Overview: Engineer Pass (12,800) is a high mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. The road is a popular 4-wheel drive route that passes through incredible mountain scenery and a visible mining history. The road starts in Lake City, Colorado and heads over Engineer Pass on its way to Ouray. A popular route is the "Alpine Loop" which includes Engineer Pass and back through Cinnamon Pass which ends at Lake San Cristobal, the 2nd largest natural lake in Colorado.
Jact of US Hwy 160 & CO Hwy 149 at Southfork
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Some impressive ridges along the Rio Grande Valley
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Rio Grande
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Another shot of Rio Grande
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Little town of Creede at 8,852 feet
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Looking down the main street of Creede
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The upper end of Rio Grande Valley near the Continental Divide
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Continental Divide at Spring Creek Pass
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Slumgullion Summit at 11,530 is the highest point along Hwy 149
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Lake San Cristobal
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Another shot of Lake San Cristobal
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Cannibal Alferd Packer's Memorial near Lake City
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A muddy debris-filled stream flows San Cristobal
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Lake Fork of Gunnison River as it exits Lake San Cristobal
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Another shot of Lake Fork
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Lake City (8,671)
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Our truck & ATV as we begin the ascent
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Engineer Pass Road winding up through Henson Creek Canyon
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Henson Creek
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Ute and Ula mine and mill along the narrow Henson Creek Canyon
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Henson Creek below the mine and mill
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A dam built by the workers at the mill. Water would have flowed out of that pipe and flowed into a mill where it turns a wheel that crushes the ore. Now the dam is just a relic as Henson Creek freely flows under it
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The backside of the dam-there would have been a lake behind the dam when it was in operation
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Looking up the Henson Creek Valley toward Engineer Mountain area
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Whitmore Falls along Henson Creek. The creek runs right through this narrow lip and cascades a good 50 feet
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Still another shot of Henson Creek and the beautiful San Juans
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Water seriously flowed everywhere, little streams like this roared down every slope in cascading waterfalls heard from far away
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Bonanza Chief Mine where an avalanche killed several people. The "big slide" is across the valley from the mine and regularly sends large amounts of snow cascading down in winter time...this is why mining up here is winter was hell
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Nothing but tundra and a few patches of snow above timberline close to the top of Engineer Pass
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The road leading up to Engineer Pass
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The top of Engineer Pass. Those piles of debris are from mines...can you believe anyone would actually build a mine so high up? They must have been crazy. This place is covered in snow for literally 8-9 months of the year
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That's me standing on top
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I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:
Music Pass July, 2001
Mount Elbert July, 2002
Rito Alto Peak July, 2002
Humphreys Peak June, 2003
Lakes of the Clouds June, 2003
Gibbs & De Anza July, 2003
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Mount Antero July, 2003
Comanche & Venable Aug, 2003
Horn Peak Aug, 2003
Santiago Peak Feb, 2004
Agua Tibia Mountain Mar, 2004
Mount Adams July, 2004
Shavano/Tabeguache Aug, 2004
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Mt Princeton July, 2006
Engineer Pass Aug, 2006
Schofield Pass Aug, 2006
Trail Ridge Road RMNP Sep, 2006
Torrey Pines SR Dec, 2006
Mt San Jacinto May, 2007
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Fill free to email me at [email protected] for questions, comments, suggestions or whatever else you can think of.
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