Location: San Juan Mountains
Difficulty: Difficult
Directions: 13 miles outside Ouray on Hwy. 550
Time: Approximately 2-3 hours, one-way. 12 miles.
Trail Description
The infamous Black Bear Pass is one of the most difficult mountain passes in Colorado. When you start the final descent into Telluride, it turns into a one-way trail, so once you pass that point of no return, it’s do or die time! I’ve only driven the road to that point and then turned around (didn’t have good enough tread on my tires).
UPDATE: On July 19, 2010, I finally made it down Black Bear Road, thanks to my friends, the Boyers, who drove their ATVs and let me hang on for dear life on back. We strapped the camera mount onto the front of the ATV and had great success!
This sign used to be at the beginning of Black Bear Road.
The trail begins at the summit of Red Mountain Pass and is actually a nice and easy trail to the summit of Black Bear Pass. The views of the San Juan Mountains at the summit are amazing! Heading down the summit it’s still a 2-way road for a while. The road is not too bad, narrow in places, rocky in places and slippery. There is a high shelf road that is very narrow. Many side roads will take you to old mine ruins and alpine lakes.
Just above Telluride, near the beginning of Ingram Falls, there is a sign that declares the road is one-way from that point forward. This is where you need to turn around if you don’t feel comfortable starting down the most difficult part of the trail.
Quickly, after passing the Point of No Return sign, you begin down “The Steps.” No video or photos can really do justice to this part of the trail. With Ingram Falls roaring down the mountain on your left, you begin to traverse a relatively steep portion of the trail. The entire width of the trail is covered in large slabs of rock with 12-to-18-inch drop off in places. Loose shale covers the rocks and it becomes very rocky and slippery. Even with ATVs and a very short wheel base, it was intense. Larger vehicles, even standard Jeep Wranglers, often get off-camber in this spot and one or more wheels will leave the ground.
At the end of “The Steps” the trail banks hard to the right (Adios Curve) and if you are not in control of your vehicle when it banks, you will tumble 1000 feet down. In 2004 an entire family of four went over the side, killing the parents. The children and their dog survived. Photos and video can’t show how treacherous this road can be.
After “The Steps” you have the infamous switchbacks to conquer. there are four very tight switchbacks that require a 3-point turn or at least one “back up” in order to make the hairpin turns. We made them easily in the ATVs but the last one, especially, was very tight. I can’t imagine being in a Jeep and hanging off the edge on that one!
Once you clear the four switchbacks, you are at The Power Station, which used to power the Smuggler-Union Mine. Although it is now a private residence, it still provides 25% of Telluride’s electricity! Below the Power Station is the longest waterfall in the state of Colorado, Bridal Veil Falls. At 365-feet in length, it cascades down into Tellruide.
Black Bear Road was a blast to finally experience. I definitely purchased a “I survived Black Bear Road” t-shirt and will wear it proudly. I’d love to do it in a Jeep Rubicon to really experience it again.
If you would be interested in purchasing a DVD of this trail, please comment in the comment section below. I edited the video for length that you see here but do have a full-length version from Start to Finish. If you are interested, please comment below and when the DVD is complete, I will contact each person. DVD will include the full-length video fro the Summit to the Power Station, plus a slideshow of images.
INSANE! As intense as it felt just watching you go down the “steps”, i can’t even imagine trying in a jeep. Just curious, how much is the dvd? (if available)
Probably around $15-$20 plus shipping..Haven’t added up my costs yet on making them. They will come in a real DVD box with sleeve, etc. Thanks for watching! I’d love to go again in a Jeep (with someone else driving perhaps). lolol
I would be interested in a DVD, but would like to know if it would be available by Father’s Day and what the cost would be.
This is more of a question. (Sorry I posted this in the wrong place the first time)
I am trying to determine, where the exact turn around point on Black Bear road is. I have read that you have to turn around at the summit of the pass if you don’t want to take on the switchbacks, but others say you can drive over the pass to near the top of the steps and then turn around.
I have a lot of experience driving on the 4- wheeler roads in CO, but also know I don’t wish to tackle the switchbacks of Black Bear in a vehicle. Instead I was hoping to be able to drive to the top of the steps, park and hike down a ways to view the area.
Is this possible? or do you have to turn around at the summit of the pass.
I have also considered driving to the base of Bridalveil falls to the end of 2 way road and hiking up.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Sincerely
Paul Caldwell
I was surprised about this too, I thought it was the summit, but it’s not. You can go over the summit toward Telluride and it’s still 2-way. When you reach the beginning of the steps, there is a sign, shown in my video, that lets you know it’s one-way only past that point. You can turn around then. The drive up to that point is beautiful and actually maybe a moderate ranked trail along that section, so it’s not technically difficult and worth your time, for sure. Black Bear gets its difficult ranking from the Steps and the switchbacks past that point-of-no-return sign, so you can drive it and have fun and not worry too much up to that point. Definitely worth it, even if you don’t go past the Steps.
Thanks again, hoping to get out there this Sept.
Paul
MY WIFE AND I TRAVERSED THE ENTIRE TRAIL FROM IT’S BEGINNING AT RED MOUNTAIN ALL THE WAY UP AND THEN DOWN INTO TELLURIDE. We used a 1985 full size Suburban 4wd. It was in the late 1980’s. A famous musician posted our picture on the INTERNET and labeled us as idiots. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.( BLack Bear trail.)
MY WIFE AND I TRAVERSED THE ENTIRE TRAIL FROM IT’S BEGINNING AT RED MOUNTAIN ALL THE WAY UP AND THEN DOWN INTO TELLURIDE. We used a 1985 full size Suburban 4wd. It was in the late 1980′s. A famous musician posted our picture on the INTERNET and labeled us as idiots. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.( BLack Bear trail.)