American Basin Trailhead

Posted On: 7/22/2021 By: Squirrellysquirrel
Info: Hey everyone, quick update: the San Jauns are not in a happy place right now**, monsoons are upon us. Significant rock/mudslides in the American Basin area tonight. Hinsdale County EMS and SAR are on scene to recover 20+ persons. More rain conditions expected throughout the week, consider trails/roads suspect for travel in and out for most of the San Juan areas. I also encountered a mudslide north of Powderhorn with some noticeable force (driving a heavy duty ford 250), and then again south of town after the bridge: there was over-road flooding, definitely made you slow down. Recommend exercising caution, off-roads are sticky and can shift easily.

**edit: or maybe the mountains are rejoicing?

Posted On: 7/20/2021 By: tdurty
Info: Made it to the very upper TH in a stock Subaru Crosstrek with AT tires. Only one spot that required a spotter and careful line choice.

Posted On: 7/4/2021 By: kimbuk2
Info: Driving 2016 Land Cruiser, no lift, 9.1~ of clearance with KO2 tires.

Drove in from Silverton over Cinnamon Pass. No issues or clearance concerns. Some tight switchbacks but easily doable (with no reversing) with the right line choice.

At American Basin proper, could drive up to 11,600 TH no problem, but any less clearance or lack of 4WD, Id recommend parking at the lot near 11,300 (only .5 miles away on the road). Water crossing was Subaru-able, no issues, low.

Posted On: 7/7/2021 By: tstorm5
Info: INFO: 2017 Stock 4WD Tacoma with long bed (I sleep in it) 8 inches of clearance and K02's
The road up to Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch Trailhead is accessible by almost any vehicle if you follow the easy to see lines. Lots of potholes to dodge and a handful of larger rocks. Past that and on to the 11,300 Trailhead you will cross 3 creeks, the largest creek crossing is the last one and there is one large rock there that could ruin your trip. I stopped at 11,300 trailhead and walked up to 11,600 to see what was there. Glad I did. I love my truck to much to drive it up there. It could have easily made it but it gets pretty rough (large rocks) up on the last .5 mile of road. Everyone should see American Basin at least once in their life. Toughest obstacle may be dodging all the Razor traffic.

Posted On: 7/1/2021 By: coffbrauhaus
Info: Road is heavily potholed and has a lot of interesting obstacles if you don't have a 4WD vehicle. We made it to about a mile below the actual trailhead and shortly before the turnoff for American Basin in a sedan with 6.3 inches of clearance on 6/30, but I can't in good conscience recommend doing that unless you have an experienced off road driver with patience and a good eye for a line behind the wheel. Take the uphill line at the stream below American Basin, there's a pretty deep spot when you first cross it.

Posted On: 6/7/2021 By: Kiefer
Info: Cinnamon Pass is open both ways. Road is open to the lower parking area for American Basin. The stream crossing is roaring but a Subaru can still make it across. In another week, the upper 4x4 trailhead will be accessible.

Posted On: 5/23/2021 By: tfrye
Info: Conditions at the American Basin trailhead last weekend.

Posted On: 5/4/2021 By: AlexeyD
Info: Road is clear and drivable to the Cinnamon Pass junction. A bit of clearance and AWD/4x4 recommended as the road gets a little rough, especially in the last few miles.

Posted On: 3/3/2021 By: RWSchaffer
Info: The road to the trailhead is closed at a winter closure gate about nine miles below the trailhead (picture 1). The first half mile beyond the gate is plowed and dry to allow workers access to a road drainage construction project. The next mile or so alternates dry patches with shallow, supportive, crusted snow. Farther along the road, snow becomes deeper, more continuous and less supportive.

At the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead, snow is a good foot deep and mostly not supportive, consisting of a few inches of fresh snow atop a base that collapses almost all the way to the ground when stepped on in snowshoes. Farther along the road, snow continues to increase in depth, but also becomes more supportive again. By timberline, snowshoes no longer posthole. Still, marginal supportiveness makes travel slow and arduous for the first two miles beyond the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead.

Also above the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead, the road is frequently marked by tall sticks wired to T-posts (pictures 2 and 3). This was really useful for following the road, especially in areas that had been obliterated by the avalanches of '19.

Posted On: 11/26/2020 By: Squirrellysquirrel
Info: Cinnamon pass is closed for the season.

Posted On: 11/17/2020 By: Squirrellysquirrel
Info: Heard from some hunters that American Basin is accessible. Roads proved too muddy with snow melt and with rock slides, did not attempt in a Subie Crosstrek. 4WD recommended assuming its accessible.

Posted On: 10/3/2020 By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: Summer conditions. Made it to the American Basin turnoff in a 2015 Subaru Outback with M/S tires that are 57,000 miles into their estimated 60,000-mile lifespan, then proceeded up and over Cinnamon Pass. Having a spotter was very helpful for the last half mile to Animas Forks, if anyone wants to take a shortcut to or from 550.

Posted On: 9/17/2020 By: Jnaffy
Info: Easy road. Only one spot that takes any knowledge of lines. Never needed 4wd. Stock wrangler

Posted On: 8/25/2020 By: kspitzer1987
Info: Took a stock F-150 with crew cab and long bed up this with no issues. As long as you have a decent idea what you're doing off road, you'll have no issues in something with good ground clearance. Shorter wheelbase will be of benefit on this trail, but even with my long wheelbase, I didn't scrape, though I did have to carefully choose my line a few times. Stream crossing is very minor and any vehicle can make it across. Fun drive up from Lake City, but definitely DON'T try this road in a car. Unless you're coming from west of Handies, ignore google maps if it tries to take you any way other than the directions on 14ers.com from Lake City. Follow the 14ers.com directions and you'll be golden.

Posted On: 8/16/2020 By: barryfagin
Info: The instructions to the trailhead are exactly right, trust them and you'll be fine. Ignore Google Maps if it tells you something different. Pavement ends on County Road 30 after five miles or so, turns to gravel, then pretty dramatically turns to 4WD as you pass through some sort of abandoned quarry or construction site. The last seven miles are pretty rough. Took me about an hour and a half from Lake City.

I made it to the trailhead in my 4WD Subaru Impreza, but I wish I hadn't attempted it as I bottomed out a few times, desipte being as slow and careful over the tricky spots as I could. I saw cars parked at the American Basin turnoff that were even less suited to the road than mine, but I still regret the decision. Maybe I'm just more hung up about the condition of my car than they were. Remember that 4WD for a trailhead designation also implies the need for high clearance. Another inch or two on my car and I would have felt a lot better. Next time I'll rent a jeep in town or something more off-roadish from a rental car agency.

Conditions at the trailhead were excellent, given the concerns above about getting there. I arrived at 0730 to find plenty of parking, dry conditions.