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Ophir Pass & Last Dollar Road Jeep Trip
September, 2002
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On September 15th, Don & Sharon Dodds came down & we headed to Silverton again.
From the book, 4WD Trails of Southwest Colorado (Peter Massey & Jeanne Wilson), we did trail #20 - Ophir Pass Trail. We did the trail east-to-west, from Hwy 550 to Hwy 145 by Telluride. Trail #20 is an medium difficulty trail that requires 4WD. The tallus slope shelf road heading down the pass toward Ophir can give you the heebie-jeebies if you're not used to it.
But the views are spectacular!
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After checking out the quilt show in Silverton,
we headed back on Hwy 550 north 5 miles to the Ophir Pass exit.
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It was a beautiful Colorado day as we started up the road to Ophir Pass.
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Lunch time! Don's friends - Cindy & Lindsay - joined us for the trip.
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Here we are at the summit.
With all the loose tallus rock it looks like the surface of the moon!
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Don checks out the skree slope at the summit. Those pinnacles behind him are part of Lookout Peak - 13,661'.
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Above, you can see the road starting down the pass behind Barb.
That right hand turn is a tight one!
Below, is the view into the valley overlooking the town of Ophir.
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Lookout Peak towers over the shelf road
down the pass into the valley.
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The town of Ophir was established in 1881 as a mining town. Today, at an elevation of 9,800', it is a "bedroom community" for Telluride. We were surprised because we were expecting a ghost town. Instead, there are nice mountain homes.
One was for sale - only $498,000!!
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We took Hwy 145 toward Telluride. Before getting to town, we turned left at the airport turnoff. This is Last Dollar Road. It becomes a 4WD road after you pass the airport and the million-dollar homes!
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We stopped for some photos at the overlook back to Telluride.
Below, that's Mt. Wilson behind Barb & Steve. It is one of Colorado's 14ers at 14, 017'.
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Here's the view from the road as we climbed up between Last Dollar Mtn @ 11,130' and Whipple Mtn @ 11,924'.
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With 6 straight days of rain before this gorgeous weekend, Last Dollar Road was a bit muddy! No fear, Wayne loves water crossings!
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Last Dollar Road out of Telluride brings you to Hwy 62 near Dallas Divide, just out of Ridgway.
As we headed back to Sublette Ranch, we decided some chow at Cowboys Grill in Colona would top off a great day!
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