Engineer Pass

[San Juan Ron]

The Mineral Creek spur from near Engineer Pass to just south of Ouray is the challenging area. I drive it several times per year and drove it last week. Watch your clearance as I have come across numerous vehicles that have had issues due to lack of clearance. The spur will take longer than you think -- double your estimated time. Have fun!

[njbrain]

I ran Engineer Pass and Mineral Creek Spur last July in my GX470. No problems at all. A few times I needed a spotter to help pick a good line, but the vehicle itself did just fine. The GX470 shares a chassis with the FJ, but is heavier and has less ground clearance, so your vehicle is more than adequate.

[acidchylde]

No "shelf vertigo" when everything beyond your headlamp is black, eh?

Funny you should mention that. My first time down in the area we got there late and were heading up to camp at the Grizzly trailhead. I was driving, and by the time we got to the shelf part it was solidly dark. The first clue I had I was on a shelf road and that the blackness out to my left was empty and not just meadow with trees beyond was when we came to what I believe is the first narrow S curve. I happened to glance out my side window and down at a spot where a culvert was and notice that the road was eroding in around the culvert and it was a long way down past said culvert.

And I believe, at least when I've done it, it is run west to east.

It can be run in either direction. West to east means you're going uphill and have the technical right of way. While many roads/trails can be easier one way than the other, the only one-way restricted one I'm aware of is Black Bear.

[TallGrass]

The first clue I had I was on a shelf road and that the blackness out to my left was empty and not just meadow with trees ... West to east means you're going uphill and have the technical right of way. While many roads/trails can be easier one way than the other, the only one-way restricted one I'm aware of is Black Bear.

My first clue was when I stopped and shut off the motor to take a break and could hear the river, waayyy down there. I did it E-W to Ouray. Not a road I'd like to meet an oncoming vehicle on, but at least on the moto' I've got more options.

Uphill may have the right of way, but many drive ignorant or in spite of it. Guess some just expect a 1WD bike to just get out of their way.

Hear they reverse traffic on Black Bear once a year for some Jeep thing. It's two-way from Telluride up to the power station and 2WD grade. Need to loop that one of these days...

[summit21]

I did this a number of years back in a stock 4Runner Sport ed. and had no issues other than one spot descending back down near Ouray (scraped the undercarriage a little, no damage). As other's have said though the driver is as important as the vehicle itself. I blew a tire at the top of the pass that morning and changed plans from Wetterhorn to Uncompahgre.

[semitrueskerm]

One of my proudest moments was taking a 2 WD Jeep Liberty over Engineer Pass. You have to manage your momentum.... (I got rid of the Liberty a few weeks later... the clearance was fine... but 2 WD Liberty??? No Huevos.)

[Mark A Steiner]

Somewhat related: if you come from Cortez or Rico I would think a run over Ophir Pass to US 550, down to Silverton, then east over either Engineer or Cinnamon would be a real treat. Has anyone tried this? Trip reports or other visual details available? Often thought about this but never got the time ... too busy with citrus, grapes and figs. Fun, though.

[mcmanusj]

I've done Lake City to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass down to Silverton, and then went over Ophir pass en route to the Navajo Basin trailhead. Did it last summer in an AWD Ford Escape. Found Ophir to be tougher than Cinnamon, given that this was a week after a big rock slide on Ophir and the road seemed to be in worse condition than usual.

[OBC13]

I've taken a 1986 4wd GMC Suburban over both Engineer and Cinnamon passes, multiple times for Cinnamon. With a large vehicle, the clearances for passing can be tight. Actually the worst clearance challenge is on the ledge road leading down to Ouray in my opinion. If you just go down to Silverton from Animas Forks you avoid that.

[acidchylde]

Somewhat related: if you come from Cortez or Rico I would think a run over Ophir Pass to US 550, down to Silverton, then east over either Engineer or Cinnamon would be a real treat. Has anyone tried this? Trip reports or other visual details available? Often thought about this but never got the time ... too busy with citrus, grapes and figs. Fun, though.

When we're in the area we often take Ophir back and forth between the Ouray/Silverton and Telluride sides. It's easier than Imogene, which we do as well. It's more just a question of where we are and want to end up. Ophir is closer to Lizardhead and Silverton. Unfortunately any travel blog/post/pictures/reports I have are no longer online. But it's a very common route/day trip for people in the area, kind of an extended or alternate Alpine Loop. Most people start in Telluride and then go over Imogene to come back over Black Bear, but Ophir sees a fair share of that loop as well. If you hit it at the right time of year, the top of Ophir on the west side is full of wildflowers just like American Basin or the eastern side of Imogene right around treeline. There's just not as much room/gentle terrain to get out and check them out.

[summitrunner]

Did it in a stock '10 Ford Explorer Sport Trac in 2013. Accidentally took the Mineral Creek route from Lake City to Ouray. One of the most terrifying experiences of my life. The shelf road was no problem. It was the never ending bed rock in the middle of the road. I pulverized my running boards and bent my tail hitch. My wife spotted me almost the whole way down. We made it out with no transmission, oil pan, or other issues on the under carriage. I almost rolled it off the side in a particularly bad section. It was a mistake we lived through, and a crazy story to tell. I will never do that road again. I do not recommend Mineral Creek in a real vehicle.

[Scott P]

I do not recommend Mineral Creek in a real vehicle.

The Explorer Sprort Trac and an FJ Cruiser are two completely different vehicles. I don't think an FJ will have a problem unless the driver is really inexperienced. Last October, I did the Mineral Creek route in a stock 1999 Pathfinder. The road was very time consuming and rough, and I scraped bottom a few times, but it was doable (a spotter would have been nice though). Since an FJ is much more of an off road vehicle than the 1999 Pathfinder, I don't think it will have a problem.