Schofield Pass, Pearl Pass, Black Bear Pass trail report

[mcgaskins]

I just returned from a fun week of exploring some great trails and wanted to share an update on conditions.

Schofield Pass

My wife and I found ourselves in Marble for lunch after staying at some hot springs nearby. I pulled up onX and realized Schofield Pass was very close by and generally pointed to where we'd meet up with our friends in Ridgway that night. My wife drove her own car because her time off was shorter than mine, so she very happily skipped this trail. I'm pretty sure it was because I googled the trail and found the top hits all claimed Schofield was the most deadly trail in America

I ran the trail from Marble to Crested Butte, and the first section to Crystal Mill was in great shape. Being a Monday and early season for the trail (7/21), I didn't see much trail traffic which was nice.

After the mill, there are a couple of signs warning people to turn around. I believe this sign should read short wheelbase and narrow track - does the 200 qualify for either? We're about to find out!

Just a little further up the trail, I ran into oncoming 4 dirt bikers who stopped and chatted. I asked how it was ahead, and they said it was rough and included a new rockslide had deposited some boulders on the trail the Land Cruiser or any full size vehicle wouldn't be able to squeeze through. Fair enough. I decided to go have a look myself and turn around if necessary.

Devil's Punchbowl was just a little further, and during my foot survey, a group of built side by sides drove up from the Crested Butte side and relayed the same info the dirt bikers shared. The lead driver actually shared he didn't think I would make it through the squeeze at the Punchbowl, so it was kinda funny noticing they had stopped with cell phones out watching the 200 sneak through without incident.

Finally the boulder field. I took video instead of pictures here, but they were indeed quite large and made it exceptionally challenging to thread the needle without hitting anything. While solo wheeling is truly one of my favorite things to do, this was one of those times I wouldn't have minded having a spotter with me. It was a super tight squeeze, and I made it through with a love tap between my front bumper and a very sharp boulder. A pallet with a new front bumper has been sitting in front of our garage for a few months which made me care a little less about adding character to the 200!

Screen grab from the video of the squeeze

The rest of the way into Crested Butte was very overgrown in places and imparted some alpine pinstripes along with the familiar ERRRRTTT noises of branches doing their best impression of an old touch-style car wash. Another waterfall and then some more great flowers until it was clear I was nearing the place where Subarus gather near Gothic to go for hikes and mountain bike rides. I entered the trail at 1:08pm and made it to Gothic at 3:09pm, so it was a quick and fun way to start the week!

 

[mcgaskins]

After hitting the pavement in Crested Butte, I aimed for Ridgway to meet up with my wife, brother in law, and friends who drove their 200 all the way from North Carolina! For several years, we've met in Ridgway/Ouray/Telluride area for Cruiser events, but this year was the first we just did our small thing with only 3 vehicles. I typically lead trails at big organized events, and as any trail leader knows, being in charge of 10-20 vehicles with drivers of all skill levels isn't as relaxing as leading a small convoy of friends and family. I truly love being a trail leader, but this was a nice change of pace!

Black Bear Pass

Looking at the calendar, we realized Tuesday 7/22 would be the best day to run Black Bear Pass due to Toyota Roundup kicking off on Tuesday night. Black Bear can get pretty backed up with trail traffic, so we reserved the Alpine Loop trails for Wednesday.

The wildflowers were showing off on both sides of the pass - a common theme for the week. The front side of the pass had minimal and friendly trail traffic, and we didn't face any slowdowns until The Steps.

After arriving at The Steps, there was a bit of a traffic jam with an extremely nervous group in front of us conjecturing the perfect line. A yellow Jeep XJ sitting upside down in the creek off in the distance from a recent rollover certainly wasn't calming anyone's nerves.

After a considerable wait, it was our turn. Keeping in mind we have done this trail together at least 6 times over the years, the group in front of us stared back incredulously at how quickly we made it down without any drama or tires lifting.

