Rock of Ages Trailhead

Location

RangeSan Juan Mountains

Elevation10,400'

Lat/Lon37.88296, -108.01848

14ersWilson Peak, Mt. Wilson, El Diente Peak

Road Difficulty

3 Easy 4WD/AWD, good clearance

Easy 4WD dirt to the TH. A few rough sections and the stream crossing at Big Bear Creek make good-clearance a must on this road. A 2WD vehicle will have troubles crossing the creek but you could park along the road, before the creek crossing, leaving you 1.2 miles from the trailhead.

Driving Directions

From Ridgway, leave U.S. 550 and take Colorado 62 toward Telluride. Drive over Dallas Divide, down to Placerville and turn left onto Colorado 145. Drive 6.7 miles and turn right onto the Silver Pick road (dirt). From here, it's 8.5 miles to the trailhead. Drive 4 miles to an intersection and turn right onto "59 H" which is also Forest Road 622. Continue 2.3 miles, turn right onto FR 645 and continue 2.2 miles to the Rock of Ages trailhead, near 10,350'. Notes: After 1 mile on the FR 645 road, you must cross the stream in Big Bear Creek which usually isn't too bad by mid-July. Also, there are some designated camp sites along this road.

On-Site Info

ParkingRoom for roughly 30 vehicles.

CampingNot much available at the parking area but there are some pull-offs along the road.

Restrooms?Yes, porta potties

Fees?No

Photos

Winter Access

Usually closed near the intersection, 4 miles up from pavement.

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

Status Updates
Map


6/25/2017 Posted On: 6/26/2017 By: Kelly M Info: Ditto to what Shooter said. As a side note though, we were able to get a 2 wheel drive Nissan Sentra to 1.25 miles from the trailhead, just before the creek crossing. There are plenty of car camping spots on 622, both prior to and past the creek crossing. However, we did see an early 90s hatchback Honda Accord at the TH and he actually rolled up and took our campsite as we left yesterday.
6/10/2017 Posted On: 6/10/2017 By: fepic1 Info: Clear to the trailhead. Creek crossing was mild. I did it in a f150 2wd in the hot afternoon when run off should have been near peak. Mosquitoes were heavy.			2
6/10/2017 Posted On: 6/11/2017 By: bunny256 Info: Road is open all the way to the TH. The tree blocking the road in previous update has been removed, and the creek crossing was easily passable in a Forester.
5/29/2017 Posted On: 5/30/2017 By: dude4mountains Info: Snow closure is currently about 0.6 miles before the Creek Crossing - about 1.8 miles shy of the TH - a couple of established campsites are accessible. A large tree sits across the road about a mile from the TH.			1
9/18/2016 Posted On: 9/19/2016 By: ZenZin Info: Road is in fine condition..an occasional water filled hole (just take it slow). But the most important thing! The port-a-potty is gone!
7/23/2016 Posted On: 7/27/2016 By: fahixson Info: Road conditions are similar to previous report. We had no problems in a Nissan Rouge other than taking it very slow through one puddle just before the creek crossing. On another note, a separate group mentioned they saw a bear on the drive from the creek crossing to the TH as they made their way up in the morning. There are a number of designated campsites in that area between crossing and TH, so be sure to take precautions. A sign at the TH also warns of bears.
7/20/2016 Posted On: 7/20/2016 By: TravelingMatt Info: Due to recent rains, last couple miles are a bit slick and muddy with a couple large puddles, one right before the creek and one after. More rain today means these conditions will persist for a few days. Anything AWD is still fine on this road and you can go straight through the puddles; just take it slowly. BTW, the road is not signed on 145 from the Telluride side.			2
6/11/2016 Posted On: 6/11/2016 By: jrs1965 Info: Clear all the way to the summer TH. Big Bear Creek was only like 6-8 inches deep. Feeling industrious so I dragged about half dozen trees off of the FSR that were partially or totally obscuring the road.
4/24/2016 Posted On: 4/25/2016 By: mojah Info: Passable to about 9,800'
4/21/2016 Posted On: 4/23/2016 By: One Sierra Charlie Info: Road has some mud and snow, but is passable to 9600 where there is a large downed tree. Snow cover is much heavier after the tree.
9/29/2015 Posted On: 10/5/2015 By: boudreaux Info: The puddle is definitely the crux of the drive to the TH. A little deep but still passable with a low clearance car, we scrapped bottom, but no damage, crossing to the far right. The creek crossing was absolutely easy after that puddle, maybe a couple inches deep. The trees along the road are beautiful!
8/31/2015 Posted On: 9/5/2015 By: WillRobnett Info: Started from Rock of Ages Trailhead and got Wilson Peak. Aspens are almost ready for fall colors driving in. A few trees have started to turn, but mostly still green. The creek crossing is very low compared to June 2014 with the spring run off. On the trail, it‘s snow free and dry completely.
8/28/2015 Posted On: 8/31/2015 By: novakproductions Info: The stream crossing was no problem for a 2wd vehicle, very shallow. However, there are 2 massive potholes that cover most of the road, just before getting to the stream crossing. Not that big of a deal going towards the TH because it is downhill, but better get a running start coming back or u may get stuck. And it may take out any low plastic damming you have under your car. We made it in a minivan but it was a bit threatening.
8/23/2015 Posted On: 8/24/2015 By: Bombay2Boulder Info: The road to TH is in decent condition, just a 100 ft before the creek crossing, the mud pit is of issue to 2WD. The creek itself is running very low and can be easily passed by 2 WD car. The mud pit is the main concern and with rains it becomes more marshy, but it can easily be crossed in a 4WD. We had a 2 WD car and decided it wasn't worth getting stuck in the pit and just parked at the campsite that was around 300 ft before the mud pit and camped there. Attaching some pictures for reference
8/17/2015 Posted On: 8/18/2015 By: HikerGuy Info: The county portion before the last turnoff onto the forest service road has just been graded. The road is in very good condition except for one challenging mud hole right before the creek crossing on the way up. This could be very tricky/risky in a 2wd vehicle. Plot your line carefully, maintain speed and this should not be a problem in any AWD vehicle. Creek is max 6 inches deep. I'm headed back down on Wed night (8/19), will update if conditions have changed and maybe post of photo of the mud hole.

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