American Basin Trailhead

Posted On: 9/16/2012 By: aliciaf
Info: My 8.7 inch clearance AWD Subaru Outback made it completely up the road to the TH with careful and slow driving. After leaving the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch trailhead, the road is pretty rough in some spots. The road description states that it is an easy 4WD to 11,300‘ at the turn off for American Basin, but I would disagree. There are some spots where low-clearance vehicles may have difficulty getting over rocks. I would not suggest any low clearance (2WD or 4WD) should attempt this road unless you are a very careful and smart driver who is aware of the possible difficulties. Once past the American Basin turnoff at 11,300‘ it is definitely still difficult (photos #1 & #2). The creek crossing (photo #3) isn‘t very deep so it‘s not bad at all. Best bet if you want to approach this TH is to find a good clearance 4WD car if possible. See attached photos and video (video is from the "easy 4WD" section): http://youtu.be/RFbppYyE3hg

Posted On: 9/4/2012 By: Marty369
Info: I got bumped to a Chev 4x4 due to the busy weekend so I decided to make the drive up. The road to Grizzly gulch/Silver Creek really isn‘t too bad. There were a couple of little washouts but the heavy equipment was out working on it. At the Cinnimon pass/American Basin split I made the left. There is a busted tin horn that starts the "bad" section. That horn looks like its itching to bust a tire with its jagged edge. Somehow on labor day I was the only vehicle, but the lot is really nice and could fit probably 15 cars. The road isn‘t really any worse than the road before it, maybe a few steeper drops but not much. Word to the wise for campers at the trail head, the shrews and chipmunks in the camping area adjacent to the lot are HORRIBLE. They kept me up at night scratching at my tent even though I didn‘t have food. A shrew made it into my tent somehow and after escorting him out I noticed he had crapped all over the inside of my tent and my drinking cup which was outside. It‘s pretty obvious the day trippers in the atv‘s and buggies feed them, they know humans equal food. I got little sleep that night, however the basin is beautiful.

Posted On: 9/5/2012 By: roaringriz
Info: We came over from Ouray, turned onto CR18 from Hwy 550. This route starts out with 7 miles of very rough 4WD. We have a stock Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited-4D. Do Not attempt this route if you do not have 4WD experience. The road is very narrow and exposed to sheer cliffs. I would recommend taking an ATV instead. We left early in the morning and did not encounter anyone on the road, but we would have had to back up as there is no way to pass on long sections of this route. There are many tight switchbacks and big rocks to drive over, and a few blind corners. After 7 miles we turned south on CR2 to the turn off for Cinnamon Pass. This section was rough 4WD with a few points where you must go over large rocks, but its much easier than the first 7 miles on CR18. It took 2 hours to reach American Basin from Ouray. The final 0.9 mile to the trail head is easy with a 4WD vehicle.

Posted On: 9/6/2012 By: Titan
Info: Road is pretty tame except for last .9 miles. Last bit is pretty rocky and slow going however I didn‘t scrape anywhere on my 2008 Stock Jeep Commander. Creek crossing was much easier than Castle Creek. For a time reference in case you are planning your early morning starts: From Silver Creek up to American Basin took me 40 mins. I don‘t drive super fast and not super slow. For reference the smallest rig I saw all the way at the TH was a Toyota Rav 4 late model.

Posted On: 9/4/2012 By: julharris3
Info: Not sure I would attempt this in a 2wd. The road is actively being worked on, but there are some really rough spots, even with my Tacoma. There was 1 2wd vehicle at the Grizzly Gulch Trailhead, and to be honest, I don‘t know how they made it. It gets a little rougher in spots past Grizzly Gulch, then mellows out a little bit. I heard from someone in another Tacoma that the road over Cinnamon pass from Silverton is in good condition, but can‘t vouch for that myself.

Posted On: 7/28/2012 By: Tony1
Info: Drove into American Basin from Silverton on July 27. The Cinnamon Pass road is in good shape from Silverton to American Basin, with the normal small rock outcroppings being easily navigated through once you see the tracks. The creek crossing on the road to the TH is easily crossed - the north bank isn't as steep as it looks. All handled very well in my Patriot. There was a Ford Focus parked along the TH access road before the creek crossing that came up the road from Lake City. Assuming one drives the road with care, a car with at least the clearance and capability of a Focus should be able to get up from Lake City.

Posted On: 7/19/2012 By: colifestyle
Info: Road to American Basin should not be attempted with a passenger car despite all published documents indicating it is safe. The road is becoming severely washed out with large boulders and occasional drop offs now being exposed. It was rough in my 4x4 truck. Just last week, the largest rock slide since ‘38 totally wiped out several sections. These are now open. The increase in traffic has made navigating the most narrow parts of the shelf hazardous. When I return to climb sunshine and redcloud, I will rent an ATV.

Posted On: 7/8/2012 By: San Juan Ron
Info: See my comment on the SC/GG TH. Same applies to AB if you are coming up from Lake City via CR 30.

Posted On: 6/1/2012 By: hiker55
Info: Clear all the way to TH with 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Posted On: 6/1/2012 By: mzamp
Info: Not much of the snow left. I think a jeep could squeeze by. I almost got back into my Expedition to give it a try. You can see the what remains of the last snow on the road in this photo.

Posted On: 5/22/2012 By: Geof3
Info: AB TH is good to go just past the creek. Still blocked by snow about .5 out from the TH proper...

Posted On: 5/21/2012 By: xavier3181
Info: The Road leading up to the Upper TH is still blocked by snow right after crossing the river.

Posted On: 5/13/2012 By: carson_h
Info: Road is still blocked by snow just past the creek crossing.

Posted On: 5/2/2012 By: San Juan Ron
Info: Cinnamon Pass is open from Lake City to Silverton. A bit muddy and potholed in a few places, but the road is in generally good condition considering it was just opened. Opened 3-4 weeks earlier than usual. Increased runoff over the next couple weeks could increase the mud especially around the AB turnoff and Cinnamon Pass from the AB turnoff to Animas Forks. American Basin is still holding a fair bit of snow although only a fraction of last year. SJ Ron

Posted On: 5/1/2012 By: bhaydin
Info: I‘ll just add that the road is clear to just past the creek crossing if you want to go that far. There is space for 4-6 vehicles if needed.