Colorado Adventure Riding: Black Bear Pass

I get it, it's closed. Well, it wasn't when we went down the road. No gates shut or locked, no signs posted, so we took our chan221es with the snow drifts! Turns out, it was a check box of a life time!!
Music I use: Bensound.com
License code: HIJYUCXLTLKQ5LBF

[@jamesfairmind2247]

Brilliant recording quality, well done. I went down those steps on a 17 inch wheeled 690 SMCR fully loaded with 50+ lbs of luggage.and watching you I was puckering up just remembering it!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

oh man! Fully loaded sounds like an effing nightmare lol. Glad everyone bounced their way down :D.

[@TerrySylvester-ip9on]

I did it on my T7 in August 2022 as a detour from the TAT; made it through the steps clean, then tipped over like a complete bozo on the switchback below the creek crossing. Not wanting to miss any of the TAT route, I went up Ophir pass and back down in the dark. I was one tired fellah after that day! Black Bear was honestly not as hard as I was expecting from reading KZbin comments but it could easily go pretty badly with a bounce in the wrong direction, especially since I was riding it alone. Taking it slowly was the key.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Holy crap! Ophir in the dark would be MuchPhir! Made respect for the hella long day and making it out clean!

[@bigspy100]

Two things I've learned watching all of these Black Bear Pass videos. 1. Never go down on a heavy bike loaded down with gear. Nothing more than a bottle of water and a phone. 2. Never go down Black Bear Pass.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I make it look a lot harder than it should be if that helps :D

[@jjustj]

Yer ray

[@erickirn622]

You really knocked the new off that T-7!! lol. Nice job!!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@erickirn622 I left the baffle to my camel can to black bear ... It's, somewhere up there lol

[@derekheuring2984]

I'm too old and broke down to ride the Alpine Loop on a motorcycle. My last dirt bike was a 1978 Honda XL250 that I sold after riding it for 22 years. Still started on the first kick! Wife and I are heading for the Loop this Summer but in a lifted Power Wagon on 37's but definitely not going down Black Bear pass, we wouldn't want to dent the Martini shaker.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I imagine that had some miles/hours on it by it's end!! I keep thinking it would be easier in a 4x4 vehicle, but then i think, I really like seeing the ground all around me rather than guess!!

[@darinanderson2261]

Having also taken a T7 over Black Bear pass (and having ridden motorcycles since I was 14 and the past 10 years in Colorado) this is an accurate take on Black Bear and the difficulty / considerations. I also walked mine down at the Steppes and I consider myself an above average offroad rider in good physical condition. You'll always get people in the comments that say "well I rode a liter adventure over Black Bear Pass fully loaded and it was easy". Congratulations. But most riders aren't capable of that and that gives a false sense of security to those wanting to try but really shouldn't and once there have no other choice but to try to continue. That leads to injuries, bike damage, and long lines backing up behind you. The Steppes are steeper than they appear on just about every video, often covered in slick rock dust, and a huge dropoff on an outside corner that approaches incredibly fast if you're not on top of your braking. The reward of this trail is amazing, but don't underestimate it.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@darinanderson2261 well said sir, been riding since I was 6 and all things considered, my pucker was factored.

[@nhodorek]

I had ridden down BBP a couple times on my honda 250 dual sport, but In late Sept 2021 i was back doing the Alpine Loop and got stuck in Telluride with darkness and a gnarly storm blowing in. I was riding solo, camped in Silverton. It was a random Tuesday, like 630 pm and the only way id beat the storm and darkness was riding black bear the wrong way. I figured thare wouldnt be anyone on the trail that late on a weekday, so i went for it. Sure enough, didnt pass a single vehicle the whole time. It was absolutely fantastic riding it in reverse, up the steps. Made record time, topped the pass and there was yellow clouds swirling above me. Made it back to the camper in Silverton w a little light left. Fun times

[@dubla6314]

All your smaller bike riders left you two! lol. Awesome video

[@MotoGiant]

good job capturing the terror of Black Bear !! Maybe the most iconic road in the world? Glad KZbin finally showed me something I am interested in watching! Subbed!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

*high five! Glad the algorithm did something good for a change :D. I still say those few miles go down as the most mentally challenging of my short ADV riding seasons (only 3)

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

*What is this road an "icon" of?*

[@MotoGiant]

@@hulkhatepunybanner I am guessing English is not your native language?

