I completed a gigantic loop yesterday. I’ve many maps and pictures (including many wildflowers) to post. Here’s the quick status of roads open and, well, almost open.
- Last Dollar Road from Dallas Divide to Telluride is open and fairly dry. A bit rutted. Lots of wildflowers.
- Alta Lakes Road is open (off Colorado Hwy 145, south of Telluride). You can get either to the lakes or to Gold King Basin.
- Galloping Goose Trail, open from near the Matterhorn Campground all the way past Trout Lake and up to Lizard Head Pass.
- Ophir Pass is open, fairly dry, with a handful of mud on the east side. There is one creek on the west side that you must ford that’s got lots of water, but it’s not very far across.
- San Juan County Road 14 is ostensibly open, meaning the snowplow has been through, but very, very muddy in spots. Given how steep it is this can make going tricky. I’d let this one dry out a bit.
- Ouray County Road 31, which goes through the Red Mountain Mining District, is “open” but very rutted and very, very muddy. I came across a pickup truck very thoroughly stuck in a mudhole.
It sounds from your e-mail that the rescuers got lost. County Road 31 has many side roads and I’ve been lost in there myself. I’m glad you’re out and able to continue your vacation. You and your son now have a great story to tell the folks back home!
Thanks again Dave for calling for help for us when we were stuck on Cr 31. Hope to see you again one day up on the trails.