Black Bear and Imogene pass

T

toups'wrangler

New member
I might have the opportunity to do Black Bear and Imogene Pass next year. I've never been to that area and know nothing about how long each pass takes to complete. I've read that a good route is Black Bear to Telluride and Imogene back to Ouray. Can they both be done in one day??? Also I'm blending this into a business trip that is somewhat flexible with dates. What would be the best time to make this trip?

Thanks in advance for any info!!
 
Not totally sure about if they can be done in the same day but Iv done Imogene and the switchbacks on black bear. The bridal veil falls on black bear is absolutely beautiful. Imogene is an amazing trail as well that a wrangler should make light work of. I did it in a Subaru on 29s so it was quite the chAllenge lol. In the Subaru Imogene tool a few hours


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You could do both in one day, depending on how much you stop, and how long you stay in Telluride. After Independence Day is best, although sometimes Black Bear is still closed at that time.


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We did Black Bear in the morning, a long lunch in Telluride, and Imogene back to Ouray in the same day last fall. With a larger group, lots of pictures, and a long lunch we still made it in time for an early dinner. It's a great day trip and I'd recommend it. The hard part was finding the entrance to Imogene, it looks like you're driving through people's alleys to get to their garages at first.
 
Lots of good advice above. You can probably pick up a trails map from the local Jeep rental stores in Ouray which will make navigating out of Telluride over Imogene easier. If you catch halfway decent weather, which is a good possibility, it’ll be great. Enjoy your trip!
 
Both in one day is common. If you want to be sure Black Bear is open plan for mid July. Depending on how much snow they get this year Black Bear might be open by the 4th but you can't count on it.
Get yourself Charles Wells' book for the area.
 
I make the trip to Ouray every 4th of July. In the last ten years Black Bear has only been open a couple of times that early in the summer. Depending on how much sight seeing you want to do along those trails, plan on two to three hours for each minimum. I’ve done them both in a day. It makes for a long day but it’s definitely doable.


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