At a Glance
- Summit Elevation: 12,840 ft
- Difficulty: Expert — highly technical
- Direction: One-way descent into Telluride
- Season: July – September
- Vehicle: Modified/specialized recommended
- Exposure: Extreme — vertical cliff sections
The Road Everyone Talks About
Black Bear Pass is perhaps the most photographed and discussed 4WD road in Colorado. The final descent into Telluride — a series of switchbacks carved directly into the face of a cliff above Bridal Veil Falls — is one of the most technically demanding and visually dramatic sections of off-road driving in North America. The exposure is genuine: the wrong move ends vehicles. The views are unforgettable.
The pass is one-way for vehicles — you can only descend into Telluride, not ascend. This means planning around a shuttle or taking the Telluride gondola (free to the public) back to the Mountain Village side and returning over another pass. Many visitors climb to the Black Bear summit on foot from the Telluride side for the views without attempting the vehicle descent.
Watching vs. Driving
Many Ouray visitors drive to the Black Bear Pass area to explore the approach from Red Mountain Pass and observe the trail, without completing the full technical descent. The scenery in this area — the Red Mountains, the mining ruins, the high tundra — is exceptional even without completing the pass. It's a legitimate destination in its own right.
For those with appropriate vehicles and experience, Black Bear is a bucket-list experience. For everyone else, it's one of the great spectator events of Colorado off-roading — watching a capable vehicle work through those final switchbacks above the falls is extraordinary. From The Lumberyard in Ouray, the Red Mountain Pass approach is a 20-minute drive south on US 550.