Alpine Loop

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steve_413

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Trail stats

Distance: 62.5 mi
Elevation gain: 8,123 ft
Technical difficulty: Moderate
Elevation loss: 6,056 ft
Max elevation: 12,969 ft
TrailRank: 38
Min elevation: 8,729 ft
Trail type: One Way

Time: 8 hours 18 minutes
Coordinates: 4217
Uploaded: April 5, 2020
Recorded: September 2012

2 Claps

near Silverton, Colorado (United States)

Viewed 375 times, downloaded 17 times

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Itinerary description

This moderate rated 63 mile 4x4 trail in Colorado's San Juan Mountains is a classic. After Eureka the road begins to climb steadily along rocky narrow stretches until Engineer Pass. Be sure to take the short detour to Oh Point for a spectacular panorama. 7.3 miles past Engineer Pass are the Whitmore Falls. An easy short walk takes you to a viewpoint. Continuing east you arrive at the scenic abandonned town of Henson with several buildings and a breached dam. After navigating through Lake City, CR-3 skirts the western shore of Lake San Cristobal. 9 miles past the lake, the climb to Cinnamon Pass starts gently climbing for the first 6.5 miles following the Lake Fork Gunnison River. The final 3 miles to Cinnamon Pass are steeper, gaining almost 1,750 feet. There are extensive views from Cinnamon Pass. From the pass, the roads steeply descends to join the road just north of Animas Forks and closing the loop.

Although not technically difficult there are steep narrow rocky sections that require a high clearance 4x4 vehicle. Do not attempt in wet weather.