Calendar **2019** Taylor Lake Colorado Group Ride [Sep 6, 2019] (CO)

[Tramguage1]

Animas Forks. A surviving ghost town at almost 12,000’ elevation along Alpine Loop Trail
This Colorado ghost town is one of the most intact in the state

Looks like a must see

 

[Admin]

 

[100Acre]

Colorado Ghost Towns + Map | Best Abandoned Towns and Mining Camps in CO

 

[100Acre]

For the people that are planning on doing the Alpine Loop, question; are you guys planning on camping out along the loop or doing it within a whole day?

 

[stellarpod]

Animas Forks. A surviving ghost town at almost 12,000’ elevation along Alpine Loop Trail
This Colorado ghost town is one of the most intact in the state

Pictures I took in Animas Forks about 2004.

This descending into Animas Forks from the Cinnamon Pass shelf road.

Outskirts of Animas Forks.

A couple of views of perhaps the most photographed structure in Animas Forks.

And then, just for grins, here's a pic of old Engine 482 Durango/Silverton narrow gauge pulling into Silverton.

Time for a return trip.

Steve

 

[Tramguage1]

For the people that are planning on doing the Alpine Loop, question; are you guys planning on camping out along the loop or doing it within a whole day?

Planning a 1 day trip

 

[100Acre]

Pictures I took in Animas Forks about 2004.

This descending into Animas Forks from the Cinnamon Pass shelf road.

View attachment 147107

Outskirts of Animas Forks.

View attachment 147108

A couple of views of perhaps the most photographed structure in Animas Forks.

View attachment 147109
View attachment 147110

And then, just for grins, here's a pic of old Engine 482 Durango/Silverton narrow gauge pulling into Silverton.

View attachment 147111

Time for a return trip.

Steve

Thanks for posting those!

 

[Smitty335]

This is going to be a great ride/get together with some of my best friends on this site and hope to add to the list!

 

[wrwtexan]

For those of you planning to run the Alpine Loop, there are so many side trails to explore to the west of Animas Forks that you won't be able to run many of them leaving from Lake City in a one day ride. Some good trails that are very close to Animas that would really give you a feel for the scenery would be Corkscrew, Picayune (has a great overlook at the East end overlooking the road to Animas) and Placer Gulch, over California Pass and down to Lake Como, Eureka Gulch above Sunnyside mill at Eureka townsite. Poughkeepsie has a boulder field that is rough as hell just below Lake Como. For those that remember the recent Animas River disaster a few years back, you can see the cleanup effort and get near the mine site on two trails above Gladstone. Prospect Gulch up to Galena Queen Mine just down Cement Creek Road from Gladstone is a great short ride.
This will be our fourth summer trip and we still have much to see.
Wish I could be there for ya'lls group ride but we avoid the Labor Day crowd.

 

[biesty]

For the people that are planning on doing the Alpine Loop, question; are you guys planning on camping out along the loop or doing it within a whole day?

Day trip out of Lake City. Alpine Loop trails TBD. My wife and I will be in Lake City monday evening.

 

[stellarpod]

For those of you planning to run the Alpine Loop, there are so many side trails to explore to the west of Animas Forks that you won't be able to run many of them leaving from Lake City in a one day ride. Some good trails that are very close to Animas that would really give you a feel for the scenery would be Corkscrew, Picayune (has a great overlook at the East end overlooking the road to Animas) and Placer Gulch, over California Pass and down to Lake Como, Eureka Gulch above Sunnyside mill at Eureka townsite. Poughkeepsie has a boulder field that is rough as hell just below Lake Como. For those that remember the recent Animas River disaster a few years back, you can see the cleanup effort and get near the mine site on two trails above Gladstone. Prospect Gulch up to Galena Queen Mine just down Cement Creek Road from Gladstone is a great short ride.
This will be our fourth summer trip and we still have much to see.
Wish I could be there for ya'lls group ride but we avoid the Labor Day crowd.

A lot of great info there. Thanks for sharing, wrwtexan! Wish I were going.

Steve

 

[Plumber32]

Best video I've found so far.

 

[stellarpod]

Here are a few more pics from the Taylor Reservoir/Crested Butte region, albeit with ATV's rather than SxS's.

2004: I believe this was somewhere along Italian Creek/Reno Ridge, on my way to American Flag Mountain. I was on a 2005 Arctic Cat 500 with crap factory stock tires at the time. It did surprisingly well.

Headed up American Flag.

Looking off a sheer drop, close to the top of American Flag.

At the top. GPS showed 12,664 feet.

More to come from a different trip in 2007. Sure wish I was joining you guys in the Talon.

Steve

 

[Plumber32]

Here are a few more pics from the Taylor Reservoir/Crested Butte region, albeit with ATV's rather than SxS's.

2004: I believe this was somewhere along Italian Creek/Reno Ridge, on my way to American Flag Mountain. I was on a 2005 Arctic Cat 500 with crap factory stock tires at the time. It did surprisingly well.

View attachment 147304

Headed up American Flag.
View attachment 147305

Looking off a sheer drop, close to the top of American Flag.
View attachment 147306

At the top. GPS showed 12,664 feet.
View attachment 147307

View attachment 147309

More to come from a different trip in 2007. Sure wish I was joining you guys in the Talon.

Steve

Come with!

