High Above Ouray on the Corkscrew Trail. Hold on Tight!

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The mountains that surround Ouray are criss-crossed with old mining roads, a paradise for dirt bikes, ATVs and four-wheel drive vehicles of all shapes and sizes. We’re spending the next two days exploring!

At Ironton Park, several miles south of Ouray, Alan pulls into a staging area. He lets some of the air from the Toyota’s tires to provide a smoother ride up the rugged road.

Corkscrew Trail starts out muddy. As we climb up the mountain on a twisting dirt path, fallen trees litter the landscape. Damage from a rainstorm or avalanche? We can’t tell. A family riding ATVs roars by.

As the trail rises above the tree line, the mountains turn gold, tan and orange, giving a hint of the minerals that tempted miners to try their luck at these altitudes. On the summit (12,217 ft.), we view Red Mountains 1, 2 and 3. With all the peaks around, I guess someone ran out of unique titles for mountains.

Alan takes a side road until I beg him to turn around. My knees are shaking from the drop-off outside the passenger-side window. Since he’s not familiar with this one, he humors me. We park for a photo opp. Alan walks uphill on lose rock to set up his tripod and camera. I’m content to take my photos on somewhat level ground.

Continuing on, the Toyota grinds towards Hurricane Pass. Abandoned mines litter the landscape next to velvety green meadows. Roads branch off in several directions. It would take days to explore it all.

Hurricane Pass overlooks the blue-green waters of Lake Como providing a colorful photo. The road climbs again until we reach California Pass. How many people stop for lunch at over 12,000 feet? Leftovers of last night’s chicken dish taste great, even if they are cold.

Now, the road descends into California Gulch. The last time we were here, sheep roamed the meadows. Today, they are nowhere in sight but the road is a mess from recent rainstorms. In fact, clouds are already building for this afternoon’s monsoon.

At an abandoned mine, Alan and I discover an old car sitting among wildflowers. We park the Toyota and practice our photography skills as the clouds become thicker and darker.

When we reach the abandoned mining community of Animas Forks, we find a ranger and discuss tomorrow’s plans for driving the Alpine Loop. Our plans in place, Alan and I rush to take photos of the ghost town’s crumbling buildings just as the rain starts.

Hurrying back to the car, we take an easy road into Silverton and the asphalt highway. Rain and hail pelt the windshield on our drive back to Ouray. We ended our adventure just in time!

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