Then, a little drama. Some bikers started to filter through our group when a big BMW GS 1250 looked like he was in trouble. At first, I was confident he was going to smash into the driver's side of my 200, but he turned left and went off the trail at the bottom of the steps. I hopped out to help him get back on the trail, but as he added some throttle, the back end slipped further off trail into the bushes which offered zero traction.

Isn't this why we carry recovery gear?! I grabbed my ATC recovery bag, pulled a couple soft shackles out while my buddy freespooled some of the winch line from the front of my 200, and I connected the shackle to the beefy round steel engine guards on the GS. What would have taken us forever pushing and probably popped a hernia or two was quick and safe work with the winch. The rider was extremely grateful for the help, and we appreciated feeling useful.

"Oh he's way too close to the wall...he is going to hit the wall with his leg...if he pushes off the wall with his leg, he's going to dump...oh yep there he goes!" A couple hundred feet down the trail, one of the other bikers on a massive KTM bounced off the wall trying to avoid the scary ledge, dropping his bike in the process. He was extremely lucky because I feared he was going to pinch his leg between the wall and hard panniers with the weight of the bike crushing his leg. Just days ago, a friend of mine broke his tibia on a KTM, and I had little desire to practice my Wilderness First Aid skills and test my Garmin InReach subscription on Black Bear Pass.

He too was grateful for some help getting the bike back on 2 wheels, and I encouraged the moto group to take a solid break to let the adrenaline dump pass. I've been there myself and know how draining it is to crash at high altitude and lose focus. Speaking of focus, we headed towards The Switchbacks and waved to our friends who were glad to be off the bikes and on solid ground.

The rain and clouds made for a great backdrop coming into Telluride where we filled up on burgers before heading back to Ridgway via Last Dollar Road. We were greeted by a massive herd of sheep being guarded by a sage dog who seemed totally unbothered by our presence. We took our time winding through Last Dollar which afforded incredible views and proved to be a peaceful way to prolong our aversion to pavement.

 

[mcgaskins]

Wednesday morning greeted us with welcome sun for the Alpine Loop, so we headed out with a flexible plan depending on trail traffic. Starting on Mineral Creek, we quickly encountered a Toyota Roundup group at a most convenient fork in the trail. There were actually 2 groups bunched up moving pretty slowly on an obstacle, so we decided to hang a right and take Poughkeepsie to California to Cinnamon and a couple basins for wildflowers and stretching our legs. After a few hours of playing around, we took Mineral Creek back to town.

Alpine Loop

Fortunately this day was smooth sailing with great weather, good trail conditions, and somewhat surprisingly, incredibly friendly and courteous trail traffic. Literally everyone we encountered when attempting to pass or negotiate an obstacle was friendly and quick to pull to over. It's clear people are conscientious about litter too because we barely saw any trash which made my heart happy. Most of our pics this day were of each other and flowers, so this trail report is a little light.

Somewhere around here I heard a jovial yet familiar voice over the radio on channel 19. Before the name could escape my lips, my wife said "Is that Jackson?!" The external antenna on my GMRS picked up a far away communication that was unmistakable. If you've ever been wheeling with @jps8460 you know how distinctive and friendly his voice projects through the radio. "Hey Jackson how are ya my friend!" We shared a quick exchange of well wishes before ducking down into a new gulch and losing the signal.

---

Thursday's arrival meant my wife and my friend's wife were heading home, but the 3 of us guys wanted to do a little more wheeling and camping. My friend from North Carolina had Pearl Pass on his bucket list which made the plan straightforward. Stop in Montrose for ethanol free fuel, get BBQ in Gunnison, and air down in Crested Butte.

Pearl Pass

It was nearly 3pm on 7/24 when we started the trail in Crested Butte with a goal to look for a campsite when we made it to the Aspen side of Pearl Pass, even though there were great options near the start of the route. According to onX, the trail really only opened about 3 days prior, and the trip report noted there were some spicy sections. Having done Schofield a couple days prior, I was feeling confident we'd be fine, but I noticed onX rated Pearl as more difficult than Schofield. Surveying the skies suggested we could hit weather, so I started to hope my confidence wasn't misguided.

