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

Hermit Pass 110826

August 26, 2011 by Monica

Hermit Pass

Trail Run on August 26, 2011
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Hermit Pass

Mark U.
Red 1989 Jeep Wrangler
Mike S.
Silver 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Bill S.
Yellow 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Walt S.
Gray 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392

What would a trip to Alamosa be without Hermit Pass on the way? It's one of our favorites so we had to visit it again. We had a nice trip to Westcliffe where we found a gas station and a big lot where Mark could leave his truck and trailer. Then we headed for the trail.

We forgot to air down in town so we had to pull off about halfway to the trailhead to air down. The dirt road on the way there is a washboard and it wasn't pleasant on aired-up tires. When we got to the actual trailhead we just kept on going.

There were a few vehicles and ATVs here and there but nothing like what we've seen before. Traffic was fairly light. We talked about the slow-moving SUVs with fully inflated tires and about how bad the ride must be. Hermit Pass is one of the bumpiest trails we know of and it must be miserable with hard, inflexible tires.

The trail's weather started out really nice but as we climbed it really cooled off. We hoped to eat lunch at the top or at least above timberline but the clouds were really rolling in. It looked like rain so we pulled off at a big switchback for lunch.

Lunch was nice and you could tell everyone was looking foward to three days away from the daily grind. We stayed for a while, chatting and laughing. But we had miles to do yet so we headed up to the top.

It was barely sprinkling and it never really rained as we climbed. Still, it was chilly and it was really windy at the top. We got out and wandered around the top for a little while but soon it started raining. Most of us managed to get our tops up and windows in and back to our vehicles before it really started raining. And then it started hailing.

We didn't spend that much time at the top, unfortunately. The weather just turned too nasty. So we worked our way down and out of the hail.

The trip down to the trailhead was uneventful for everyone but Mike. We were almost back to timberline when he pulled over to check out a clunking noise, only to find that he completely lost a bolt on an upper control arm. The guys dug through their spare parts and managed to find a replacement bolt and nut. It wasn't a tight fit and Mike would listen to the rattle for the rest of the trip. But at least it was securely fastened.

Once we got back to Westcliffe Mark put his Jeep back on his trailer and we aired up. We planned to head for Alamosa, taking Pass Creek Pass along the way to shorten the distance. Even with the hail, Hermit Pass is still a favorite.

across_rock
alpine
approaching_timberline
bill_and_walt
bill_on_the_trail
bumpy
colorful
conquistador_ski_area
curve
dark_clouds
dark
early_trail
easy_climb
eureka_mountain
exposed
fall_colors
first_view
green_and_rocky
green
hail
hermit_lake
into_the_storm
jeeps
layers
mark_bill_and_walt
mark_on_the_trail
marmot
mike_and_mark
mike_losing_an_upper_control_arm
mike_on_the_trail
mike_trail_fix
monica_on_the_trail
parked_at_the_end
partridge
rain_in_the_distance
range
rocks
sangre_de_cristo_mountains
scraggles
see_for_miles
shelf
small_obstacle
storm_brewing
through_trees
top_to_bottom
trail_ahead
trail_sign
trail_with_a_view
trailhead_sign
tundra_climb
valley_view
walk_to_the_edge
weird_tree

Reports from Other Days: 2

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

August 18, 2006

Led by Monica I.
Hermit Pass is one of the most beautiful trails in Colorado, and it’s a fairly mellow drive all the way over 13,000 feet. That’s why we made sure we got to see it on our way down to Alamosa. It was supposed to rain, so we were prepared. When we…
»
  • 1
  • 2
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

© 2000-2023 · 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 */ /* ----------------------------------------- */