Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Hear that? It’s the sound of your heart punching through your chest wall when you’re navigating the crazy rugged terrain, plunging drop-offs, and vertical boulders leading to Imogene Pass in Western Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. At 13,114 feet, Imogene is the second highest drivable pass in the state. Local tour operator Colorado West Jeeps runs trips there in the summer months; up to 12 guests pile into the back of an open-top 4×4, snapping blurry pictures as they rattle around like marbles. Their white-knuckle perseverance is rewarded with dynamite 360-degree views. (Wait… is that Telluride in the distance? That’s Telluride!)
The vistas from the pass are spectacular, but the drive up/down is just as bewitching, as it passes crashing waterfalls, alpine meadows, abandoned mines, and fields sheeted in colorful wildflowers. Our guide Steve was a total professional: a safe and conscientious driver, but also deeply knowledgable about the history of the area. Although our vehicle felt like it was climbing at a 70-degree angle for half of the drive, Steve made it seem like NBD. He even kept blankets and rain gear handy, should the weather turn foul.
Amazingly, some numbnuts choose to rent their own “extreme Jeep” and tackle the summit alone, but we sure wouldn’t recommend that unless you’ve got major chops in this arena. People die doing this drive. Please don’t die… or get trapped on a boulder. Every stuck vehicle we passed along the way was a DIY Jeeper who had overestimated his off-roading prowess. If you can’t stand the thought of traveling with strangers, or have some masochistic passion for exercise, you may also hike or run the pass for free.
Trips to Imogene Pass depart from the Colorado West offices in Ouray. A half-day drive takes about four hours and costs $64 for adults. Have a fear of heights or other hangup? Talk to mother-son owners Judy and Jeff Lindberg about alternative tours. The company also runs trips to Corkscrew Gulch, Black Bear Pass, Orphir Pass, Governor and Sydney Basins, and Yankee Boy Basin.
701 Main St., Ouray, CO; 970-325-4014.
