Re: Driving from C&TS to D&RG (pics)
| August 02, 2009 03:14PM |
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Hi, Steve -
Cinnamon Pass I did East to West this year in my All Wheel Drive Ford Escape - Lake City to Silverton, and Ophir Pass West to East - To-Hell-You-Ride to Silverton. I've done Ophir Pass several times previously; once each way in a Volkswagen Bus in 1973, and three or four times in a Toyota 4-Runner in the 1990's. (IIRC, the AWD version of the Escape has about 2" more clearance than the 2WD model.)
Yes, those roads are as steep as they look; I have no idea now how the VW bus ever made it over Ophir Pass - especially east to west - but it did! In 1966, IIRC, I took my Triumph TR-4 over Engineer Pass, Lake City to Ouray, but left the muffler and rear half of the exhaust pipe behind as souvenirs. That little car sounded like a whole flock of B-17's for the rest of her life ...
*****
Back to the original thread, sort of -
For anyone with a hankering to ride the train from South Fork to (almost) Creede and also ride the C&TS within a day or two of each other, I highly recommend the well-graded dirt road from the bottom of La Manga Pass (Highway 17) to just west of South Fork (U.S. 160). It's suitable for a sedan with at least average clearance, but there are a few rough spots so the advice about sturdy tires still applies. (One of my two flats last summer occurred on this road, but I think the tire had already been damaged either south of Antonito or out east of Big Horn.)
Going north, drive from Chama (or Antonito) to about 1/8 mile east of the bridge where Highway 17 crosses the Conejos River at the bottom of La Manga Pass (there's a campground, big new church, restaurant, store, etc., near the junction), and take the wide, graded dirt road about 30 miles north to Platoro.
There's a very comfy rustic lodge & restaurant in Platoro for a lunch stop and/or overnight stay (byob), and good fishing in the Conejos River a few yards from the front door - including some catch-and-release and fly-fishing-only stretches.
Beyond Platoro is about 40 miles of, IMHO, some of the most beautiful mountain and high-meadow scenery on the planet!
Going north, the road eventually drops down through a valley with another great fishing stream, and hits Highway 160 about five or six miles west of South Fork.
Enjoy your drive!!
- Russo
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2011 09:18PM by Russo Loco.
Cinnamon Pass I did East to West this year in my All Wheel Drive Ford Escape - Lake City to Silverton, and Ophir Pass West to East - To-Hell-You-Ride to Silverton. I've done Ophir Pass several times previously; once each way in a Volkswagen Bus in 1973, and three or four times in a Toyota 4-Runner in the 1990's. (IIRC, the AWD version of the Escape has about 2" more clearance than the 2WD model.)
Yes, those roads are as steep as they look; I have no idea now how the VW bus ever made it over Ophir Pass - especially east to west - but it did! In 1966, IIRC, I took my Triumph TR-4 over Engineer Pass, Lake City to Ouray, but left the muffler and rear half of the exhaust pipe behind as souvenirs. That little car sounded like a whole flock of B-17's for the rest of her life ...
*****
Back to the original thread, sort of -
For anyone with a hankering to ride the train from South Fork to (almost) Creede and also ride the C&TS within a day or two of each other, I highly recommend the well-graded dirt road from the bottom of La Manga Pass (Highway 17) to just west of South Fork (U.S. 160). It's suitable for a sedan with at least average clearance, but there are a few rough spots so the advice about sturdy tires still applies. (One of my two flats last summer occurred on this road, but I think the tire had already been damaged either south of Antonito or out east of Big Horn.)
Going north, drive from Chama (or Antonito) to about 1/8 mile east of the bridge where Highway 17 crosses the Conejos River at the bottom of La Manga Pass (there's a campground, big new church, restaurant, store, etc., near the junction), and take the wide, graded dirt road about 30 miles north to Platoro.
There's a very comfy rustic lodge & restaurant in Platoro for a lunch stop and/or overnight stay (byob), and good fishing in the Conejos River a few yards from the front door - including some catch-and-release and fly-fishing-only stretches.
Beyond Platoro is about 40 miles of, IMHO, some of the most beautiful mountain and high-meadow scenery on the planet!
Going north, the road eventually drops down through a valley with another great fishing stream, and hits Highway 160 about five or six miles west of South Fork.
Enjoy your drive!!
- Russo
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2011 09:18PM by Russo Loco.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.