Ophir Pass Trail

The Ophir Pass Trail is one of the popular high mountain 4WD roads in the Telluride area in southwest Colorado. Ophir is a small mountain hamlet a few miles east of Highway 145, north of Lizard Head Pass and south of Telluride.

I started hiking at the beginning of the rough mountain road just past the end of the second group of the side by side mountain houses in Ophir. The lower part of the road passes through thick forest of Aspens, firs and spruces. The Ophir area has many signs of past mining activity. From this starting point it is about 3 miles to the top of Ophir pass with an elevation gain from about 9760 feet to 11,789 feet at the pass.

The trail is single lane with some wide spots to allow vehicles to pass. The main mountains to the south are called Ulysses S. Grant Peak and South Lookout Mountain, both over 13,000 feet. The Yellow Mountain group that is visible from Lizard Head Pass is also visible as are the two 14er Wilsons and the Lizard Head is in the distance. There is a swampy area down below that has a side trail leading to it.

About 20 vehicles passed by during my hike. Most were coming from the east with a few climbing from the west behind me. In the scree area near the pass I saw a couple of the small rabbit like Pikas that mountain hikers like to see. In late June there were patches of snow along the highest section of the route, but the road was clear and mostly dry.

On the north side I could see the track of the very steep Blixt Trail switch backing over the top of Oscar’s Pass. The Blixt Trail is an unmarked side trail off of the Ophir Pass Trail starting about 1.5 miles east of the start of the mountain road. It connects to the Wasatch Trail and then down into Telluride.

The spectacular scenery continues on the east side of Ophir Pass. It looked like the east side approach from Highway 550 near Silverton was more easily drivable that the west side approach. It took me 2:00 hours to climb the 3 miles and 2000 feet from Ophir to the top of the pass. My total hike was 3:45 hours for the 6 miles. I hiked on a 55 F late June morning. As often happens in the mountains, the bright blue morning sky started to cloud up into afternoon thundershowers starting just as I finished about 1:00 PM. I carried 3 liters of water and drank 2 of them.

Burro Bridge Trail

The Burro Bridge Trail, constructed in 2005, is 2.7 miles long and connects the Burro Bridge campground with the Groundhog Trail in the southwest side of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. The Burro Bridge area is along the West Fork of the Dolores River, about 2 miles north of the Dunton mining town resort area.

There is a parking area at the trail head a short distance south of the campground. This area can also be accessed from Highway 145 south of Lizard Head Pass, climbing and crossing past the Meadows area and descending down toward the West Fork.

The trail climbs west from the campground with steep switchbacks to the mesa top through mostly Aspen forest with some scattered Engelmann Spruce. At the mesa top the route swings north and there are some open meadow areas. The elevation change is about 900 feet.

There are occasional glimpses of El Diente and the other San Miguel peaks through the thick forest on the climb up. The trail sometimes seems to disappear when crossing the meadows, but there are marker posts at the meadow margins to look for.

The best views are in the area near the trail junction with the Groundhog Trail. El Diente, at 14,159 feet, stands out and the basin north where Navajo Lake sits can be seen clearly. These views of El Diente are at a higher angle than the also good views along the nearby Navajo Lake Trail.

There are also views toward Dolores Peak to the west and the Lizard Head and Sheep Mountain area to the east. It took me 1:45 hours to travel the 2.7 miles to the junction.

I turned east on the Groundhog Trail which descends steeply toward the West Fork Dolores and a junction with the Navajo Lake Trail. This trail segment is about 1 mile. The roar of the stream can be heard before it comes into view. At the trail junction there is a foot bridge to cross the stream. This junction is only a short distance from the Navajo Lake trail head.

From the Navajo Lake trail head it is about 1.5 miles on the West Fork Road back to the Burro Bridge campground to complete a loop. This segment actually crosses the Burro Bridge and allows a close look at the roaring stream. My total hike took 3:30 hours for about 5.5 miles. I drank 2 liters of water on a 65 F degree mid June day.

