Black Bear Pass and Alpine Loop

This trip started out featuring 3 vehicles; 17 DCB TRD OR Taco, 97 Limited 4Runner and a 01 Disco II. The Disco dropped out before the trip, so we started off by heading out to Black Canyon National, then off to Black Bear Pass and knocked out the Alpine Loop.

The Start
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A few hours later we finally got to Black Canyon National Park where we would stay for the night.

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It was at this point we lost my 97 4Runner. It for some reason stalled out and wouldn't restart. We tow strapped it up to the visiting center, and the Park Ranger allowed us to park it there for a few days. The next morning we left the 4Runner behind and started towards Black Bear Pass in the stock Taco.

Time to air down

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Stopped to do some poser shots and get some drone footage

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At the top- 12,840ft

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Time to start heading towards the switchbacks. We did this trail in my 4Runner last year, and being lifted/locked made us spoiled. The trail is much more difficult being stock and having a longer wheel base.

My buddy let me take over driving duties, here is spotting me down

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A nice view of Telluride down below

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We hit the point of no return with the Taco. Right before this point a guy in a 2 door Wrangler Rubicon asked if we were going to take "that" down the switchbacks. Our response was "Hell yeah"!

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Time to start

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Down we go!

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Made it!

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A stock Tacoma will make it down Black Bear Pass. We did scrape the skid plates a few times, as well as hit the trailer hitch a few times. We had 2 kind of cringe worthy moments when the stock Goodyear Kevlar tires didn't quite grip the rocks like we wanted to.

 

Off to do the Alpine Loop. We started at Mineral Creek then to Engineer Pass to Cinnamon Pass/Wager Gulch to California Gulch to Corkscrew Gulch/Hurricane Pass

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We didn't get any pictures of Mineral Creek. The trail was pretty brutal on the stock Tacoma, so we spent almost all our time spotting and rock crawling.

These pictures were past Mineral Creek and going up Engineer Pass

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At the top of Engineer Pass

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Once we were on Cinnamon Pass we took the side trail Wager Gulch and went to the Carson Ghost Town.

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Once we left Carson Ghost Town we headed back to Cinnamon Pass.

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From there we went up and over California Pass

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...and then Hurricane Pass

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After that we headed home and I picked up my Ram, and a car hauler.

Good news got to play with my winch for the first time!
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all loaded up and heading home

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Not how I wanted to leave the National Park

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Some drone footage. No off-roading just scenic shots of the where we went.

https://youtu.be/dav28S1rh24

 

enjoyed the story, hope you have the runner fixed soon.

 

Thanks. Got the Runner running the day after we got it back. The starter decided to just up and quit at the Park

 

sometimes it seems like they have a mind of their own, believe me my truck has its moments.

 

Love Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, etc. Such a beautiful part of Colorado (although, most of CO is pretty amazing!)

 

They definitely do. We were glad it went out there and not in the middle of the trail.

I absolutely love that area of CO