ENGINEER PASS - From EPIC to WTF!

[@jeeptrekker]

Nice video. For future reference, we did Engineer pass in the morning, had lunch in Lake City the returned to Silverton using Cinnamon pass. Made for a nice day.

[@TrailExpedition]

Aww dang. That would have probably been the better option 🤣

[@ToddKnauer]

I was just going to say the same thing but I am about 9 months too late. :) Yeah, Cinnamon pass would have completed the Alpine Loop.

[@TrailExpedition]

I’ll have to remember that for next time!

[@AF1US]

Hello, your Ouray (Your-ray) videos got me watching. My wife and I met in Ouray on a 4x4 expedition. We both had Toyota FJ's at the time and have enjoyed all the trails you have been on multiple times although I cannot say I have run Engineer Pass twice in one day. We now live in TN and call this our base camp for travels in our travel trailer. Since I needed a stout tow vehicle, I have a Ford F-250 4x4 with a 7.3L gas engine, it gets the job done. By the way, when we went up Pohkeepsie (sp) the vehicle in front of us got the hill sandy and wet so we couldn't get up but there are winching anchors up the hill so we winched ourselves up (still counts! lol). Thanks for the videos, great work. Safe travels. Brian & Brandelyne

[@TrailExpedition]

I have no qualms with using a winch. Some people see it as cheating but I see it as getting through a trail by any means necessary with the gear you have. Thanks for the comment!

[@berthansen3542]

Did that trail last year with the same results, once we got to lake city it was getting late and we wanted to get back to Silverton for dinner. I opted for the cinnamon pass route. We ended up getting back to Silverton and everything was closed except for one place on the main street. Epic day ended up doing 4 trails that day and really only wanted to do Poughkeepsie and Engineer pass. Went back again this year and did Black bear, Imogene and Ophir pass. Wife loves the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado. Enjoyed the videos!

[@TrailExpedition]

I firmly believe the San Juan’s are one of the most beautiful places in the United States. It did make for a long day on the trail but it was well worth it!

[@jcfindley380]

We are running this part of Colorado in October so are watching all your videos from the area. Great job and thanks for the great information and the effort to put it out here!

[@TrailExpedition]

You’re welcome! It definitely takes a lot of effort and time to film in this manner but I think it makes for a better viewer experience. Be sure to subscribe for more!

[@jcfindley380]

@@TrailExpedition already done!

[@TrailExpedition]

@jcfindley380 thanks for the support 👊

[@goblin3810]

Awesome info on that Book!

[@TrailExpedition]

It is a must have item if you’re out in that area.

[@jeffriggin1556]

What is the name of the book? Please.

[@TrailExpedition]

@jeffriggin1556 Guide to Colorado backroads and 4x4 trails. There is a link to it in the description of the video.

[@jeffriggin1556]

@@TrailExpedition Thank you, thank you!

[@TrailExpedition]

@jeffriggin1556 no problem!

[@michaelquillen2679]

Good video. Back when I first did Engineer Pass, there was so much hype about how tough it was. Tough? A few miles of trail that was rougher than a cobb made it quite unpleasant and the rest was pretty simple. Sort of anti-climatic. Don't get me wrong, great views, but it was not tough or a challange to do at all. This video reminded me very much of that experience. As usual, you and your family made for a delghtful video. Thanks!

[@TrailExpedition]

Thank you very much! And it all depends on your definition of a hard trail I suppose. We did Holy Cross the other day and it took us five hours to do that four miles of trails. To me, that was a tough trail where others may view it as easy. But yes, other than the initial climb, Engineer was a long and easy dirt road.

[@mikerobbins5049]

We did this trail from Lake City to Silverton one year after there had been heavy rain and parts of the trail was washed out pretty bad. The house that’s in frame at 7:38. When we got home I saw it on Zillow for sale. Can’t remember how much.... thanks for sharing...

[@TrailExpedition]

It was crazy to see some of those houses out there in the middle of nowhere. Definitely have to enjoy your solitude!

[@4x4_travel]

Nice job- Taking Engineer from Ouray is a whole different experience and is quite a bit more technical. Great job with the camerawork and dialogue!

[@TrailExpedition]

Thank you I appreciate it! We actually ended up running it both ways but definitely harder going up the steep ouray side than coming down.

[@markokamp]

Great video and channel. Nice work.

[@TrailExpedition]

Thank you very much! Stay tuned for the holy cross video tomorrow. It’s a good one!

[@garytotty3971]

I did both Engineer's Pass and Lake City pass in a Blazer. One of them I followed an extended cab Dodge two wheel drive, and they only issue was the length going thru the switch backs in the rain! Not that tough!

[@TrailExpedition]

Not that tough by any means. I could see things getting a little dicey in the rain though!

[@carolynbentley]

Hi guys. Once again, nice video. I know that we who do Engineer will say you haven't done Engineer unless you started at Million Dollar Highway near Ou-RAY and came up Mineral Creek. Sorry about that and County Road 21. C'mon back; Mineral Creek is the most fun on the pass!

[@TrailExpedition]

We actually did do mineral creek to Poughkeepsie Gulch from Ouray. We have a few clips of it on the Poughkeepsie video. Definitely was a fun trail!

[@darrenadams4933]

Thanks for the video!

[@TrailExpedition]

Thanks for watching! That was such a fun trip!

[@01messer1]

Awesome videos!!! All these episodes have been epic! Thanks for sharing. We will be getting that book too. I appreciate you giving that tip! 2 inch lifted, Rubicon JKU well equipped w/ 12s warn winch, on board air 35's etc.good for all the trekking you did in Colorado? Curios to hear it from a trusted source. Thanks!

[@TrailExpedition]

Hey there! You’re setup will be completely fine for all of the badge of honor trails in the San Juan area. Poughkeepsie Gulch was the hardest of the five there and you could easily take the bypass if you wanted. We did Holy Cross the other day and that was the hardest trail I’ve ever run. I would suggest to not go alone if you do that one.

[@adamporter3742]

The hard "first couple miles" was the road to the left at that intersection after animas, the one that goes to ouray. That part is WAY rocky. You bypassed it by coming from Silverton

[@TrailExpedition]

Right on. Coming up the steep switchbacks was definitely more challenging than the rest of the trail as well.

[@_Jin_Kim_]

The key is not to use google maps. utilizing off road maps (of your choice). I used On-X Offroad. I can't comment because i only utilized the map display and none of the actual features but it seemed to work well for the major trail networks in the area. I did download the maps prior to visiting. and it does show up on android auto/apple car play

[@TrailExpedition]

Yeah, I actually have OnX and failed to download the maps while I had cell phone reception. It all worked out but Google Maps definitely failed us.

[@bryanlewis8891]

Should've returned to Silverton over Cinnamon Pass.

[@TrailExpedition]

Yeah I wish we would have! Didn’t know about it until after the fact. Oh well, next time!

[@jdavis7515]

Yep, and a very pretty drive. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5rEpZ1_pdZsn9k

[@jamespeters3907]

We are planning to take Poughkeepsie pass to engineer pass and camp in Lake City. Based on you experience. How long do you think that might take? Trails off road is tell us about 6 1/2 hrs. We'll be in a JLUR on 35's. Thanks.

[@TrailExpedition]

That sounds about right. Poughkeepsie is relatively short but harder trail. Engineer is really easy but extremely long.

[@jamespeters3907]

@@TrailExpedition Oh ok. Thank you.

[@TrailExpedition]

You’re welcome!

[@1oldarmyguy]

We ended up in a similar situation... had taken much longer than anticipated to get to Lake City, looked at the maps and decided we would just take Cinnamon Pass Road down to Animas Forks and back to Silverton. We finished in the dark... what they call a county road is more like a county trail... Great video.. enjoyed watching it.

[@TrailExpedition]

Thank you very much! Wish we would have taken Cinnamon Pass back but we didn’t know about it at the time. Oh well, still was a great adventure.

[@stevevice9863]

In August of '21 We did Engineer from Lake City with the intention of going to Ouray. Got to the summit and it was raining and had been raining hard all day long on the other side of the mountain. We started down and met a Ranger in a pickup coming up from Ouray and he told us "Unless you are very confident in your vehicle and your off road driving skills, he recommended turning around"....said the trail was getting slick and in pretty rough shape in some places and visibility wasn't great. So we turned around and went back the way we came. We had a map, but I thought there could be better signage to identify the trails.

[@TrailExpedition]

Better signage indeed! The part of the trail from Ouray to the summit is relatively steep so probably a good idea in turning around. Hopefully you get the opportunity to do it again in its entirety.