Early sections of the trail revealed an incredible beaver complex up and down the creek that paralleled our journey. As many of you know, I love beavers (insert joke here), so it was a treat to see dams, lodges, and the habitat they curate for all kinds of species to thrive. More wildflowers dotted the landscape, and we only ran into 3 vehicles the entire afternoon. Showing tremendous skill and familiarity with the trail, a KTM flew past us in a tricky and muddy spot. I heard him say "Oh yucky" before sending it over some logs and rocks that I was sure would mean I'd be hopping out to help pick up another bike, but he was gone as quickly as he came up behind us.

Focused on making time to ensure we could find a good campsite and beat the looming weather, I didn't take many photos for the first third of the trail, but after some miles without picking up much elevation, we started to climb.

This section is the "V notch" which requires some careful tire placement in a 200 if you don't want to bang anything. After hopping out and taking a look, the right line for the 200 became apparent and with a quick spot we made it through without issue.

Right about here, the guy who passed us on the KTM was returning to Crested Butte and stopped to chat. "WOW YOU GUYS MADE IT! AWESOME! I didn't think these things would get this far." I jokingly said they only look like Toyota Highlanders, but they are actually Land Cruisers. He laughed and said he was returning from the summit where he recreated a photo from 10 years prior on the new bike. He said he really shouldn't be doing this any more at 65 years old, pins and rods holding his body together after a long career of riding. I told him how impressed I was at his riding skills and wished him a safe ride back home, and we left in opposite directions.

Although the clouds were mercifully withholding their moisture for us, the summit was windy!

Now on the Aspen side of Pearl Pass, the terrain was dramatic and full of boulder fields which at times were also flowing creeks. Careful tire placement was important while pointed downhill with wet tires and slick, sharp rocks underfoot.

We encountered the bridge on the Aspen side that recently opened up requiring very careful tire placement to avoid damaging the bridge further or potentially falling through. A quick spot made it a non issue fortunately.

Just beyond the bridge, we spotted a perfect campsite offering plenty of flat spaces for all 3 of us to sleep inside or on top of our trucks with an incredible soundtrack of rushing water as a bonus.

I am grateful for the awesome trip with friends and family, and I look forward to the next one!

 

[Crash]

Been wondering about the trail conditions on Schofield so your report is very timely. Looking forward to your additions.

 

[jps8460]

Pretty crazy running into ya on the radio over in the San Juans! Always good to hear a familiar voice.

Ahh devils punch bowl… fun adventure.

 

[mcgaskins]

Pretty crazy running into ya on the radio over in the San Juans! Always good to hear a familiar voice.

Ahh devils punch bowl… fun adventure.

Catherine and I looked at each other and were like "Is that Jackson?!" Just added the details to post 3 - it was an awesome coincidence!

 

[Hulk]

Great photos, Matt! Some of those are worthy of hanging on the wall in a nice frame.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Great write up Matt!

 

[AimCOTaco]

That's a summer wheelin' trip report, thanks for sharing!

Fun to be in a big wagon showing of for the SxS on Schofield, to be fair I can see why they think we're a little nuts.

 

[60wag]

I love Schofield pass but the narrow shelf road is the worst for oncoming traffic. Having to back up the road to the top would suck. I went from Marble to Crested Butte several years ago but did the climb early in the morning hoping to avoid oncoming traffic. It worked out great, no one else was out there. There was a rock slide near the top that I drove over that was a bit sketchy but not a problem.

 

[Inukshuk]

Thanks for the time taken to write and share.
You must have driven right by the LongCruiser Wednesday while I was parked at Orvis.
As fun as events are, my love for LC's and traveling like this began with 9 day trips each summer with just one buddy.
Glad you all enjoyed it!