 

[stellarpod]

Rode the area again in 2007 with several family members. Once again, we were all on ATV's rather than UTV's.

On our way to Alpine Tunnel, after trailing through Tincup and crossing over Cumberland Pass (easy trail). Scenic water tower, a surviving remnant of the old railway that used to pass through here in support of the mining activity. That's my wife, Carla, on her [then] brand-new red 2007 Grizzly 700. That trip and her Grizzly made a believer in EPS for me.

Shelf road on the way to Alpine Tunnel.

Somewhere in the Taylor Reservoir area. Could be American Flag Mountain in the background, but I'm not sure.

Carla and me posing with the flag. (on the summit of American Flag Mountain of course) That is one heck of a big step a few feet behind us.

Lunch stop at the terminus of the Gunsite Pass trail, just above the Daisy Mine. Take the Slate River Road north out of the town of Crested Butte to the trail head. You're not allowed to take motorized vehicles beyond the point in this picture, so you never really make it to the pass.

Emerald Lake, just on the Gothic side of Schofield Pass. We came up from Crested Butte, crossed Paradise Divide and headed over Schofield to this point. The trail goes on into Gothic, proceeding on past the Crested Butte Ski Area and on into the town. Unfortunately, there's a two-mile stretch of pavement from just north of the ski area to the town which disallows making the complete loop on an off-highway vehicle.

Headed down the Devil's Punchbowl on the way to Crystal Mill. There have been more fatalities on this trail than any other in Colorado.

And the prize at the end! Crystal Mill, one of the most photographed historical structures in Colorado. Absolutely beautiful.

Headed back to Devil's Punchbowl.

One last shot on the way back, overlooking a pond near the top of Paradise Divide. Breathtaking view.

The entire region in and around Gunnison, Almont, Taylor Reservoir and north of Crested Butte is indescribably beautiful You could spend a lifetime there and never see it all. Sadly, all of the pictures from Gunsite Pass onward require trailering to a staging point on the Slate River/Gothic loop, as you can't get there without driving pavement. But, I promise, the scenery is worth the trouble.

Hope all of you have a wonderful, safe time in that incredible playground. Perhaps I can make the next one.

Steve

 

[JTW]

s*** I’m running out of time... how does this ALWAYS happen??

 

[Hondasxs]

s*** I’m running out of time... how does this ALWAYS happen??

Dont wait till the week before to start. DA.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[JTW]

Dont wait till the week before to start. DA.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Says the guy not taking his machine!!

I’ve been starting for a month!

 

[Tramguage1]

Day trip out of Lake City. Alpine Loop trails TBD. My wife and I will be in Lake City monday evening.

There should be a small caravan 4-5 of us arriving Lake City Tuesday evening.plan on doing the Loop Wednesday the 4th.

 

[JTW]

There should be a small caravan 4-5 of us arriving Lake City Tuesday evening.plan on doing the Loop Wednesday the 4th.

Just ride down to Moab instead!!

 

[CumminsPusher]

Rode the area again in 2007 with several family members. Once again, we were all on ATV's rather than UTV's.

On our way to Alpine Tunnel, after trailing through Tincup and crossing over Cumberland Pass (easy trail). Scenic water tower, a surviving remnant of the old railway that used to pass through here in support of the mining activity. That's my wife, Carla, on her [then] brand-new red 2007 Grizzly 700. That trip and her Grizzly made a believer in EPS for me.View attachment 147310

Shelf road on the way to Alpine Tunnel.
View attachment 147311

Somewhere in the Taylor Reservoir area. Could be American Flag Mountain in the background, but I'm not sure.
View attachment 147312

Carla and me posing with the flag. (on the summit of American Flag Mountain of course) That is one heck of a big step a few feet behind us.View attachment 147313

Lunch stop at the terminus of the Gunsite Pass trail, just above the Daisy Mine. Take the Slate River Road north out of the town of Crested Butte to the trail head. You're not allowed to take motorized vehicles beyond the point in this picture, so you never really make it to the pass.
View attachment 147314

Emerald Lake, just on the Gothic side of Schofield Pass. We came up from Crested Butte, crossed Paradise Divide and headed over Schofield to this point. The trail goes on into Gothic, proceeding on past the Crested Butte Ski Area and on into the town. Unfortunately, there's a two-mile stretch of pavement from just north of the ski area to the town which disallows making the complete loop on an off-highway vehicle.
View attachment 147315

Headed down the Devil's Punchbowl on the way to Crystal Mill. There have been more fatalities on this trail than any other in Colorado.
View attachment 147316

And the prize at the end! Crystal Mill, one of the most photographed historical structures in Colorado. Absolutely beautiful.
View attachment 147317

Headed back to Devil's Punchbowl.
View attachment 147318

One last shot on the way back, overlooking a pond near the top of Paradise Divide. Breathtaking view.
View attachment 147319

The entire region in and around Gunnison, Almont, Taylor Reservoir and north of Crested Butte is indescribably beautiful You could spend a lifetime there and never see it all. Sadly, all of the pictures from Gunsite Pass onward require trailering to a staging point on the Slate River/Gothic loop, as you can't get there without driving pavement. But, I promise, the scenery is worth the trouble.

Hope all of you have a wonderful, safe time in that incredible playground. Perhaps I can make the next one.

Steve

Absolutely awesome pictures! Beautiful