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

@@MotoGiant *Me fallo zhe engrish trés gut.*

[@jimmcbride6297]

The camera never does the steepness justice. Did Black Bear on a 350, can't imagine the challenge on a loaded adventure bike.Nice work!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I would like to go back on a smaller bike for sure lol. We thought we were killing it, then this couple came rolling up on a KLR 2 up!!

[@jimmcbride6297]

We saw a couple of two up riders, one pulling a trailer, coming down Engineer pass into Ouray. Gotta respect talent!@@bigjoeadvt7

[@knuckles-3386]

Back in the 60s we rode our dirt bikes up to the top and turned around and came back down this was before all the stupidity that caused the road to be made one way down I’m surprised that it’s still open at all

[@bigjoeadvt7]

That climb I can only image would be amazing!

[@patrickkennedy7756]

Always follow your own line. Never follow someone just because they are in front.

[@kevinb.7491]

Lol that little bitty descend with such a joke I can't believe you were really sweating bullets over that you should write some of the stuff in the Black hills of South Dakota that will really make the pucker Factor grow

[@davids11131113]

I did it on my XR650 after putting a new set of Dunlop D606 tires felt really good the road was in decent shape was pretty fun ride.

[@CORNDODGER]

Nice video am leaving this am for 2 weeks of back road scouting around Craig and Baggs area

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Thanks! I really enjoyed the Craig area. GLHF on your 2 weeks of exploring!

[@bryanreeme8584]

Encouraged to see an old klr doing it. maybe me & mine can manage it to 😳

[@bigjoeadvt7]

You 100% can do this!!

[@joeoden5518]

looks like plenty of opportunities to get in serious trouble .

[@darrenfincher7595]

Used to go up Black Bear in the 80s

[@youtubeaccount9058]

They still reverse it a few days per year so you can do that. I suppose it might be crowded and slow-going though.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I imagine it was far less groomed back then!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@youtubeaccount9058 Now that would be something to put on the calendar!

[@SunSpireSunny]

Been watching your videos all morning, love your content! I dont ring the youtube bell often but you convinced me! :)

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Awesome!! Glad you enjoy the shenanigans :D. Thnx for clicking the things!

[@beadblaster9508]

Black bear is a hwy compared to what it was 10 years ago. There are travelcompanies that take you down black bear in the back of pickups.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

A: I'm thankful that it was easier cause it was a bit of a challenge at least for me :D. B: would scare TS outta me letting someone else have all the control down this pass lol.

[@Thelnferno]

The butt-pucker factor was real just watching this video! Usually cameras don't pick up the incline/decline angles, but it did in this video lol!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

no lies there! it took a min to calm down after that decent lol.

[@rhllnm]

Would love to see a talented trials rider go that route.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

They would probably be itching to go slightly off trail cause there would be some great courses you could setup on that pass.

[@billbright1755]

That one guys tank looks like he could ride across the Sahara without fueling.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I can neither confirm, nor deny, that we have syphoned out of his tank before. . . :D

[@MeerkatADV]

The county changes at the very top, which is where the sign has been posted that the pass into Telluride has been closed. Stop riding closed trails if you want us to be able to continue to ride these roads. Black Bear was essentially not open this year, and was not opened this year specifically because of stupidity such as this and people having to be evacuated off of the pass that never should have been there.

[@brumph7256]

I’m sure weather is a huge factor in some of the closures but the weather seemed decent in this video….what was the closures for?

[@MeerkatADV]

@brumph7256 there was still a snow drift on the other side. Plus rock slides and other winter effects had made the road basically impassible. It didn't help several idiots drove up from the Telluride side and screwed the switchbacks up.

[@gjnorvell]

The easiest line on the steps is the outside edge for a motorcycle. The inside line is looks more comforting but is a lot harder.

[@gjnorvell]

Of course your bikes are way over loaded for the suspension and you can’t get your weight back when necessary to lighten the front wheel over obstacles. The twitchines of the front end was hard to watch.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Hoping to have the opportunity to go back on a more enjoyable sub 300lb motorcycle. I may have moved to NM but I'm close to the alpine loop than I used to be which, is very exciting.

[@Veer1958]

Outside edge is correct. The inside is an accumulation of the rocks and gravel that comes off the clift / mountain and settles into that inside edge. However, the drop off on the outside is definitely a pucker.

[@dougupah8778]

@@bigjoeadvt7 Just got finished watching your vid, I'm going to ride it this year on a XT250, I'm getting old and I need something I can still muscle around. Most adventure bikes are too tall for me sit comfortably, thanks for the vid.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@Veer1958 Now that it opened this year, planning another trip to the alpine loop and will up the pucker factor for the cleaner line :D!

