The south end of the Engineer Pass segment of the Alpine Loop begins at the Animas Forks Ghost Town, about 12 miles north of Silverton on County Road 2 in southwest Colorado.
The Engineer Pass Road is one of several options for hikers after arriving at the historic Animas Forks site. I began hiking at the base of the ghost town and climbed toward the nearby junction with the Cinnamon Pass Road.
This road climbs steadily but not very steeply and in mid July there are lush wildflowers on the tundra slopes. The starting elevation at Animas Forks is 11,300 feet.
As the climbing progresses north, there are good views of the overall
Animas Forks site, including the
Frisco Mill located a short distance up the California Gulch Road.
There are a few signs of mining activity along here. The ore in this area was about 5% valuable metals and the left over tailings piles are common.
After about 1:10 hours of hiking there is a small mountain lake. There is a small old structure near the lake.
I turned around after 1:20 hours and about 2.8 miles at the junction where the Engineer Pass Road gets steeper and narrower. The road to the left leads toward Ouray. The elevation at the junction is about 12,080 feet, a climb of about 800 feet from Animas Forks. The Engineer Pass is the highest point on the Alpine Loop with an elevation of 12,800 feet. From the junction, it is about 2 more miles and 700 feet higher to get to the pass.
My return hike took 1:10 hours for a total hike of 2:30 hours for about 5.8 miles. There were many vehicles using the trail, but I didn’t see any other hikers, mountain bikers, or horse riders. It was a 65 F degree day with some clouds but no rain. I carried and drank 2 liters of water.
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