Mineral Creek 4x4 Trail

Overview: From Ouray, this is the quickest and most direct way to the Alpine Loop and Engineer Pass, but it is also the most difficult. Road climbs up scenic narrow canyon and accesses Poughkeepsie Gulch and Mineral Point. Hidden waterfalls at Poughkeepsie entrance. This popular trail has limited parking at start and can get quite congested on busy weekends. Located in Uncompahgre National Forest and on BLM land. For current conditions call the Ouray Ranger District (970) 240-5300. In the summer, call the San Juan Mountain Center in Silverton at (970) 387-5530.


Rating:


Difficult, but just barely so. Rocky and steep in places, especially at the beginning. Stock 4WD SUVs can do it with careful tire placement and patience. No room to pass along one stretch of narrow ledge road. High clearance, low range and skid plates recommended. Some offroad driving experience is helpful.


This trail is one of 100 trails from the book Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4WD Trails by FunTreks Publishing, available at http://www.funtreks.com . This trail also described in FunTreks ATV Trails Guide, Silverton, Ouray, Lake City, Telluride.

Tips: This trail starts off pretty steep and rocky, so novice drivers may be intimidated at first. But with a little patience and adventuresome spirit, you’ll find this a fun way to reach Engineer Pass. If trail is too much for you, you can reach Engineer Pass by driving all the way around through Silverton and heading north on County Road 2. You have to drive the first half of this trail to reach start of difficult Poughkeepsie Gulch.

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