From what I can gather:
- Black Bear Pass has been closed all summer because of unusually heavy snow (our unusually mild summer causing the snow to melt slower is probably also a factor)
- Four days ago, some Jeepers dug out the remaining snow bank that was the final barrier to allow people to run the trail.
- While the San Juan website tells you Black Bear Pass is closed, the gate has been open for some time.
- Four days ago, experienced four wheelers ran BBP successfully with no incident. So did some people on dirt bikes. These people stayed on the trail as we do.
- The next day (three days ago), a group from Texas ran the trail. The guy in the red 4Runner dropped a tire off the trail. It would have been an easy recovery had he not been in the lead spot. That's when things got ugly — Telluride Towing and San Juan sheriff department got involved. The Sheriff posted on social media describing the group as "ass clowns."
- People react with the usual strong opinions from all sides. Everything from "Telluride wants BBP permanently closed" to "how hard is it to determine the trail is closed?" to "Muh rights as an American..."
- My guess is that the trail will get officially opened soon. That won't keep inexperienced people from driving it poorly, but the optics will be slightly better since the trail won't be officially closed.
Here's a photo where you can see that the trail has been cleared of snow, which means you can now drive the trail while staying on the trail. That's a good thing no matter what.
Here's a screenshot of one group that ran the trail without incident 4 days ago. These people look to be experienced wheelers. There is no indication from them that there is additional maintenance that needs to be performed on the trail to safely open it.
Screenshot of a small bit of discussion: