Off-highway above Ouray - includes a travel planner for the San Juan Mountains - visiting Ouray, Colorado, to explore the historic mining roads in the San Juan Mountains

Sunset, July, 1999 by Jeff Phillips

Exploring the historic mining roads of Colorado's San Juans takes four wheels, two days, and only a dab of nerve

At first I we'd been thought oversold. The gravel road heading northeast from Silverton had been wide and smooth for nearly 14 miles, and our rented vehicle - a stubby, hard-steering, stiff-riding Jeep Wrangler - was seeming more and more like $100-a-day overkill. As we rattled along, I groused to my wife that we had driven our old station wagon on worse roads than this and had been a heck of a lot more comfortable.

Climbing among the sharp-edged peaks of Colorado's San Juan Mountains north of Durango, we were about to spend a couple of days exploring a network of old mining roads that make for some of the most scenic backcountry driving in the West.

The region has two major four-wheel-rated road systems to explore. We could drive over the mountains west of Ouray to Telluride or cruise the Alpine Loop, which is east of Ouray and passes Lake City. The Alpine Loop is suitable for first-time four-wheelers; the drive to Telluride is for more experienced drivers. Both offer side roads to explore and places to hike and camp along the way. We chose the Alpine Loop so we could climb 14,034-foot Redcloud Peak.

The rental guy insisted the Standard SUV rental just didn't have the equipment to take on these roads; I took him at his word. But when we parked our specially equipped monster next to a family sedan at the ghost town of Animas Forks, I began to grumble again.

After nosing around the mining camp's weathered log cabins, we headed out, shifting into low four-wheel for the climb up to Engineer Pass. The road quickly got narrower, steeper, and rougher until we were inching our way along - but having a great time doing it.

We found that the short wheelbase made turns up tight switchbacks easy and the heavy-duty suspension smoothed out the kidney-pounding ruts over all the high passes. We even came to appreciate that flapping fabric top. Once the sun came out, we peeled it off and stowed it under the back seat. Best of all, the Jeep placed us smack-dab in the middle of some of the most breathtaking scenery this chunk of Colorado can muster.

The last day, after four-wheeling up to the rugged saddle of 12,620-foot Cinnamon Pass, my wife asked: "Still think the old wagon would have made this?" Slamming the door as we got out to take in the spectacle of the ice-etched mountains, I pretended not to hear.

San Juans 4-wheeling travel planner

Reservations for vehicles and lodging are essential. Roads are usually: open from late May to early October (get updated road conditions and a map from the rental company). Alpine wildflowers bloom from late July through early August; aspen color starts mid-September, Be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms in July and August.

Rentals. Good vehicles cost $95 to $130 a day plus tax, fuel, and optional insurance. Ouray and Silverton are most centrally located for a variety of day trips. Contact visitor centers at each of these towns for names of four-wheel rental agencies and lodging. Lake City; (800) 569-1874 or www.hinsdale-county.com. Ouray; (800) 228-1876 or www.ouraycolorado.com. Silverton; (800) 752-4494 or www. silverton.org. Telluride; (800) 525-3455 or www.tvs.org.