10 Miles One-Way

Beautiful but Sketchy Intermediate Difficulty (with a stretch of Moderately Difficult) 4WD High Clearance Mountain Road between Telluride & Silverton

A little over 2 hours from West to East (depending on traffic).

The Pass is Closed in Winter

The Ophir Pass Trail or Road is (so far) the scariest road I have ever driven. But it is also one of the most beautiful. It starts out between Matterhorn and Telluride on 630 (if you’re going east). You then travel through the quiet little town of Ophir which is only 10 miles an hour and has large ditches in the road instead of speed bumps. You then start climbing the beautiful valley until you reach the end of the tree line where a steep, sketchy, and very tight one-lane stretch ascends to the highest point. I am very glad no one was going down when I was going up. It would have been very intimidating to either back up or find a spot to allow one to pass by. Motorists going up should yield to motorists going down. That small stretch is rated as difficult, although the rest of the drive is not. I would not dare do it without 4WD. I even used 4WD low in one large rut that was filled with loose human head sized rocks. That entire stretch was white knuckle, sweaty palmed, and tight sphinctered. Once you reach the top and the sign, it all becomes worth it. The remainder of the road on the east side of the range is easy and all downhill.

My friend and copilot took these two beautiful pictures. It’s a steep slope. Keep two hands on the wheel.

Once at the top you can high five your friends, breathe a sigh of relief, and enjoy the view on the way down.