Imagine being surrounded by multi-colored mountaintops that reach into the sky as you snake through the San Juan Mountains and ascend the infamous Black Bear Pass in Colorado. Your 4×4 all-terrain vehicle (ATV) gently jolts across the rocky, uneven ground as you reach Black Bear summit and are greeted by expansive views of jagged peaks and pastoral valleys. This trail has been ridiculously beautiful and surprisingly calm so far, and you’re starting to wonder whether Black Bear Pass really deserves to be called “Colorado’s Most Dangerous Trail.” But then you begin your descent, and you see the one-way road signs. This means you’ve reached the notorious section of jumpy, steep ledges and zigzagging switchbacks that earned Black Bear Pass its reputation.
Starting at over 11,000 feet, Colorado’s Black Bear Pass is a daring 10-mile trail that winds along the edge of the San Juan Mountains. You can only access Black Bear Pass with a high clearance 4×4 vehicle that is suitable for tough terrain. This is an advanced, expert-level route which should not be attempted alone — go with a group. Unless you are a confident and experienced off-roader, you should book a tour through a reputable company. To get to Black Bear Pass, drive from Silverton, Colorado’s high-alpine town that offers off-grid adventures, and across State Highway 550 until you reach Red Mountain Pass. Black Bear Pass is only open during the summer, and can be extra dangerous when slippery, so don’t attempt the pass when it’s closed or if it’s raining or snowing.
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What to expect from Black Bear Pass
Bridal Veil Falls cascading off a rocky cliff – Wirestock/Getty Images
This trail offers expansive vistas overlooking picture-perfect peaks, blue ridges, and narrow green valleys with a gentle spattering of houses far below — but don’t get too caught up in the pretty landscape. After leaving the summit, you will approach a one-way section known as “the steps” — a steep, skinny shelf road on the edge of a sharp drop, with the whirling waters of Ingram Falls (a multi-tier, 2,000-foot waterfall that swirls below the path’s sharp drop) whooshing below. The steps require intense, white-knuckle concentration and precise moves to make sure you don’t flip your vehicle off the mountain. After you’ve cleared the steps, you will begin driving down the narrow switchback roads along the side of an approximately 900-foot drop. The switchbacks are equally challenging and will need steadfast focus and navigation support from your group.
When you reach the bottom of the twisting turns, you will be greeted by the powerful silver cascades of Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado’s tallest free-flowing waterfall. If you look to the top of the falls, you will see the historic Smuggler-Union Hydroelectric Power Plant teetering on the edge of the cliff face. Bridal Veil Falls is a great post-drive spot to pause, catch your breath, take some photos, and admire the water. When you’re ready, head down the two-way road to Telluride, which unsurprisingly boasts front-row views of Colorado’s iconic Rocky Mountains.
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Read the original article on Islands.