Optional Trail Ride:
Black Bear Pass
San Miguel County, Colorado
Nearby Towns: Telluride, Ouray, Silverton
Nearby Trails: Imogene Pass, Ophir Pass, Bullion King Lake, Red Mountain Pass
Trail Length: 9.23 miles
Elevation: 9,066 to 12,859 feet
This is one of the most famous trails in the state and for good reason. It's beautiful and slightly terrifying. You travel from south of Ouray to Telluride over Black Bear Pass, around Ingram Basin, and across Ingram Falls to encounter some deadly switchbacks.
The trail starts out at a large area to air down just off the highway. You climb almost immediately and start working your way to the pass. Keep going to your right if you can't tell which trail is correct. It makes sense if you keep trying to get to the top of the ridge and to Black Bear Pass.
Once you get to the pass at 3.2 miles you are treated to a beautiful view and lots of open space. The trail starts down the pass and you work your way around a shelf road with Ingram Basin and Ingram Lake below you. Ingram Peak looks over the scenery here.
Don't go down into the basin valley -- continue along the shelf. Soon you'll be able to catch your first glimpse of Telluride far below, and you'll be able to see Telluride almost all the time until you finally reach it.
The switchbacks start soon after you leave Ingram Basin. There are a few different lines to take but they're all about the same difficulty. They keep getting tougher as you follow Ingram Creek.
At 6.5 miles the switchbacks above the creek become their most terrifying. This is perhaps the most unnerving part of the trail, contrary to what you may have read in other reports. It is a shelf road of rock with loose sand on it and you must go downhill at a steep angle, turning to your right at the bottom. The entire time all you have in front of you is Telluride thousands of feet below you. Go slowly and carefully. You may not want to tackle this hill if it is wet, as it has claimed the life of at least one wheeler.
When you get around the corner the trail becomes shelf road and even widens a bit. You come around the corner to actually drive over a shallow part of Ingram Falls. You can get out here and take pictures, though there really isn't anywhere to get out of the way if there are others behind you (the trail is one way here).
After passing a mine that is almost lost to the elements you begin more tight switchbacks of loose dirt and rocks. The tightest switchback is here and one you have probably read about. Don't get too close to the edge (it's loose) and take it slowly, backing up as often as you need to.
There are more switchbacks and each one gets a little wider. Eventually you end up at the Bridal Veil Falls Powerhouse and a gate. This is private property though you can walk a bit closer. There is a sign stating you should not block the gate or roadway, but there is room to pull over after the switchback at the Powerhouse, past the sign stating the trail is one way past that point up to the top.
There is a great place to park on a big switchback where you can hike a short distance to stand in the spray at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. Here, you can truly appreciate how far the water falls to to the pools at the bottom. This brief but rocky hike is highly recommended.
Work your way down the switchbacks and you will find yourself in Telluride at the Pandora Mill. This is the main street in town.
Low-End Rating: 4
High-End Rating: 5
Rock Crawling: 2
Dirt & Mud: 1
Water Crossings: 3
Playgrounds: 1
Cliffs & Ledges: 5
Climbs & Descents: 4
Elevation: 5
Scenery: 5
Other Activities: 5
The Ratings -- What Do They Mean?
Every trail description on TrailDamage.com will have a Rating Box. This is a gray box to the right side of the page that details many different aspects of the trail.
Low-End Rating: The lower end of the scale showing the easiest this trail ever gets. This is how difficult the trail will be if you take all bypasses around obstacles and always take the easiest route through every area (while still remaining on the trail). The scale is from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult.
High-End Rating: The higher end of the scale showing the hardest this trail ever gets. This is how difficult the trail will be if you take on all obstacles and always take the most difficult route through every area (while still remaining on the trail). The scale is from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult.
Rock Crawling: The amount of rock-based obstacles. These include all kinds of rocks -- smooth obstacles with steep drop-offs, bumpy hills made of rock, and rock-strewn riverbeds and canyons. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest amount of rock crawling. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Dirt & Mud: The amount of dirt or sand available on the trail rather than rock or water. Mud may occur only when the weather creates it or it may be year-round mud. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing a very high percentage of dirt rather than other driving surfaces. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Water Crossings: The amount of water on the trail. This includes all kinds of water crossings -- from small puddles to streams, creeks, ponds and lakes. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest amount of water. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Playgrounds: The amount of available play areas rather than trail only. Playgrounds can be large or small areas of rock, sand, dirt, water or other surfaces fun to play on. They are either near the trail or a widened part of the trail. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing a high amount of playground areas. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Cliffs & Ledges: The amount of cliff faces and steep ledges. These are areas where the trail will run alongside and if you were to fall off you would be seriously hurt or killed. This also represents narrow ledges where it is possibly dangerous. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest number of cliffs and ledges. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Climbs & Descents: The amount of steep climbing and descending. These can be individual obstacles that are very steep or they can be a trail that has a large change in elevation. A trail may only have climbs or descents, or it may have both. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest amount of elevation changes or steep inclines. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Elevation: The amount of feet above sea level. These trails may start and end at a high elevation or they may also include a high number of Climbs & Descents as well. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest elevation. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Scenery: The amount of scenic "photo ops." Admittedly, most trails are scenic -- this scale attempts to look at all trails here and rate them in comparison to each other. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest amount of scenic areas. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
Other Activities: The amount of other outdoor activities possible. Most trails will offer a large number of additional activities so this rating attempts to compare all trails to each other. Other Activities may include ATV riding, mountain biking, dirt biking, jogging, fishing, camping and rock climbing. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest amount of other activities possible. These numbers are represented with red Jeep icons.
