The Alpine Loop
Scenic Byway

The Alpine Loop crosses the rugged heart of the spectacular San Juan Mountains. Cinnamon and Engineer Passes are above 12,000 feet and require high-clearance 4WD vehicles. These roads were first used by miners carrying their ore to Silverton, Ouray and Lake City in the early 1900's. Be prepared for the finest in remote solitude, pristine mountain views, hiking and biking trails, and great camping and wilderness opportunities. You can also spend days exploring abandoned townsites, structures and old mining haunts.

The Engineer Pass section of the Alpine Loop gives access to the Nellie Trailhead (for those that might like to climb Uncompahgre Peak) and to the Matterhorn Trailhead (for those who might like to try Wetterhorn, Matterhorn and/or Uncompahgre Peaks).

The Cinnamon Pass section of the Alpine Loop gives relatively easy access to Handies Peak, Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak.

In 2006, the Alpine Loop suffered some serious damage as the result of heavy winter snows and seemingly unending summer rains. There's lots of deep and wide new ruts in the road and some pretty good washouts in some areas. It's "hardness" rating as a 4WD road has increased significantly (at least for that section of the road west of Engineer Pass). I do know that both of these roads deteriorate quickly once you cross over that ridge and start dropping down into San Juan County. Another danger on the road in San Juan and Ouray Counties are all those city folks in rented Jeeps...

This 65-mile Backcountry Byway is usually open from late May through October, depending on snow depths and damage from spring run-off. About 2/3 of the route is dirt road suitable for 2WD vehicles but if you want to cross Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass or Mineral Creek, you'll want dependable, high-clearance 4WD. Along the way there are 3 campgrounds, a picnic area and several restroom facilities, but be prepared for rustic. Outside of Lake City, Ouray and Silverton, there are no services available.

These mountains were occupied by the Utes for centuries but in the late 1800's, wave after wave of miners came in, searching out lodes of silver, gold, zinc, and lead. In the process, they carved out an elaborate network of roads and trails. In some places, they even used aerial tramways to transport their ores from the mines to the mills where the rock was crushed and the minerals extracted. Today, the roads are still here but most of the mines and mills are closed. And rather than finding miners with horse-drawn wagons you'll find four-wheelers, motorcycles and mountain bikes on the road. That said, please be aware that most mine and mill sites are privately owned and the mines and historic structures you'll come across out here are unstable to the point of being ready to collapse at any time.

At the end of June in 2008, I finally took the time to drive the Engineer Pass section of the Alpine Loop. I started out from Lake City late on a Friday afternoon, after most of the tourists and day-users were already back at their abodes for the night. I emerged south of Ouray early on Saturday morning, just as the tourists and day-users were starting to flock back in. I spent the night in between at the Matterhorn Trailhead, near the southern edge of the Uncompahgre Wilderness.

The journey from Lake City to the 4WD sign (just about timberline) is something the normal 2WD vehicle can do pretty easily. From the 4WD sign to the summit of Engineer Pass can be done with most 4WD vehicles that have decent clearance. From Engineer Pass to US 550... solid 4WD, high clearance, have experience, you might want an experienced spotter with you, and expect your knuckles to be white in places anyway. For example: within yards of passing the sign saying "San Juan County Road 2" I turned a hairpin curve on solid rock and dropped down onto the county road by planting my front bumper in the gravel and dragging my back bumper over the rock. If I'd been coming the other way, I'd never have made it up over that... and the rest of the road going out, well, look at the photos: I took some of just the road itself.

In early September, 2008, I finally drove in from Lake City and headed towards Cinnamon Pass, turning around at the west end of Burrows Park. This is another absolutely gorgeous drive through spectacular countryside. The road is paved all the way to the far end of Lake San Cristobal. From there to Sherman the gravel road is in good shape but once you pass Sherman, you'll want some good clearance. Just past the Sherman turn-off the road goes up on the cliff side and gets narrow for a ways, then it opens out again and passes through some wide valleys. In Burrows Park is a parking/camping area (with pit toilets) and the trailheads for Handies Peak and Sunshine/Redcloud (all 14ers). Just past there I came to a trench across the road and decided that was a good place for me to turn around and head back out, getting back to Lake San Cristobal before sunset.