OPHIR PASS with EPIC Campsite! [Overlanding the San Juan Mountains, Colorado at it's Best!]

Ophir Pass is no stranger to off roaders and overlanding. But that is the beauty of this iconic trail, you see everything from bone stock Subarus to fully caged Jeeps on 40 inch tires. Which shows Ophir is for everyone and is a must do. There is a reason why it is a Jeep Badge of Honor trail, even though it is not difficult.
This episode starts off where the last one ended at Bolam Pass. I traveled down towards the town of Ophir hoping to find a campsite on a river, but getting distracted by some fly fishing and large storms, next thing I knew I was in town starting Ophir Pass earlier than I had wanted. Which turned out to be a happy accident. The rain was relentless, but that is just part of it if you are going to be overlanding. That being said, the extra water made for some spectacular scenery with waterfalls springing up. A few years earlier I had run this trail in my Jeep Rubicon and marked some fantastic looking campsites on Gaia GPS and boy did that pay off! As you can see, I was able to land myself the … epic (overused these days, I know) campsite right next to a creek and with views from the pass down to the town of Ophir.
The rain stopped for just long enough for me to launch the drone right before sunset (if you have been keeping up with my other videos, I still am not able to view what the drone sees, so I am fly blind) and more importantly I put together a Trails n’ Cocktails segment for y’all. What makes this cocktail extra special isn’t just the setting, but the ingredients used were picked up the day before at Honeyville and Honey House Distillery in Durango (which is in an earlier episode). I hands down say this drink is one of the best I have ever had and highly recommend you make one (or 6) for yourself.
Right after the sun went down, the sky started glowing with yet more lighting. It came and went through the entire night, shaking the full-size Nissan Titan at times. Weather seems to hit harder when you are at 10,700 feet. Even with noisy neighbor, Dewey and I had a warm night and were ready to tackle the pass first thing in the morning, which camping at the base really made it easy.
The trail quickly turns into a shelf road made of nothing but lose rock. Even so this is a rather straight forward trail with no obstacles. Word of warning, with all the lose rocks, if you have traction control, turn it off or it will cause more problems than it will solve. Make sure you look up or down the road ahead to see if there are any other rigs, so that you can pull off at a convenient spot if need be. Being in a full-size truck I needed to be extra mindful, but was still able to pass by some dirt bikes with no issue. Right afterwards you can see how not to handle traffic on a 4x4 trail, as the person going downhill in the 4runner froze and didn’t know the gentlemen’s (or lady’s) agreement about uphill having the right of way, which led to a little bit of a spat.
With the testosterone dissipated the two of us were able to enjoy the summit all to ourselves before making our way down the backside. The trail between the top of the pass and Silverton is much wider and packed earth, so it is even safer with plenty of room to pass and lots of traction. I feel that this section does not get as much love, but it is still beautiful with a very different vibe.
Stopping in Silverton is a must if you have the time. This old, high mountain town has done a great job of holding onto its history and heritage. There is plenty to see and a very cool train that is active and you can still ride it. Of course, with such a vibrant main street full of Wranglers, 4runners, Tacomas, Tundras and just about any rock crawler and overlanding vehicle you can think of, I had to stop for an ice cold adult beverage and pizza.
If you are in the San Juans, make sure this trail is on your list. If you start early enough, then you can join it with other big names in the area like Black Bear Pass, Imogene Pass or Poughkeepsie Gulch. Ophir might not be the most challenging of trails, but anyone that likes to get their tires dirty will enjoy it and the trip will be an experience of a lifetime. And remember, What’s Your GOL?
Catch Up on Past Videos using the links Below.
Lime Creek Pt 1: Overlanding The San Juans
• Overlanding The San Ju...
Clohesy Lake : River Crossings, Amazing Mountain Lake, Mining Ruins & Cocktails
• Overlanding Rock Crawl...
Rock Crawling Through Colorado’s History
• Rock Crawl Past Colora...