![]() Ouray County butts up to San Juan, San Miguel, Montrose, and Hinsdale counties. San Juan county is home to Silverton, while San Miguel is home to Telluride. All these counties offer inspiring and dramatic options for off-roading on old mining trails. If choosing to ride in any of these, know the city and county requirements. Ride-N is glad to help - just stop by our office or discuss prior to your rental. All Ride-N vehicles are registered as required with the State of Colorado, and we are licensed to operate in our adjacent national forests. As outdoor advocates, we promote enjoyable recreation for all, but also encourage responsible and educated use so these quality experiences are preserved for others. How do you rent a vehicle in Ouray, and then get it to the trailhead for riding on the Ouray or San Juan county roads? Answer - from us as we deliver them for you, and then give you instructions along with a map, which you can find and download here: Yankee Boy Basin & Imogene Pass: https://www.ride-n.com/uploads/5/5/1/4/55142401/1_yankee_boy_front2018.jpg Corkscrew Start to San Juan County Trails: https://www.ride-n.com/uploads/5/5/1/4/55142401/1_corkscrew_2018.jpg A side-by-side rental for riding the trails in San Juan county is an all-day or multi-day event. It starts with vehicle pickup and orientation 8 miles south of Ouray at the Corkscrew / Ironton Park turnoff. A parking area is available, and this is where your adventure will begin. Ouray County Road 20A takes you to the top of Corkscrew, between breathtaking Red Mountains 1-3. Here you enter San Juan County and the road becomes San Juan County Road 11. You'll descend down and can turn right on SJCR10 towards Silverton and certain gulches, or left on SJCR10 towards Hurricane Pass and beyond. Be aware that Silverton doesn't allow UTV's on the streets, and OHV access towards Silverton along SJCR10 ends at Hancock Gulch, 1.5 miles from Silverton. This means if you want to see Silverton, your access is over Hurricane and California passes to Animas Forks, and then down SJCR2 to the edge of town. If you choose to make Silverton part of your adventure, you will want to be aware of the San Juan County regulations: https://sanjuancounty.colorado.gov/atv-regulations-map#:~:text=Are%20Off%20Highway%20Vehicles%20(OHV,bikes%20in%20the%20Town%20limits. So many options, so little time! Plan carefully your time, including stops for pictures and lunch. Your day's rental time goes by quickly, and San Juan County provides many, many incredibly beautiful options. Each gulch provides a glimpse of history, and provides breathtaking views. Summer and fall seasons, with flowers and leaves - will have your camera's shutter clickin'! For a multi-day rental, you can have your rental delivered daily, whereby you have the rental back at the drop point by 5:00 pm each day, and then delivered to the trailhead the next day. Overnight lodging is available in Silverton and Lake City. You would plan ahead with reservations for the lodging, and ensure you would be able to safely park and secure the rental vehicle overnight. Both towns can be quite busy during flower and leaf seasons, so pre-planning can be helpful. Here are a few sample views from the gulches, passes, and ghost towns that you can ride on in San Juan county. Buckle up, and enjoy!
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A lot of folks not only love the off-road RZR adventures, they also put on the hiking boots and augment their adventure on a hiking trail. For Ride-N Adventures in Ouray, it is possible to rent and drive a RZR to the top of Yankee Boy Basin, park and hike for a bit, and then return down past Twin Falls, and on via Camp Bird Road. For the hiking part, we recommend the trail by Wrights Lake up to the Blue Lakes pass where you can see the three lakes below. To the right is the trail up to the summit of Mt. Sneffels, and way off in the distance is the Grand Mesa. At this point to the south, out of view behind a couple of peaks and a couple of miles south is Telluride.
The San Juans have incredible hiking paths, and wise and experienced hikers are well prepared and know the weather. Bare minimum hiking gear you’ll want: - Backpack - Hiking Poles - Hat - Good boots with ankle support - Snacks, Water, Sunblock - Sunglasses - Clothing comfortable for hiking and weather changes Silver Basin is on the way back from the top of Yankee Boy. We often tell folks to go to the Twin Falls on the way to Yankee Boy, and turn back there, and have time to go up here and see the two lakes. A great ride up there and the flowers everywhere along the way for the next few weeks will be awesome. Bring your camera! ![]() The San Juans offer unbelievable views and trails for bikes. In addition to RZR, Ranger, and ATV's we offer bike rentals and tours. Here we see tour guide Jamen coming down Hurricane Pass just prior to the turn up Corkscrew Gulch. Did you know that we tour throughout the Western U.S.? Call for details.
Today we took a beautiful early season ride up to Imogene Pass around mid-afternoon. It's quite enjoyable as the trails aren't slam packed and the waterfall and river crossings are really roaring! My weapon of choice was the newest addition to our fleet, the RZR 900 2-seater. This vehicle was a smooth and enjoyable ride and doesn't have any problems conquering the treacherous landscape Imogene Pass has to offer! Nearly to the false summit, we came to the end of the road as the pass is still closed due to snow, you can see the snow banks plowed tall in the pictures! This is a beautiful time to enjoy the scenery of the San Juan Mountains, we couldn't have asked for a better day to take a ride! Although a lens will never capture the true beauty of this land, it sure is nice to take memories home after a great day with Ride-N Adventures! Don't forget your Camera!
Guide & Writer - Jamen A few clips from recent tours - it is hard to get a bad picture or clip in the San Juans and every time is special. You can get a feel for the trail ride up Camp Bird Road - Ouray CR 361 with these clips. You bear to the right to go up into Yankee Boy Basin, and to the left to go up through Imogene Basin to Imogene Pass. Access a trail map here: http://www.ride-n.com/trail-maps.html |