[@onerider808]

What a great feeling pulling into town alive and with the bike in one piece, huh?

[@bigjoeadvt7]

LOL weeeeelllll... somewhere on BB is the baffle to my muffler :-/. On the plus side, T sounds like she has alot more guts ... which lead to my biggest crash yesterday lol.

[@Txfire409]

I so want to do this but it also scares the crap out of me!

[@bigjoeadvt7]

just do the dumb things with friends and everything seems to work out ok :D. You got this!

[@jeffbrown8974]

The guy riding ahead of you shock looks like his shock is blown or he needs to slow the rebound up

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I rode it once and felt instant regret. I put green vinyl's on the T7 to try and convince him to just upgrade in general. Your message has been relayed to him :)

[@brumph7256]

How physically challenging and draining is riding a motorcycle down the pass??

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I wouldn't say it's physically demanding as much as it is mentally demanding esp if you are somewhat nervous on a ladder :D

[@chrishladilek6328]

I went up 8-31 and they had the gate shut before the summit. Was hoping to atleast make it to the summit

[@bigjoeadvt7]

ugh! that's a freakin bummer. I saw someone had a great idea and have a really hard obstacle at a closed gate... if you can make it through the obstacle then you have the skills to make the pass. Hopefully this was just a 1 year closure deal and will be fully back next year as it's about to start snowing soon :(.

[@gzahnd]

Not very much standing on this ADV ride. :-)

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I was doing a review on the sheepskin seat cover ;D

[@ebhkkc1]

the problem is people go way to slow....this is very easy if you know how to ride. let the suspension work and have confidence

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Ya, root cause is confidence really.

[@RonRussell-sj1zf]

A little more erosion on those steps at the 12:05 -12:15 part of video and it will be pretty much impassable it looks like, especially for 4-wheelers.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Aye, very lucky to have been able to go when it just got cleared and wasn't to bad with traffic... and while the road is still there. So many slides recently :-/

[@2old4allthis]

Great video, great riding!Are you familiar with the Yamaha TW200? If so, do you think it would handle this route?

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Oh, the TW'b can tackle anything CO has to throw at it! :D

[@spa491]

Tremendos patanes...

[@ullithebully]

Amazing videos , what tires did you have and what psi did you run Joe

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Thanks! D606 front and D908 rear and run about 25lbs in both if doing anything rocky.

[@bastaki66]

Thank you that was fun but not fun 😁

[@bigjoeadvt7]

lol, i remember thinking the same thing when we made it to the water fall :D

[@MattBrownShow]

Lightweight adv bikes always win

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I'm starting to accept this reality :-/ (saving those pennies for new bike day!)

[@dougupah8778]

@@bigjoeadvt7 What bike are you riding and whats it weigh?

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@dougupah8778 Tenere 700. With all the extra armor and fuel it's around 475'ish.

[@ravynjl]

Do you think MT07 with knobbies can do this trail?

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Anything's possible :D, but I think the roughest time would be the ground clearance on some of the steps.

[@ravynjl]

@@bigjoeadvt7 ya ground clearance is my biggest concern

[@green_92_yj]

what date did you run this trail?

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Aug 12

[@green_92_yj]

@@bigjoeadvt7 we ran it on the 13th. the day before the ass clown incident..

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Those 2 glorious days! How was the traffic on the 13th after everyone got the "all clear"?@@green_92_yj

[@green_92_yj]

@@bigjoeadvt7 we were the first group out of the trailhead around 0800. there were two groups behind up and lots of dirt bikes.

[@cablerbergschneider8541]

"you-ray"........ not "O-ray". just saying.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

@@cablerbergschneider8541 will add that to the list of places I can't pronounce correctly :D the list is quite long now.

[@onerider808]

“We’re a few oh fucks from being down there..” LOL; I feel that.

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Να γαμήσω! (Naga Miso!) will forever be the theme of the day that day :D

[@pzchannel6444]

Very nice !

[@bigjoeadvt7]

Thanks!

[@adolfgerhardhermann5952]

Rookies...

[@Impedancenetwork]

This trail isn't challenging. I tell people to do it because I think it beautiful back there. It definitely isn't hard. Go do it, you'll be fine.

[@lonniepruitt5487]

4 wheeler be better

[@bigjoeadvt7]

I do envy the stabilization!