OPHIR PASS with EPIC Campsite! [Overlanding the San Juan Mountains, Colorado at it's Best!]
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- Ophir Pass is no stranger to off roaders and overlanding. But that is the beauty of this iconic trail, you see everything from bone stock Subarus to fully caged Jeeps on 40 inch tires. Which shows Ophir is for everyone and is a must do. There is a reason why it is a Jeep Badge of Honor trail, even though it is not difficult.
This episode starts off where the last one ended at Bolam Pass. I traveled down towards the town of Ophir hoping to find a campsite on a river, but getting distracted by some fly fishing and large storms, next thing I knew I was in town starting Ophir Pass earlier than I had wanted. Which turned out to be a happy accident. The rain was relentless, but that is just part of it if you are going to be overlanding. That being said, the extra water made for some spectacular scenery with waterfalls springing up. A few years earlier I had run this trail in my Jeep Rubicon and marked some fantastic looking campsites on Gaia GPS and boy did that pay off! As you can see, I was able to land myself the … epic (overused these days, I know) campsite right next to a creek and with views from the pass down to the town of Ophir.
The rain stopped for just long enough for me to launch the drone right before sunset (if you have been keeping up with my other videos, I still am not able to view what the drone sees, so I am fly blind) and more importantly I put together a Trails n’ Cocktails segment for y’all. What makes this cocktail extra special isn’t just the setting, but the ingredients used were picked up the day before at Honeyville and Honey House Distillery in Durango (which is in an earlier episode). I hands down say this drink is one of the best I have ever had and highly recommend you make one (or 6) for yourself.
Right after the sun went down, the sky started glowing with yet more lighting. It came and went through the entire night, shaking the full-size Nissan Titan at times. Weather seems to hit harder when you are at 10,700 feet. Even with noisy neighbor, Dewey and I had a warm night and were ready to tackle the pass first thing in the morning, which camping at the base really made it easy.
The trail quickly turns into a shelf road made of nothing but lose rock. Even so this is a rather straight forward trail with no obstacles. Word of warning, with all the lose rocks, if you have traction control, turn it off or it will cause more problems than it will solve. Make sure you look up or down the road ahead to see if there are any other rigs, so that you can pull off at a convenient spot if need be. Being in a full-size truck I needed to be extra mindful, but was still able to pass by some dirt bikes with no issue. Right afterwards you can see how not to handle traffic on a 4x4 trail, as the person going downhill in the 4runner froze and didn’t know the gentlemen’s (or lady’s) agreement about uphill having the right of way, which led to a little bit of a spat.
With the testosterone dissipated the two of us were able to enjoy the summit all to ourselves before making our way down the backside. The trail between the top of the pass and Silverton is much wider and packed earth, so it is even safer with plenty of room to pass and lots of traction. I feel that this section does not get as much love, but it is still beautiful with a very different vibe.
Stopping in Silverton is a must if you have the time. This old, high mountain town has done a great job of holding onto its history and heritage. There is plenty to see and a very cool train that is active and you can still ride it. Of course, with such a vibrant main street full of Wranglers, 4runners, Tacomas, Tundras and just about any rock crawler and overlanding vehicle you can think of, I had to stop for an ice cold adult beverage and pizza.
If you are in the San Juans, make sure this trail is on your list. If you start early enough, then you can join it with other big names in the area like Black Bear Pass, Imogene Pass or Poughkeepsie Gulch. Ophir might not be the most challenging of trails, but anyone that likes to get their tires dirty will enjoy it and the trip will be an experience of a lifetime. And remember, What’s Your GOL?
Catch Up on Past Videos using the links Below.
Lime Creek Pt 1: Overlanding The San Juans
• Overlanding The San Ju...
Clohesy Lake : River Crossings, Amazing Mountain Lake, Mining Ruins & Cocktails
• Overlanding Rock Crawl...
Rock Crawling Through Colorado’s History
• Rock Crawl Past Colora...
![Overlanding the Southern San Juan Mountains [Giant Campsites Sunk in Mud Cocktails Offroad Paradise]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TSXMqOGJ5Pk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Overlanding the Southern San Juan Mountains [Giant Campsites Sunk in Mud Cocktails Offroad Paradise]](/img/tr.png)
Great videos! I did Ophir pass in my Ram 2500, AWESOME
I would imagine your Ram probably ate that trail up. It is nice knowing you don't need a hardcore rock crawler to get out and have some fun on the dirt.
Amazing Content. Thanks For Sharing. Have a nice day!❤👍
Appreciate it. Glad you liked the video. I'll have to check out what your relaxation channel is all about, I could use some.
Another winner!! I'm jelly of the views that you got to see firsthand! Thanks for letting the rest of us live vicariously through your experiences!
Question is Mr T....when are you coming with?
Great video! Man, that trail looks so fun - but also that drink!!! So amazing! Love that recipe.
Is it a cocktail channel with an off roading problem or an off roading channel with a cocktail problem?
@@grandeoverland6787 hahahahahha 💯
Great vlog!! Thanks for sharing with us!
Glad you liked it, hope seeing my face for half the video wasn't too off-putting!
Make sure you ask the snake what is preferred first. 😂😅😂
That's always a dangerous question.
@@grandeoverland6787I think auto play took over. That was meant for someone else😂😅😂😅😂
@grandeoverland6787 love this one! I remember doing this one with my dad in the 70's. Mom had to get out and walk. It was too much for her😂
@@stevesmith3556 ok, that make a bit more sense, lol.
@@stevesmith3556 I am out of breath just thinking about hiking up that trail, she is an impressive woman!
I was just there last week
I am sure you had an awesome time! That area never seems to get old
I'm going to try and make a video of the entire trip this week but its going to be nowhere as good as yours. I definitely have a new found respect for people who do this type of stuff. I kept say... damn that would have been cool if we filmed that. lol Also I left my drone controller on my TIRE and then ran it over day 4 of a 2 week trip so there's that.
Noooooo not the drone controler! I HATE doing stuff that like. I ran over my GoPro recently with my 7000lb truck. The screens cracked by it still kinda worked somehow. I will 100% agree with you on your statement. Once I started making videos, it really put things into perspective on how much work people put into their craft. And thank you for the kind words, it's a labor of love. That being said, always just film (as long as it doesn't take away from your experience) and then just fiddle with the content at some point down the line. @@jackboeker83
Enjoy watching! I'm glad I found your channel!
Glad you found it too! Hope to have some more entertainment rolling out soon.