Part of the Alpine Loop. Rocky shelf road above Mineral Point. Engineer Pass is a moderate 22.5-mile off-road trail in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, between Ouray and Lake City, topping out at 12,799 ft. It is usually open June to mid-October.
Know before you go
- Mineral Point → · Ghost townMile 5.1
Mineral Point is a ghost town just south of the summit of Engineer Pass, in San Juan County.
- Animas Forks → · Ghost townMile 7.1
Animas Forks is a mining-era ghost town about 12 miles northeast of Silverton, at about 11,200 feet.
- Engineer Pass · 12,799 ftMile 9.4
- Capitol City → · Ghost townMile 18.5
Capitol City is a silver-mining ghost town on the Engineer Pass road, about 9 miles west of Lake City.
How to get there
- DirectionsStart (mile 0)Alpine LoopGPS 37.98867, -107.64971
- DirectionsEnd (mile 22.5)End of the trailGPS 38.02048, -107.40077
Stage at the Alpine Loop lot on US 550, about 2.5 miles south of Ouray. Riders say it fills up on summer mornings, so arrive early.
History
Engineer Pass links Ouray and Lake City over a 12,800-foot summit. Otto Mears finished the toll road over the pass in August 1877 to serve the silver mines of the San Juans. Stagecoaches later ran daily between Lake City and Animas Forks, stopping at Rose's Cabin.
- Engineer Pass is the high point of the Alpine Loop, at 12,800 feet.
- From the Ouray side, the road leaves US 550 about 3.9 miles south of Ouray.
- Corydon Rose built his inn in 1874, and it became the main stop on the daily stage between Animas Forks and Lake City.
- The route passes the mining-camp sites of Mineral Point, Rose's Cabin, Capitol City, and Henson.