DifficultSan Juan Mountains, Ouray, COalpineshelf roadrock garden

Imogene Pass

38.0203 N 107.6737 W · TRAILHEAD

The second-highest drivable pass in Colorado: 13,114 ft of ledgy, loose, unforgettable road between Ouray and Telluride.

Distance: 0mi
Est. days: 0d
Elevation gain: 0ft
Max elevation: 0ft

Route map

7 WAYPOINTS · OSM TILES

ACQUIRING TILES…

Elevation profile

MIN 7,810 FT · MAX 13,114 FT

5,300 FT TOTAL GAIN

Hover or scrub the chart to place a marker on the map. Hover the route line on the map to move the cursor here.

Route log

7 WAYPOINTS · 17 MI

MI 0.0Ouray TrailheadTrailhead7,810 FT
Camp Bird Road leaves US 550 at the south end of town. Fuel up in Ouray.
MI 2.4Canyon Creek FordObstacle8,971 FT
Wide cobble ford. Usually axle-deep by late summer, pushy in June.
MI 4.4Camp Bird MineViewpoint10,134 FT
One of Colorado's richest gold mines, still gated and ghostly.
MI 5.6Upper Basin CampCampsite10,989 FT
Last legal dispersed sites below treeline. Stage here for a clear-morning summit.
MI 7.6Imogene SummitViewpoint12,421 FT
13,114 ft, the highest point in the Switchback catalog. Stone hut, ptarmigans, zero guardrails.
MI 9.6Tomboy TownsiteViewpoint12,884 FT
Ruins of a 900-person mining town at 11,500 ft. Read the marker for the Marmots' side.
MI 17.0Telluride ExitExit8,750 FT
Down the Tomboy shelf road into Telluride's north side.

Trail notes

Know before you go

Imogene climbs out of Ouray past the Camp Bird Mine and just keeps climbing, through a fjord-like creek ford, up ledgy rock stair-steps, past the tundra ruins of Tomboy, to a summit notch at 13,114 ft where a stone hut leans into the wind. It's a harder, higher, lonelier road than the Alpine Loop, but short enough for a committed day run between two of Colorado's best trail towns.

Imogene Pass

17 MI · 1D · DIFF 4/5

Plan this trip

Know before you go