subscribers

When you log in you’ll see more information here:

  • Recent Community Forum posts
  • Recent polls
  • Upcoming Events you can attend
  • Links to online users

© 2000-2021 · TrailDamage.com · Terms and Conditions · About · Contact
Trail information is only accurate on the date posted. Trails may have changed or closed since that date. Use this information for historical purposes only.
Contact the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management for up-to-date trail information.

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* place the prev/next controls on the sides */ .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link, .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { border: none; font-size: 300%; position: absolute; top: 70px; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { left: 0; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link { right: 0; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots { text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots li.wpv_pagination_dots_item, .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { display: inline-block; float: none; } /* remove the default styles */ .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none; } .td-slider-container { padding: 0 25px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; width:100%; display:table; } .td-slides { position: relative; } .td-slides-image { float:left; display:table-cell; } .td-slides-image img { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; } .td-slides-content { padding:4px 4px 4px 10px; border-top:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-right:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-bottom:1px solid #c0c0c0; display:table-cell; height:227px; overflow:hidden; } .td-slides-content h3 { margin-top:8px; } .td-slides-leader { font-size:smaller; margin-top:4px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .entry-header { display:none; } .entry-content h1 { margin-top:16px; padding-top:0; } h1 a { color:#222; } h1 a:hover { color:#666; } p.entry-meta { font-size:small; } #report-body-spacer { clear:both; width:100%; height:20px; } #addtoany-bar { margin-bottom:2em; text-align:center; } .category-reports .post-info .author, .post-info .date { display: none; } .addthis_recommended_horizontal { text-align:center !important; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ #runners-container { width:100%; clear:both; } .runner { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; margin:0 6px 6px 0; float:left; width:49%; height:81px; } .runner-image { float: left; } .runner-image img { margin:2px 10px 0 2px; height:75px; width:75px; } .runner-name { text-transform:uppercase; } .runner-name a { color:#222; } .runner-name a:hover { color:#666; } .runner-vehicle { font-size:small; } @media only screen and (max-width: 768px) { .runner { width:100%; } } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */