Alpine Loop

What the loop is

The Alpine Loop is a system of county and public land roads over two passes in the San Juan Mountains, designated by the BLM as a Type III Back Country Byway and by the state as a Colorado Scenic Byway. The BLM says it “offers a rugged, immersive backcountry experience,” that this 4x4-only road reaches 12,800 feet, and that driving the whole thing “is easily an all-day experience.” Miles of designated side routes let you take a short tour or stretch a trip over several days.

The attraction is the mining country it crosses. The BLM lists scenic overlooks, campgrounds, ghost towns, abandoned mines, interpretive kiosks and two National Historic Landmarks, the Silverton Historic District and the Shenandoah-Dives Mill. The loop also crosses the Brunot Area, where tribal hunting and fishing rights are recognised.

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The route, in the order you drive it

The BLM recommends driving the loop clockwise, and gives three ways in: from Lake City on County Road 30 or County Road 20, from Silverton on County Road 2, and from Ouray on County Road 18.

From Lake City, County Road 30 runs southwest up the Lake Fork of the Gunnison past Lake San Cristobal, then climbs over Cinnamon Pass at 12,620 feet to Animas Forks: 28 miles the brochure gives 2 hours for. Animas Forks is the hub where the two passes meet, and the road down to Silverton is 13 miles and half an hour.

The return leg from Animas Forks over Engineer Pass back to Lake City is 26 miles and another 2 hours, past Mineral Point, Rose’s Cabin, Whitmore Falls and Capitol City. The Ouray arm leaves the loop below Engineer Pass and drops by Mineral Creek to US 550: 11 miles, 1.5 hours.

Side routes have their own character. The brochure suggests short trips of about two hours, among them Camp Bird and Yankee Boy Basin from Ouray, and half-day trips taking in American Basin, Hurricane Pass and California Gulch.

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Vehicle and driver

The Forest Service, which manages part of the ground the loop crosses, describes the same 63-mile route winding to an elevation of 12,800 feet and says portions of it require high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. The BLM brochure puts it the other way round: the route is managed for high-clearance vehicles and demands a leisurely pace, and most of it is drivable in full-size 4x4s, though side-by-sides, ATVs and motorcycles are popular here too.

On the BLM map, dashed roads are open to all vehicles with four-wheel drive recommended and solid ones are marked two-wheel-drive passable. The road from Silverton to Animas Forks is one of the latter: the BLM says it is passable in summer by two-wheel-drive vehicles, and that the road beyond, over Engineer Pass to Lake City, may require four-wheel drive.

One side route is singled out on the map: Poughkeepsie Gulch is “for expert 4x4 drivers only,” with a winch strongly recommended, and anyone without that experience is sent over Engineer Pass instead. The brochure’s advice on judging yourself is worth repeating: “if you have to ask yourself if your ‘expertise’ is enough to negotiate a harder trail, it probably isn’t.”

Do not skipThe BLM says electronics and wireless devices do not work in most areas within the Alpine Loop. Download or print maps, directions and emergency contacts before you leave town.

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The permit a plated truck needs

The BLM lists no entry fee for the byway, but Colorado’s off-highway vehicle rules reach ordinary trucks. Colorado Parks and Wildlife requires an OHV permit for “all plated, street legal vehicles (resident and nonresident) when traveling on any designated OHV trail and/or open area for recreational use on public lands.” The permit sticker goes to the right of the front licence plate, or you carry the bright green paper permit. CPW lists it at $26.25 as of September 2026, valid April 1 through March 31 however late in the year you buy it.

The BLM brochure says the same thing from its end: every OHV and motor vehicle with a valid licence plate must display a current OHV use permit sticker when travelling designated OHV trails in Colorado, and the money pays for trail maintenance, trailheads, signs and maps. Ask CPW or the Gunnison Field Office which parts of your route are designated OHV trails, and check the towns separately, because they set their own rules for unlicensed vehicles.

