I say finally because I've been eyeballing the Elks for around 6-7 years now with 2-3 trips that were aborted before launch. So it was definitely nice to get up there and check some of it out, although more time was really needed to do this properly. I supposed we can't ask for everything and I should be happy just to have finally made the trip!
3 Tacomas left Phoenix early July 19 and returned late July 23. Needless to say, a LOT of driving was done those 2 days. Overall it was a fantastic trip and a special treat for a desert rat like myself to roam around on 9000-12500+' trails. I did get a pretty hardcore toothache halfway through the trip and tried to manage the agony as best I could in the backcountry, but it was particularly bad at night when one's focus is limited to the immediacy of the pain. Well this isn't a report about my tooth ordeals so let's get to some pictures!
We stopped at Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the way up:
Eventually we made it up to the Elk Mountains and entered through Marble. It started to rain pretty good so we didn't dillydally around there too long and we pressed towards Schofield Pass, which was an uncomfortably narrow crawling road through some horrible drop-offs. Maybe I'm loosing my nerve as I get older, but this was more than I expected. "******" must have been uttered at least 15 times as each time the jostling 4x4 or off-camber dips dropped the vehicle towards oblivion made it seem like I was 1 foot or 1 degree away from certain death. I have been on plenty of trails like Black Bear and many others is Colorado, Utah, and Arizona... but for some reason that section this little old wagon road stressed me out! Once on the other side it turns into a graded dirt road and was well deserved relief.
Starting up the pass:
Passing the Crystal Mill:
A section of the Punchbowl calm enough for me to take a picture:
Cresting the pass:
To be fair, this sign was at the start (along with a couple reminders after that)... definitely a case of truth in advertising:
We did encounter a plucky Subaru sliding, scraping and spinning his way to the mill. A nice enough guy and part of me admired his determination but I was more annoyed with a solo guy in a solo car pushing the outer reaches of the vehicle's envelope, putting the car and his health at risk of potentially serious damage and then necessitating others like me to extract him out. At least he had the good sense to not pass the mill into the bad section of the pass.
After Schofield we passed through Gothic and Crested Butte and then moved over to Pearl Pass, 12800ft. The last report on Bushducks said it was open as of a couple days earlier. Let me just say that turned out to be a load of horse**** as it was absolutely unpassable at the very top by a 5' snowbank. It was still a nice drive to the top and although that meant not doing Taylor Pass there were other places to go.
Sections of narrow shelf on this too:
Crooked but cool:
Blocked:
I suppose it goes without saying, but the amount of water gushing from these mountains is nothing short of amazing. Creeks, rivers, cascades, waterfalls, several dozen water crossings with some hitting the hood. Wow. Next up was the easy Paradise Basin:
There is a tremendous amount of Aspen in the Elk Mountains (the town of Aspen in on the north side of the range). This, and the fact that it's often called the "wildflower capital of Colorado" make it extremely popular with photographers.
Then we did Gunsight Pass. Well, 3/4 of it because it was blocked by snow as well. Not very difficult, but scenic with dozens of tight hairpin switchbacks.
By now I was starting to get a decent squeaking/grinding sound, probably from a u-joint, but I had no extra vibration or wobble yet. We decided to run the easy Cinnamon Pass through the San Juans on our way back down to AZ.
Of course the trip came with all the points of interests and cool things that come along with high mountain adventuring, and hundreds of pictures were taken, but I've never been one for long and detailed reports. Perhaps it's the introvert in me that puts out the main idea but prefers to keep the details just for myself.
Comparing the Elks to the San Juans: Comparisons like this are usually pointless, but I thought I'd throw out a personal reflection. While the San Juans tend to be harsh, massive, and majestic, the Elks more gentle contours make it seem a little "softer" and quite pretty. Although it was a busy outdoor playground, tt obvious there is less 4x4 in the Elks, as the high passes tend to be a bit rougher around the edges, not snowplowed, and see less traffic... at least from what I saw. That's both good and bad. I am glad to have finally reached the Elks, but they are so far from home, and it's hard to justify the extra distance when the mighty San Juans are closer. When I go back someday, far down the road, it'll be in the fall to see the amazing colors the Elks are often noted for.
