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4WD Tour Descriptions / Featured Tour Routes
Telluride Waterfalls Tour: Join us for our favorite early season tour of Telluride's mythic waterfalls, surging and thundering at the peak of annual snowmelt (May-June). You'll drive into the actual mist plume of Bridal Veil, highest waterfall in Colorado, as it crashes 465 feet from the lip of an alpine valley. We also visit Mystic Falls, a secret gem located in the Ophir valley, just south from Telluride. Photo opportunities abound in our humble approach of these mighty waterfalls.
Grand scenery is accented by Telluride's rich mining history, once the richest gold mining district in the world. Did you know that alternating current electricity was invented in Telluride to power the mines? The historic Ames Power Plant, near Mystic Falls, honors the technological and human achievements of Telluride's colorful past. See all of this and more on our Telluride Waterfalls half day tour.
Silverton + Brooklyn Mine: Throughout our touring season, this is one of our most geographically interesting tours. We begin by crossing Ophir Pass (11,789) to historic Silverton, a route rich in mining history at every turn. On both sides of the pass, the 4WD road threads through miles of quaking aspens, aglow in Colorado’s rich sunshine, illuminating a magical path and particularly stunning in the fall. Ophir Pass is an intermediate 4-WD on the Telluride side but more gentle on its descent toward Silverton. Soaring views to the west highlight Wilson Peak, Mount Wilson, El Diente, Gladstone, Sunshine and Lizard Head peaks. Cresting the summit, the Weimenuche Wilderness commands the skyline with grand peaks rising above the Animas River valley far below.
From Silverton, we drive a short distance toward Red Mountain Pass on Highway 550 before veering west and climbing once again on a mining era road to the historic Brooklyn Mine at 11,400 feet. Jaw dropping views of the Weimenuche Wilderness soar from every switchback. This wonderful tour offers the genuine sense of exploring a vast landscape and discovering lost mining era treasures in remote parts of the San Juan Mountains.
Tomboy / Imogene Pass: Tomboy Road climbs to Imogene Pass from downtown Telluride to a summit of 13,114 feet. Our half day trip to Imogene via the Tomboy Ghost Town is our single most popular tour, generally available from late June through September. Tomboy Road is an intermediate 4-WD road, bumpy and airy, but not as tricky as Black Bear Pass or other truly advanced routes. This is a well-suited trip for most customers. Kids, seniors and everyone in between enjoy the thrill of high country adventure and the colorful history of Telluride's most famous gold mine: Tomboy.
In addition to Tomboy, tour highlights include the "Social Tunnel," the summit of Imogene and the Red Mountain Overlook, which offers astounding views of the towering Weminuche Mountains to the east.
Early season variation: In June, Tomboy Road typically opens to the ghost town a couple weeks before it clears all the way to the summit. During this period, we’ll make a round trip to Tomboy (about ½ way to the pass), return to Telluride and head up the Bridal Veil Road for an up close and personal view of Colorado’s biggest waterfall, which is always cranking during peak snowmelt in June.
Ophir Pass/Alta Ghost Town: Ophir Pass (11,789 ft) is well-suited to less experienced offroad travelers and those who seek the beauty of the high country in combination with a less rugged 4-WD experience. The pass road does include some classic "shelf road" sections with stunning views and the necessity of 4-WD maneuvering, but much less “exposed” terrain than Imogene or Black Bear.
We also commonly visit the Alta Ghost Town on this tour, a 4-mile excursion up a nearby Forest Service road. Alta (11,000 ft) is one of the best-preserved ghost towns in Colorado and the site of a classic post card photo opportunity: Wilson Peak as viewed from Alta.
During the gold rush, Alta became the first town in the world to utilize the modern technology of alternating current electricity. You'll learn about this and many other significant facts tracing their history to this eerie, abandoned townsite. As a bonus, our Ophir/Alta tour offers Telluride's best wildflower viewing in July and early August.
Black Bear Pass: One of Colorado's most notorious offroad passes, Black Bear (12,840 ft) is recommended for thrill seekers and experienced 4-WD travelers. We offer Black Bear as a half day morning trip to avoid exposure to rain storms on slow-driving sections above treeline.
The tour begins by crossing Ophir Pass and driving north on Highway 550 to the beginning of one-way Black Bear Pass near the summit of Red Mountain Pass. After climbing the back side of Black Bear, we summit the pass and drop into Black Bear Basin, where wildflowers grow waist-high in late summer. We then negotiate Black Bear's notorious "stair steps," cross under Ingram Falls, and descend the breathtaking "switchbacks" of Telluride's box canyon headwall. The road becomes two-way at the top of Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado's highest waterfall (464 feet). We view Bridal Veil from many angles, including an astonishing straight-up view from the mist plume itself. Total tour time is approximately 4 hours.
Evening Bridal Veil Tours: Enjoy a relaxing evening tour to magnificent Bridal Veil Falls, highest waterfall in Colorado and iconic landmark of Telluride's gifted landscape. A moderate 4WD road leads to both the base and top of Bridal Veil, which plummets 465 feet from the ledge of a hanging alpine valley. Unforgettable photo opportunities and a brush with Telluride's mining era highlight our evening tour as we climb the headwall of the San Miguel River valley and pass through the mist plume at the foot of the thundering falls. The top elevation of 10,279 feet offers soaring views, taking in the town of Telluride and westward alpine mesas. Don't miss this Telluride classic!
Telluride outside's guides
Our tours are so much more than a mere “drive in the mountains.” There is simply no finer group of tour guides than the professional staff of Telluride Outside. These guys are so knowledgeable and people-friendly that they could entertain you for a whole tour without ever leaving Telluride.
Each of our guides brings personal touch and style to their tour. They share in common professional offroad driving skills, a love of Telluride's flora, fauna, mountains and mining history, and the born-with-it nature of a consummate host. They are fun-loving professionals, committed to your comfort and enjoyment of the tour.
Telluride Outside’s Touring Vehicles
Our “Jeep” tours are actually conducted in new model trucks customized for your safety, comfort and optimal viewing. Seats are heavily padded, suspension is beefed up and the cab is open so you may converse directly with your guide. Removable canopies provide shelter in all weather conditions without inhibiting the "open air" experience. Vehicles are inspected daily, cleaned after every tour and maintained to scrupulous standards under regulation from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and Telluride Outside’s meticulous operating procedures.
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