San Miguel South Fork River Preserve

The South Fork of the San Miguel River has several day use areas in the lush riparian area along the stream. The largest is the Sheep Corrals area, with easy access to the river. About 1.5 miles south of the Sheep Corrals is the South Fork River Preserve, one of three Nature Conservancy preserves in the San Miguel watershed. 

This scenic and biologically rich area is south of Telluride and west of Highway 145 in southwest Colorado. There is an over head view of the area along the Galloping Goose Trail between Ames and the Sunshine Mesa Road.

The South Fork Preserve can be driven to directly, but if you want to hike, the South Fork Road offers scenic views and has very little traffic. Hiking south from the Sheep Corrals parking area, a trail head for the Sunshine Trail is on the left after about 0.5 miles. 

I looked to see if it was possible to hike along the stream, but it there isn’t a trail and some of the spots would be steep and overgrown. As the road approaches the Preserve there is a flooded area that is the work of beavers.

The Preserve has a boardwalk with a viewing platform. There are four interpretive signs that explain the San Miguel River Watershed, why riparian areas are important, the most common trees present here, and the San Juan Mountains.

Riparian areas make up about 2% of the west, yet about 90% of the wildlife uses these areas for food and shelter. The San Miguel watershed is one only two upper Colorado basin rivers that does not have a dam. The trees present here include the Colorado Blue Spruce, Aspens, Narrowleaf Cottonwoods, and Willows.

There is a well marked short trail leading from the viewing platform south along the South Fork River. The most obvious signs of wildlife along the trail are the works of beavers. I was surprised that they would take on such a large tree. Beavers clear the way for new growth and their constructions flood some areas and alter the flow in others.

In early June, the flow is at a peak and is roaring along. The Preserve trail is about 0.8 miles round trip and ends near the main road. Near the south end there is something of a stream cascade. The trail didn’t appear to be marked at the south end and might be hard to find other than at the viewing platform.

A hiker could loop back along the road or return the way he came. It took me 0:40 minutes to arrive at the viewing platform starting from the Sheep Corrals and 0:35 minutes to walk the trail inside the Preserve. There are several good viewing spots along the road before arriving at the Preserve.

Sunshine Trail

The Sunshine Trail makes a connection from the area near the Sunshine Campground along Highway 145 with the area near the Sheep Corrals Day Use Area along the South Fork of the San Miguel River. This area is a few miles south of Telluride in southwest Colorado. The Sunshine Trail is unusual in that there isn’t a trailhead parking area at either end of the trail. The horizontal distance is about 2 miles and there is about 1200 feet of elevation change.

I parked at the Sheep Corrals Day Use Area which is about 0.5 miles north of the Sunshine Trail junction with the South Fork Road. This area is a good riparian area, lush with Colorado Blue Spruce and Aspens, with Willow and Narrow Leaf Cottonwoods along the stream. The trail climbs steeply with curvy switchbacks. This route is open to mountain bikes and horses in addition to hikers.

About one fourth of the way up the hill there are the remains of an old flume. The other trail that is in this area is the Galloping Goose Trail on the opposite side of the valley. As the trail climbs, the transition of the Goose Trail to Sunshine Road can be spotted. This area has a rich history of mining activity and artifacts from the past are often visible along the trails.

The highlight views along the Sunshine Trail are toward Sunshine Mountain. In early June, there is still a lot of snow and the melt fed roar of the South Fork River can be heard all the way to the top of the trail. Sunshine Mountain is listed at 12,930 feet. The best mountain views are in the lower two thirds of the trail, the views near the top of the trail are blocked by the thick Aspen forest. It took me 1:40 hours to climb to the trail sign at the top along Highway 145. The trail might continue across the highway and connect to the Alta Lakes Road, but I turned around at the trail sign. My return to the bottom took 0:50 hours for a total of 2:40 hours between the trail signs. It was a 70 F degree early June day and I carried two liters of water.