Moab, Manti La Sal, Ouray, Telluride, Gunnison

[Adam Miller]

Each year I do a 2 week dispersed camping trip with the 2010 6.2. In 2020 it was the Moab/southern UT area, 2021 was around the Yellowstone/Tetons area, 2022 was Big Bend, and a few weeks ago I did Moab/Colorado again. I do other smaller or less camping-focused trips as well, such as the Smokies or the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail.

Here are some of those photos from last month in Moab/Telluride/Ouray/Montrose/Gunnison.

The headliner from White Rim Trail in Canyonlands NP:

 

[Adam Miller]

More from Gemini Bridges, White Rim, and one of my camping spots in Bride Canyon (just west of Arches NP).

 

[Adam Miller]

From Moab, I moved just a few miles southeast, up into the Manti La Sal range...

 

[Adam Miller]

...where I found a campsite with my own private lake (more of a pond really) at a little over 10,000 ft. The fly fishing was good at dusk, Threw all of them back except one. The last pic is a larger lake, but didn't camp there.

 

[Adam Miller]

Just realized I didn't take many photos this trip--especially of the Ouray and Telluride. Both cool towns--moreso for Ouray. The size and steepness of the mountains on either side cannot be captured by photos anyway.

 

[Adam Miller]

We're not in chronological order here--Montrose/Ouray were basically the first places on my trip and I camped at altitude south of town on the road up to Imogene Pass. They got a little bit of rain and snow the night before I was going to do Imogene, so I had to reroute to Ophir Pass via the Million Dollar Highway. Ophir was neither difficult nor all that special. It did snow at the peak though.

 

[RogueClimber]

Beautiful stuff!

Never been to Ouray in the summer (a few hundred days ice climbing in the winter though)

 

[CleverGirl_]

 

[Adam Miller]

In actuality, I went from Ophir, bypassing nearby Telluride and immediately west over the Manti La Sals into Moab/Canyonlands for 4 or 5 days, then started back east to that pond I posted earlier for 4 days. Continued east to Telluride to give Imogene Pass another try.

Unlike Ophir, Imogene is no joke. Heading up from Telluride was a glorious day. I wouldn't call most of it truly difficult, but you absolutely must have a good high-lift 4x4. The dramatic shelf road is steep and narrow. There are also a fair number of other vehicles and getting by them can be...exciting. While it never got all the way into the danger zone, I let the transmission cool a couple times.

I reached the summit, took my photo, and tuned the corner for the descent back toward Ouray...or so I thought. The shaded north facing slope still had snow from the previous week. After a brief attempt I got out to survey on foot, noted how there wasn't a single tread through the snow, and said "F#@& that. If a narrow Jeep hasn't made tracks by now, I'm not going to be the first member of my family to fall off a mountain, trying to do it in a big-hipped Raptor."

 

[Otis857]

I did a similar trip about 5 years ago. Did Ophir first and Immogene is quite a fun pass but had the wife freaked a little over the narrow trail with long drop offs. Stayed in Ouray for the night and then did Cinnamon pass (easy) to Lake City and on to Denver from there. We've stayed at Durango a few times since, were there last fall. Beautiful drive on the Million dollar hwy in full Fall color. Never gets old.