We thought we knew 'bad roads' - - gravel, pot-holes, embedded rocks, long deep erosion trenches, wash-boards . . . but apparently we'd never been exposed to "jeep trails" until now.
We had a 'need' to get to Imogene Pass, more specifically, to Telluride Peak. We are "Geocachers" . . . and it seems that someone decided to place a 'cache' at the top of Telluride Mountain. So? There are millions of caches around the world - - so why worry about this one? The reason: This one was a special "challenge cache" that one cannot claim as found unless they, first, have found other, ordinary caches in each/all counties of Colorado. Once this first challenge is met, well, one can undertake what we think to be an equal second challenge - - getting to the top of Telluride Peak (a mere 13,500').
We knew the Imogene Pass Road was not going to be easy - - that we would not be able to make the 'climb' in our Promaster Campervan. The first problem is timing . . . the road sometimes doesn't open (get cleared of snow) until mid-summer. And with new, fresh snows starting as early as September, the window of access is limited. So we decided that a mid-September expedition was safe (although we did find some light, new snow had already fallen by September 14th).
This was not going to be an inexpensive "cache find" adventure . . lots of cash was needed to rent the Jeep, pay the 14% sales taxes, pay for the gas, and pay for a car wash (required by most companies that rent Jeeps). In total, more than $300 was required.
We rendezvoused with another couple we'd met while camping a few years ago. They aren't geocachers, but they are avid hikers and like adventure . . . although they reported that this adventure may have been a bit more than they bargained for. The wife insisted that, to secure her participation, that her husband had to drive. Ok, that works out, he drives, we'll be the videographer - - and thus this post.
The "cache owner" (the guy who chose this inaccessible location for his challenge cache) and others seemed to agree - - that the easiest approach (there was no easiest) was from the Telluride side. But there were more Jeep rentals in Ouray, and we were camped there. We could have elected to drive around to Telluride, but decided to do the loop - - Ouray to Imogene Pass to Telluride. And chose the "Last Dollar Road" for our return to Ouray - - it's muddy condition made it almost as dubious as the Imogene Pass Road.
Unfortunately our rather lengthy 30 minute video does not show some of the most rocky, roughest portion at the lower end of the Ouray approach. It is not dangerous in the sense of being on a cliff/shelf as pictured elsewhere in the video - - but as Jeep novices, we all wondered if this was really a "road" and whether it could be traversed by our Jeep. As 'shotgun' passenger, it was often our duty to jump out of the Jeep and inspect the road ahead to find the best, or even passable, path ahead.
We would not have wanted to have missed this adventure - - it added a new chapter to our book of experiences. But if you lack experience in Jeeps and Jeep Roads . . . you might want to watch this full video and, as we did, consider hiring a professional driver.