Black Bear Road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Black Bear Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 12,840 ft. |
| Location | Colorado,  United States |
| Range | Rocky Mountains |
| Coordinates | |
| Traversed by | Unpaved road |
- Black Bear Road is also the name of the C.W. McCall album which contains the song that made the road famous.
Black Bear Road is a notorious jeep trail that starts from 11,018 foot summit of Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 (between Ouray and Silverton) to Telluride, Colorado. The Black Bear Road crests at Black Bear Pass, elevation 12,840 ft. The road descends over a set of infamous switchbacks as it navigates the heights above Telluride. The road passes Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado, the highest waterfall in Colorado. The road was made famous in a spoken word song by C.W. McCall of the same name.
Black Bear Road is only open a few months out of the year, in the late summer and early fall. Black Bear Road usually doesn't open until the last week of July. The road is travelled one way only, downhill (except for the annual Jeeper's Jamboree in which the path is reversed for one day only), from the Red Mountain Pass side. The start of the trail is marked along U.S. 550 with the famous sign that reads:
TELLURIDE ——> CITY OF GOLD 12 MILES - 2 HOURS YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO DRIVE THIS ROAD - BUT IT HELPS JEEPS ONLY |
Black Bear Road is a difficult, dangerous trail even for four-wheel drive vehicles. If you have to be rescued, expect a towing bill in four figures. In 1975 two New Jerseyans successfully completed the entire 4 wheel drive road from Red Mountain Pass to Telluride following this route while driving a 1970 Ford F-250 full size 2-wheel drive pickup. In order to negotiate the tight switchback curves, they had to resort to backing down every other switchback. This technique is not recommended. In 2004 a jeep slipped off the slope near the beginning of the switchbacks and fell several thousand feet, killing two of the passengers and severely injuring two others. Do not attempt this trail if you are not a highly experienced jeeper. Guided tours are available.
[edit] External links
- The Infamous Black Bear Road - article with a collection of photographs
- Bushduck's page of open trails - Lists if the pass is open or not.