3 Tacomas left Phoenix early July 19 and returned late July 23. Needless to say, a LOT of driving was done those 2 days. Overall it was a fantastic trip and a special treat for a desert rat like myself to roam around on 9000-12500+' trails. I did get a pretty hardcore toothache halfway through the trip and tried to manage the agony as best I could in the backcountry, but it was particularly bad at night when one's focus is limited to the immediacy of the pain. Well this isn't a report about my tooth ordeals so let's get to some pictures!
We stopped at Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the way up:
Eventually we made it up to the Elk Mountains and entered through Marble. It started to rain pretty good so we didn't dillydally around there too long and we pressed towards Schofield Pass, which was an uncomfortably narrow crawling road through some horrible drop-offs. Maybe I'm loosing my nerve as I get older, but this was more than I expected. "******" must have been uttered at least 15 times as each time the jostling 4x4 or off-camber dips dropped the vehicle towards oblivion made it seem like I was 1 foot or 1 degree away from certain death. I have been on plenty of trails like Black Bear and many others is Colorado, Utah, and Arizona... but for some reason that section this little old wagon road stressed me out! Once on the other side it turns into a graded dirt road and was well deserved relief.
Starting up the pass:
Passing the Crystal Mill:
A section of the Punchbowl calm enough for me to take a picture:
Cresting the pass:
To be fair, this sign was at the start (along with a couple reminders after that)... definitely a case of truth in advertising:
We did encounter a plucky Subaru sliding, scraping and spinning his way to the mill. A nice enough guy and part of me admired his determination but I was more annoyed with a solo guy in a solo car pushing the outer reaches of the vehicle's envelope, putting the car and his health at risk of potentially serious damage and then necessitating others like me to extract him out. At least he had the good sense to not pass the mill into the bad section of the pass.
After Schofield we passed through Gothic and Crested Butte and then moved over to Pearl Pass, 12800ft. The last report on Bushducks said it was open as of a couple days earlier. Let me just say that turned out to be a load of horse**** as it was absolutely unpassable at the very top by a 5' snowbank. It was still a nice drive to the top and although that meant not doing Taylor Pass there were other places to go.
Sections of narrow shelf on this too:
Crooked but cool:
Blocked:
I suppose it goes without saying, but the amount of water gushing from these mountains is nothing short of amazing. Creeks, rivers, cascades, waterfalls, several dozen water crossings with some hitting the hood. Wow. Next up was the easy Paradise Basin:
There is a tremendous amount of Aspen in the Elk Mountains (the town of Aspen in on the north side of the range). This, and the fact that it's often called the "wildflower capital of Colorado" make it extremely popular with photographers.
Then we did Gunsight Pass. Well, 3/4 of it because it was blocked by snow as well. Not very difficult, but scenic with dozens of tight hairpin switchbacks.
By now I was starting to get a decent squeaking/grinding sound, probably from a u-joint, but I had no extra vibration or wobble yet. We decided to run the easy Cinnamon Pass through the San Juans on our way back down to AZ.
Of course the trip came with all the points of interests and cool things that come along with high mountain adventuring, and hundreds of pictures were taken, but I've never been one for long and detailed reports. Perhaps it's the introvert in me that puts out the main idea but prefers to keep the details just for myself.
Comparing the Elks to the San Juans: Comparisons like this are usually pointless, but I thought I'd throw out a personal reflection. While the San Juans tend to be harsh, massive, and majestic, the Elks more gentle contours make it seem a little "softer" and quite pretty. Although it was a busy outdoor playground, tt obvious there is less 4x4 in the Elks, as the high passes tend to be a bit rougher around the edges, not snowplowed, and see less traffic... at least from what I saw. That's both good and bad. I am glad to have finally reached the Elks, but they are so far from home, and it's hard to justify the extra distance when the mighty San Juans are closer. When I go back someday, far down the road, it'll be in the fall to see the amazing colors the Elks are often noted for.
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