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

I love Schofield pass but the narrow shelf road is the worst for oncoming traffic. Having to back up the road to the top would suck. I went from Marble to Crested Butte several years ago but did the climb early in the morning hoping to avoid oncoming traffic. It worked out great, no one else was out there. There was a rock slide near the top that I drove over that was a bit sketchy but not a problem.

I prefer going down, but that’s the only way I’ve done it.

 

[BritKLR]

After hitting the pavement in Crested Butte, I aimed for Ridgway to meet up with my wife, brother in law, and friends who drove their 200 all the way from North Carolina! For several years, we've met in Ridgway/Ouray/Telluride area for Cruiser events, but this year was the first we just did our small thing with only 3 vehicles. I typically lead trails at big organized events, and as any trail leader knows, being in charge of 10-20 vehicles with drivers of all skill levels isn't as relaxing as leading a small convoy of friends and family. I truly love being a trail leader, but this was a nice change of pace!

Black Bear Pass

Looking at the calendar, we realized Tuesday 7/22 would be the best day to run Black Bear Pass due to Toyota Roundup kicking off on Tuesday night. Black Bear can get pretty backed up with trail traffic, so we reserved the Alpine Loop trails for Wednesday.

The wildflowers were showing off on both sides of the pass - a common theme for the week. The front side of the pass had minimal and friendly trail traffic, and we didn't face any slowdowns until The Steps.

After arriving at The Steps, there was a bit of a traffic jam with an extremely nervous group in front of us conjecturing the perfect line. A yellow Jeep XJ sitting upside down in the creek off in the distance from a recent rollover certainly wasn't calming anyone's nerves.

After a considerable wait, it was our turn. Keeping in mind we have done this trail together at least 6 times over the years, the group in front of us stared back incredulously at how quickly we made it down without any drama or tires lifting.

Then, a little drama. Some bikers started to filter through our group when a big BMW GS 1250 looked like he was in trouble. At first, I was confident he was going to smash into the driver's side of my 200, but he turned left and went off the trail at the bottom of the steps. I hopped out to help him get back on the trail, but as he added some throttle, the back end slipped further off trail into the bushes which offered zero traction.

Isn't this why we carry recovery gear?! I grabbed my ATC recovery bag, pulled a couple soft shackles out while my buddy freespooled some of the winch line from the front of my 200, and I connected the shackle to the beefy round steel engine guards on the GS. What would have taken us forever pushing and probably popped a hernia or two was quick and safe work with the winch. The rider was extremely grateful for the help, and we appreciated feeling useful.

"Oh he's way too close to the wall...he is going to hit the wall with his leg...if he pushes off the wall with his leg, he's going to dump...oh yep there he goes!" A couple hundred feet down the trail, one of the other bikers on a massive KTM bounced off the wall trying to avoid the scary ledge, dropping his bike in the process. He was extremely lucky because I feared he was going to pinch his leg between the wall and hard panniers with the weight of the bike crushing his leg. Just days ago, a friend of mine broke his tibia on a KTM, and I had little desire to practice my Wilderness First Aid skills and test my Garmin InReach subscription on Black Bear Pass.

He too was grateful for some help getting the bike back on 2 wheels, and I encouraged the moto group to take a solid break to let the adrenaline dump pass. I've been there myself and know how draining it is to crash at high altitude and lose focus. Speaking of focus, we headed towards The Switchbacks and waved to our friends who were glad to be off the bikes and on solid ground.

The rain and clouds made for a great backdrop coming into Telluride where we filled up on burgers before heading back to Ridgway via Last Dollar Road. We were greeted by a massive herd of sheep being guarded by a sage dog who seemed totally unbothered by our presence. We took our time winding through Last Dollar which afforded incredible views and proved to be a peaceful way to prolong our aversion to pavement.

You are a good man!

 

[brisico]

Great trip report! Really fun to see a 200 do those trails. I did the punchbowl both directions in a brand new 2002 totally stock T4R back in the day and all over the san juans, taylor and pearl after it was heavily modified. Shows what careful tire placement, even stock, our rigs are really capable. Looking forward to revisiting these and more in my 200!