[@jdavis7515]

Lower Engineer is probably one of the most dicey trails in the San Juan mountains, excluding Black Bear. A lot of "incidents" happen on Lower Engineer, including rollovers, slide-offs, etc. It is not for the faint of heart and I absolutely would not recommend it in adverse weather.

[@TrailExpedition]

@jdavis7515 agreed. It was very steep going up and rather narrow in spots. Overall not bad in fare weather conditions though. Wouldn’t want to do it in inclement weather.

[@jsharf]

How was passing during those first few miles? Also, it seems as though, while rocky, the uphill part never got particularly tippy or too narrow for comfort. Is that correct?

[@TrailExpedition]

I thought it was completely fine, however, my wife did not. When we came back down, I passed another vehicle in that section. It was a tight squeeze but still doable.

[@wildarmadillosadventurerid3560]

Great video. We're headed up there in a couple of weeks (on motorcycles) so appreciate the preview. Debating whether to bring my drone. What drone are you using?

[@TrailExpedition]

I utilize a Skydio 2 and a Mavic mini. Thanks for the comment and have fun!

[@phennig2003]

Nice video. Is that an antenna on your rig?

[@TrailExpedition]

It is a cell phone signal booster. A lot of truckers use them.

[@KirbyVandivort]

How doable would a trail like this be in a stock F150 supercrew cab?

[@TrailExpedition]

The only area you may have trouble with is in the very beginning. There are a bunch of steep switchbacks, and it is very narrow. You could be really wide in that spot.

[@KBrogger]

I just got back from Ouray, I'm 90% sure I was on the road you were on at the end.

[@TrailExpedition]

Right on. That road got nasty and narrow! I thought it was fun but my wife did not 😆

[@KBrogger]

@@TrailExpedition I was in an FJ40, so quite a bit narrower. Way worse ride though. Short wheelbase and leafs front and rear. Spent five days and about 200 miles on the trails. Can't wait to go back, hoping to camp up somewhere just to take in the stars next time

[@TrailExpedition]

Those old FJs are so cool! We camped at Sultan camp area near Silverton for the ten days while we were there. Right next to a creek. Beautiful area. More videos coming out so stay tuned!

[@darrelmurphy4930]

I have witnessed a Cadillac come across this pass in the seventies. Not sure the shape of it at the end....

[@TrailExpedition]

It’s not a hard trail by any means just really steep in spots.

[@donnelson6285]

You didn’t do Engineer Pass. The worst part and most challenging is Engineer Pass from 550 to where you caught it North of Animas Forks.

[@TrailExpedition]

Ok, good to know 👌🏻

[@sqeekms6186]

Can you imagine back in the late 1800s and the early 1900s what it must have been like for those going down those roads with mules and horses. Most of them had to leave there prospecting collapsed a lot of the entryways to their mines so no one would go in it and they went and fought in world war 1. I'm a prospector and I've been to places like that that are hard to get to and some of them are still collapse makes you wonder if they ever made it back from the war.? Back when men were men.

[@TrailExpedition]

I could not imagine living in those days. The people of that era must have been tough as nails!

[@sqeekms6186]

@@TrailExpedition yeah they would probably laugh at me I think I'm tough but they would probably think I'm a pansy LOL

[@TrailExpedition]

Same. I spent the better part of a decade in the military but I’ve got nothing on the men from that era.

[@sqeekms6186]

@@TrailExpedition yeah I spent four years in the Marines. I'm 49 now My profile picture is when I was 23 I feel every bit of 50 lol I'm a hundred percent service-connected . With SMC on top of it is an additional $4,525 around 8200a month I can't complain.

[@sqeekms6186]

@@TrailExpedition Hill and Ponton got me my hundred percent with the special monthly compensation SMC.. they have videos on here check them out there out of Orlando Florida I'm in Arizona you have a denial from the VA they could take your case. They have another loss record they won't take cases they can't win you should see how the VA starts jumping through hoops. They take 30% of your back pay though

[@billwaterhouse5894]

OMG…pissing my pants over here 😂

[@TrailExpedition]

Oh boy!

[@billwaterhouse5894]

I was drinking my Coke Zero right when you were talking about the “fisting” everyone…yup, Coke up my nose…lol

[@TrailExpedition]

That’s awesome!! 🤣