- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
We took the 2 hr drive down to the San Juan mountains yesterday, seeking to escape the heat at home.... and boy did we! 🌧
We drove thru Ouray and up Red Mountain Pass towards the Black Bear Pass trailhead. Right before the turnoff, I spotted a small herd of Bull Elk on the move... there were 3 big boys and a handful of deer just above them! We pulled off at the start of the trail, aired down and applied a sticker to the sign.
The temperature at the trailhead was nice & crisp, in the 50's and there was a lot of standing water and everything was SO GREEN! The trail climbs fast & steep, it's not too challenging but the views on the way up are stunning! Soon we were at the summit, took a pic at the sign and began our decent down the other side. As we worked our way down towards the sketchy, famous Stairs of Black Bear we enjoyed the scenery and all the waterfalls.
The trail has eroded in a few places that were slightly sketchy before and now are VERY sketchy. There are a few off camber drops that have rolled vehicles, you really need to be cautious and pick your line carefully. On top of that, with all the recent moisture the granite rocks were very slippery... as we dropped off, gravity took over and took the Jeep where it wanted! The rest of the trip down the Stairs was uneventful, but just as we came down them it started to rain... and the tight switchbacks lay ahead!
I ended up taking the switch backs in 2WD, so I could turn the long Gladiator better... had to make a couple 5 point turns! The view of the Telluride Bridal Veil Powerhouse was impressive with the rain falling! We made the rest of the trip down into town without issue and found a place for good food and some well earned beer!
We drove thru Ouray and up Red Mountain Pass towards the Black Bear Pass trailhead. Right before the turnoff, I spotted a small herd of Bull Elk on the move... there were 3 big boys and a handful of deer just above them! We pulled off at the start of the trail, aired down and applied a sticker to the sign.
The temperature at the trailhead was nice & crisp, in the 50's and there was a lot of standing water and everything was SO GREEN! The trail climbs fast & steep, it's not too challenging but the views on the way up are stunning! Soon we were at the summit, took a pic at the sign and began our decent down the other side. As we worked our way down towards the sketchy, famous Stairs of Black Bear we enjoyed the scenery and all the waterfalls.
The trail has eroded in a few places that were slightly sketchy before and now are VERY sketchy. There are a few off camber drops that have rolled vehicles, you really need to be cautious and pick your line carefully. On top of that, with all the recent moisture the granite rocks were very slippery... as we dropped off, gravity took over and took the Jeep where it wanted!
The rest of the trip down the Stairs was uneventful, but just as we came down them it started to rain... and the tight switchbacks lay ahead!
I ended up taking the switch backs in 2WD, so I could turn the long Gladiator better... had to make a couple 5 point turns!
The view of the Telluride Bridal Veil Powerhouse was impressive with the rain falling! We made the rest of the trip down into town without issue and found a place for good food and some well earned beer!
