Lead King Basin Trail / Crystal Road Loop - September 2014

Lead King Basin Trail
Total mileage:  7.7 miles
Unpaved mileage:  7.7 miles
Difficulty Rating:  5

Crystal Road  (part of Schofield Pass)
Total mileage:  4 miles
Unpaved mileage:  4 miles
Difficulty Rating:  4

Starting & finishing point:  Marble, CO.
Total mileage:  11.7 miles
Total time:  2.5 hours

The combination of these two trails provides a scenic loop starting and finishing by Beaver Lake in Marble.   The Lead King Basin Trail is bumpy with embedded rock and drainage channels that cut across the road.  The road is narrow and there are a series of switch backs in the uphill section.
The trail follows the creek cascading down into the valley where clearance between the trees and rocks are tight.
Crystal Road is part of the Schofield Pass, originally a busy wagon road that ran between Marble and
Crested Butte.  It was traveled by President Ulysses S. Grant during his visit to the many mining camps in the area.
The Township of Crystal began as a silver mining camp in 1880.  Early prospectors named the town after the crystal-like quartz they found along the creek.  At its peek, Crystal had a population of 500, a general store, many private homes, several saloons, and the Crystal Club (a men's club) which still stands in the town.
Crystal survived the silver crash of 1893, but its population was dramatically reduced.  Today a few families call it home during the summer months.  The much photographed Crystal Mill remains standing on the outskirts of town along the Crystal River.

Charlie, Maggie & Marshall

 The shelf road leading back to Marble follows the Crystal River with fabulous vistas of waterfalls and the beautiful valley.  This stretch of the loop is very popular & our encounter with other vehicles was always interesting.   There is only room for one vehicle on this narrow road & finding a place to pull over was not easy.  It often required one of the vehicles to back up.

Township of Crystal

Crystal River Valley

Crystal Mill

Pearl Pass / Kebler Pass - September 2014

Sheep herd on Kebler Pass

Field of alpine flowers

River crossing

Rough & Rocky Pearl Pass

Pearl Pass 
Length:  6.5 miles
Beginning Elevation:  9,728 feet    Ending Elevation:  12,705 feet
Difficulty:  Difficult - rating: 6   
Total Mileage Aspen to Crested Butte:  37 miles

 Pearl Pass is one of the last passes to open in this part of the Rockies.  There is often snow on the road well into July and some years the snow does not melt enough to allow passage.  There are steep uphills and river crossings.   The route passes over a section called Slippery Rocks which rattles the nerves of both drivers and passengers.  It also climbs through fields of  beautiful alpine flowers.  Near the summit there are many rough, rocky sections ......... & this has been our most difficult and challenging off road adventure to date.

We spent the evening in Crested Butte, a quaint mountain town set in Gunnison Valley.  The views of the fall folliage were breathtaking & the community had a great laid back, fun vibe.  We returned to Aspen the next day on Kebler Pass where we found ourselves in the middle of a large sheep herd crossing the road.   Compared to Pearl Pass this was an easy, relaxed day on the back roads of
Colorado.

Hagerman Pass - September 2014

Hagerman Pass

Starting point:  Leadville, CO.
Finishing point:  Basalt, CO.
Total Mileage:  63.3 mile
Unpaved Mileage:  22.5
Driving Time:  3 Hours
Difficulty Rating:  3

Hagerman Pass Road is the product of the golden period of railroad expansion in Colorado.  In 1885,
the Colorado Midland Railway began construction on a railway running from Aspen to Leadville.  It
opened in 1887 and faced financial difficulties right from the start - it shut down in 1893.

2013 snow drift at summit

In Leadville, the entrance to Hagerman Pass is just beyond the beautiful Turquoise Lake and it ends at Ruedi Reservoir in Basalt.  Below the timberline, it passes through pine & aspen forest and requires a high clearance vehicle because of embedded rock and road erosion.

Colorado Midland Railway Tunnel

Last year we attempted the pass but we were forced to turn around at the summit due to a

Turquoise Lake

snow drift  blocking the road .......... this time we made it!