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Camping and stay limits

Mill Creek Campground is the BLM campground on the loop, 14 miles southwest of Lake City at 9,500 feet on the Lake Fork of the Gunnison. It has 22 sites for tents and medium-sized RVs, each with a metal fire ring and cooking grate, a picnic table and a bear-proof food box, plus vault toilets and hand pumps for potable water. Thirteen sites are reservable in peak season and the remaining nine are first-come, first-served, paid on site by cash or cheque. The BLM says the campground is accessible June through September and lists sites at $20 a night as of September 2026. Williams Creek, a Forest Service campground with drinking water, sits on the same road, and the brochure marks more near Silverton and Ouray.

Away from campgrounds, BLM Colorado’s camping and occupancy rules apply: no more than 14 days in any 30-day period at any one location, then a move of at least 30 air miles. The same fact sheet says camping is for recreation only and that personal property may not be left unattended for more than 48 hours. Forest Service land along the loop runs under a separate order with its own limits, so ask the ranger district if your trip is a long one.

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Fuel, water and services

There is no fuel on the loop. It is sold in the three towns at the ends of the route, and the BLM’s advice is to “bring plenty of water, food, and fuel to reach your destination” and to “know how far you are going and where to stop for gas.” The state byway page says the same in its considerations: bring a full tank of gas and extra food and water. Confirm hours before you rely on any of it, because these are small towns and the season is short.

Water is the other gap. Mill Creek has hand pumps and Williams Creek has drinking water; assume nothing else on the route is drinkable without treatment. Carry the brochure’s contact list, which has the BLM Gunnison Field Office at (970) 642-4940 and the four ranger districts.

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Season, weather and hazards

The BLM gives the best season as summer and the state lists the byway as closed in winter. On the Ouray arm, county crews seasonally open and maintain Engineer Pass along with Yankee Boy, Corkscrew and Imogene. They start clearing snow and debris in May, and Ouray County says “every effort is made to open these roadways by July 4th.” That is an aim, not a date, and the county posts openings through its road and bridge department rather than a calendar.

Above timberline the weather is its own hazard. The BLM warns that the air is thinner, making every activity harder, that high winds are common above the treeline and that there is no shelter from sun, wind or precipitation. The National Weather Service adds the daily pattern: thunderstorms typically develop in the Colorado mountains after 11 a.m., so plan to be off the high ground by late morning. An enclosed, metal-roofed vehicle is safe shelter from lightning and a tent is not, and the advice is to wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back outside.

The mines are the other hazard, and the BLM does not soften it. Many historic sites contain mine passages and unstable buildings: “DO NOT enter them.” Its words for the subject are “Stay Out, Stay Alive.” In an emergency, dial 911 or the sheriff: Hinsdale County (970) 944-2291, Ouray County (970) 325-7272, San Juan County (970) 387-5531, San Miguel County (970) 728-1911.

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Leaving it as you found it

The alpine vegetation here, the BLM says, “is incredibly vulnerable to damage by vehicle traffic and can take decades to recover.” One person leaving the designated route can cause damage that takes decades to repair, and others doing the same compounds it. Blazing a new trail, the brochure warns, could bring legal action and a hefty fine.

The rules of the road are short. Motor vehicles must stay on the routes designated on the map. Uphill traffic has the right of way, though common courtesy works best. Clockwise travel is recommended. Check with local cities and counties for additional regulations, because the towns set their own: the map notes that unlicensed vehicles must be trailered into Telluride.

Around the historic sites the BLM asks for more room than most people expect. Do not camp, smoke or build campfires within 150 feet of historic buildings, and do not camp or build campfires within 800 feet of the Animas Forks historic site. Keep pets leashed there, take no artifacts and do not enter the structures. Not all the land along the loop is public, so respect private property, and report looting or vandalism to BLM law enforcement at (970) 642-4940.

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Questions people ask