Ouray, CO: Need some quick advice!

[lnferno]

So, I arrived in Ouray a bit ago. I plan on doing some off-roading the next day and a half. I know a few of you have done the Club Touareg trips on Ouray in the past and I'd greatly appreciate some logistical advice. Here are the trails that are on the agenda:

- Yankey Boy Basin
- Governer Basin
- Imogene Pass
- Engineer Mountain / Poughkeepsie Gulch

So, this is what I was thinking in terms of logistics. Please tell me if this sounds like a good plan or if you think I should/need to adjust:

Friday (starting from Ouray):
Yankey Boy Basin
Governer Basin
Saturday (Starting from Telluride):
Imogene Pass
Engineer Mountain

Originally, I was planning on driving back to Colorado Springs Saturday afternoon so that I could arrive in time to join my neighbors in lighting some fireworks. It's about a 5 hour drive, so I'd have to leave absolutely no later than 4 p.m. The alternative is convince the girlfriend for us to stay an extra day so that I can do Engineer mountain as well. Is it worth it?

Any logistical advice or anything to help prioritize these trails would be appreciated. I don't have a whole heck of a lot of time, but want to do as much as I can with what I've got.

[Rickanns]

Agree on Yankee Boy....Take your time and look around Sneffels and if the flowers have started, take some time at Twin Falls....the trail will get tougher beyond the composting toilet, but nothing you cannot handle. might stop at the toilet if you dont have a full size spare.

I would pass on Governor Basin....It is absolutely beautiful but there is a washed out tippy spot after the ledge that I dont want to take any more.

You could even go up Imogene, down to Tomboy and back to Ouray if you dont dally too much.

I would not miss going up Corkscrew Gulch, one of the best vistas in Colorado..then Hurricane Pass and California Pass to Animas Forks. Instead of Engineer which is a nice but easy run, you can consider Cinnamon over to American Basin. Prettiest flowers of anywhere.

If you do Engineer, be sure to go out to Oh Point near the top.

I only wish I was there with you!!!!

Rick

[aircooled]

No to Poughkeepsie Gulch. Everything else should be fine. Enjoy!

[Vegas Matt]

Originally Posted by Rickanns

I would pass on Governor Basin....It is absolutely beautiful but there is a washed out tippy spot after the ledge that I dont want to take any more.

Aw c'mon Rick, we had the leather extraction tool handy. (Actually, as bad as that area is, I think it should be a "leather extrication tool."

Originally Posted by Rickanns

I would not miss going up Corkscrew Gulch, one of the best vistas in Colorado..then Hurricane Pass and California Pass to Animas Forks. Instead of Engineer which is a nice but easy run, you can consider Cinnamon over to American Basin. Prettiest flowers of anywhere.

If you do Engineer, be sure to go out to Oh Point near the top.

I only wish I was there with you!!!!

Rick

x2 on all counts. If Cinnamon to American Basin is open/free of snow, go for it. It's beautiful out there! I still think Lake Como in the Corkscrew/Hurricane/California run is one of the most gorgeous places on the face of the planet. When you get to the top of Hurricane, be sure to get out and look around.

For more info, look at this link. (And I've got $20 on the two young boys in the story being Hap and Rick )

Matt

[lnferno]

Whew -- what a day! So, the plan changed a bit. We did Yankee Boy Basin, Governer's Basin AND Imogene Pass today! Yankee Basin was pretty cool, great scenery, but pretty crowded. We then did Governer's Basin, or as much of it as we could. About 2.5 miles up, there was still too much snow to go beyond. The girlfriend was perfectly fine with that -- she wasn't too thrilled being the passenger on that run! hehe

Because we got enough of an early start, we ended up doing Imogene pass starting off the trail by Yankee Basin and Governer's Basin near Ouray and took that all the way to Telluride. Let me preface this by saying that what inspired me to do this were the pictures from last year's rally. As good as those pictures were, after actually doing the trails today, those pictures did not do it justice. Imogene Pass was such a pleasure of a trail! The creek crossings were fun, there were quite a few challenging areas, and I can't say enough great things about the scenery. We took TONS of pictures, but it will probably be a few days before I get them uploaded.

Because we fit Imogene in today, we have time for 1, maybe 2 trails tomorrow. I promised the girlfriend that whatever trails we do, they wouldn't be too terribly difficult. Between the three trails we did today, stopping, getting out, exploring the areas, taking pictures, etc, today was a FULL day to say the least. Luckily, there was a hot tub in our hotel, so I'm feeling pretty refreshed right now, but the girlfriend passed out hard LOL.

Anyways, based on the pictures from last year's rally, I'm really leaning towards Cinnamon Pass to American Basin. I probably won't be able to get back online for a couple days after tonight, but I'll post pics and update this thread with what we end up doing.

Again, what inspired me to do this was reading last year's Rally thread and seeing all of the pictures. THANK YOU to the people who posted their experiences and pictures. We are THOROUGHLY enjoying ourselves out here!!! I've lived in Colorado most of my life and I don't think that I've ever seen such beauty in this state as I've seen today! The only disappointment is that there isn't a rally this year. It would have been GREAT fun doing all of these trails with a bunch of Touaregs! Hopefully next year!

Thank you all for your feedback!

[lnferno]

As a result of some evening plans that got pushed up, we didn't get to do anymore trails today. That's okay, now I have reason to come back again to Ouray!

Anyways, here are some pics from my trip:

Trip to Ouray, CO

[Rickanns]

Great pics. Even having been there many times, I am still in awe of the beauty of the area. Looks like you and the Treg had a great day.

rick

[nickm]

I've been to a lot of places..but the rockies (from north to south) and southwest from colorado through Arizona/Nevada still put me in awe every time I find myself there.

thanks for sharing the pictures. I'm jealous!!

[TREGinginCO]

I really miss that area. I absolutely love it

[Vegas Matt]

Originally Posted by TREGinginCO

I really miss that area. I absolutely love it

x2, me too

Matt