My buddy Derek and I took a Land Cruiser jaunt into southwest Colorado a few weeks ago. We left from Grand Junction and went straight east over the Grand Mesa and came out near Paonia Reservoir. Just past there we again headed east over Kebbler Pass, via Lost Lake, into Crested Butte, through Gunnison and overnighted in Arrowhead (near Cimarron).
The next morning we headed over the Alpine Road into Lake City and on to the scenic Alpine Loop. We headed over Engineer Pass (elevation 13,800') from east to west--which got a little hairy at times as you can see from the 8 inches of snow/slush at the top where the road becomes a narrow ledge above a several thousand foot freefall--and then back over Cinnamon Pass (elevation 12,640'), by Lake San Cristobal, and home again via Lake City.
This is one of the most scenic and rugged trips that is passable without a lot of technical 4-wheeling. We were able to get great views of Matterhorn, Wetterhorn, and Uncompahgre Peaks, among many others. The trip essentially runs you through the path where the old miners traveled between Lake City, Ouray, Telluride, and Silverton.
It's a pretty cool place we call home.
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