California Pass

This trail guide's difficulty was changed on 11/07/2023

Roger P.

7600

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 10/01/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Scenic trail, especially during the fall when the trees are turning colors.

Trail Review: California Pass - Roger P.

Donna Kepf

7000

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/21/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

This is an easy trail with wonderful views. We ran it from Animas Forks. 4Lo is recommended due to the steepness of the trail, but there really aren't any obstacles. There are some rocky stretches near Animas Forks and a climb to the Pass if you run it from Animas. Be sure to stop at the Pass and enjoy the blue waters of Lake Como below.

Renato Brant

400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/02/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

California Pass is a relatively easy trail that any 4x4 can tackle without major issues. I did it in the opposite direction as described in the trail description. Starting from Animas Forks, the first section is in a valley and doesn't pose any challenges (in September) while offering beautiful views. The second section begins the ascent (composed of small rocks and narrow paths) towards Hurricane Pass, passing through a peak over 12,000 feet in altitude.

Cole Phares

1300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/26/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Needs 4L but nothing too intimidating. Right on par with Hurricane pass and a nice middle ground between Ophir and Imogene.

Trail Review: California Pass - Cole Phares

View More Images

Matt Fogarty

1400

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 08/17/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

A rocky start, relatively timid middle section, and an intense climb to the finish. Incredible views the entire time.

Trail Review: California Pass - Matt Fogarty

John

Official Crew

43350

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/16/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Another amazing San Juan trail. The summit is beyond words. I highly recommend this trail. You will absolutely need a transfer case to complete this trail. The ascents are steep!

Ben Jimbo

6700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/18/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I REALLY enjoyed this pass. Very easy but long sweeping roads and crazy views inside the mountain range. Some may over look this trail, but definitely worth a peak.

Trail Review: California Pass - Ben Jimbo

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

51400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/14/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The trail was open through. There was plenty of traffic (Animas was PACKED), but thankfully folks were paying attention so we didn't have any problems getting by each other on the shelves.

Trail Review: California Pass - Trint Ladd

View More Images

Joe

1700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/07/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Incredible views and most of the trail was very easy. I'd rate the difficulty a bit higher at the moment, only because of the condition of the shelf road on the east side. It was very wet, rutted out and narrow in spots since the wall of snow is falling in to the trail from the uphill side.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

137550

Open

Visited: 06/28/2023

Trail has been cleared of snow and is open for the season

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Impassable

Visited: 10/23/2022

A recent winter storm in the Ouray/ Silverton area has dropped a measurable amount of snow and high winds have been in the area. Some high country routes in the area may be passable but high country travel is not recommended.

Jesse Almanrode

6600

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/18/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this as a "connection" between Engineer and Corkscrew. Perfect little trail that runs up into a bowl and gives a beautiful overlook to Lake Como at the top of Poughkeepsie Gulch!

Rich Brunnworth

4700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/18/2022

Vehicle: Xterra with mild lift Third leg of our group outing. I thought it was an a fairly easy run but worthy of its rating. Weather was perfect for an early fall day.

Simon

1300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/10/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Very easy connector trail with no real obstacles to speak. Great mine along the way to check out and explore - also makes for a great little lunch spot.

Gavin Swanson

1100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/07/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Trail Review: California Pass - Gavin Swanson

Chris Parr

1400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/18/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Intermittent rain, sometimes heavy all the way through which I think elevated the difficulty quite a bit. The climb immediately before, and descent after the summit are pretty steep and narrow but otherwise it's a beautiful trail.

Shane DeMars

1900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/12/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

As of the day we ran it the pass is open and far more interesting than expected. If you come over Cinnamon like we did then you'll be surprised to find this rated easier. Nothing you can handle with 4low and decent clearance. Early season snow banks did make this pretty spicy and a ton of fun. It's very narrow in the snow fields and not much room to pass but there are some spots near switchbacks. Great trail and probably the highlight of our route.

Trail Review: California Pass - Shane DeMars

Jay

400

Partially Open

Visited: 06/02/2022

From the Hurricane pass side the summit of California pass is open. About 1/8 mile down the east side of the pass the road is blocked by a large snow field. A bulldozer is working to open the road.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Impassable

Visited: 10/12/2021

Weather Forecasts for the San Juan Mountains call for a significant amount of snow in the coming days. Although some routes may be open, travel over these high mountain passes in winter conditions are not advised.

Bill Bachrach

1100

Open

Visited: 10/04/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Beautiful easy trail compared to others in the area. We really enjoyed it.

Jake Weikert

Official Crew

5700

Open

Visited: 08/09/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

California pass was a fun climb up over the hill on the way to Corkscrew. trail is not hard at all just a bit nerve racking for people not used to shelf roads.

Trail Review: California Pass - Jake Weikert

View More Images

John

Official Crew

43350

Open

Rated 3/5

Visited: 07/31/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Not the most amazing trail in the area but not bad either. I would bump up the rating to a 3 to be safe. There are a few steep sections where a transfer case would be nice. I wouldn't take a 2wd vehicle on this trail due to steepness as well as the fact the San Juans have pretty consistent rain. Great views of Lake Como from the top of the pass.

View More Images

Brad D.

18450

Open

Visited: 07/23/2021

Getting a little sloppy with the weather but still very passible in most stock 4x4s.

Brad D.

18450

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/20/2021

Used this to cross from Poughkeepsie to Cinnamon. Typical Colorado Pass trail, lots of shelf but really manageable unlike some others that are super skinny. Nice trail but nothing remarkable.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Open

Visited: 06/29/2021

Announced as fully OPEN per the US Forest Service. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

JD Marshall

Official Crew

127550

Seasonal Closure

Visited: 10/26/2020

The county has closed the trails for the season due to snowfall.

Brent McGee

1650

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/07/2020

This is an amazing trail. It’s quite easy with one intimidating steep climb to the summit. A must do for sure. Any stock rig will crush it!

Trail Review: California Pass - Brent McGee

Neal A. Tew

4900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/13/2020

Great run today starting on Corkscrew, then Hurricane and finishing through California. Beautiful. Completed in stock full sized Chevy.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/11/2020

Announced as open today per San Juan County Roads Dept. Please adhere to any local restrictions that San Juan County has regarding Covid-19.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Impassable

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/28/2019

Currently, San Juan County has issued CLOSURES on all their backcountry passes. San Miguel, Hinsdale, and Ouray County issued a travel at your own risk advisory. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/28/2019

Good weather and gorgeous fall colors for our trip this weekend. Trail is in good shape and made for a smooth drive.

Andrew Earle

6400

Open

Visited: 09/02/2019

Awesome trail. We found a great spot for lunch on the west end of the trail overlooking Poughkeepsie Gulch. There’s one steep spot at the highest switchback on the west side that earns this a difficulty of 2-3/10, the rest we found was easy 1-2/10. Driving down the Gulch on the east side was spectacular.

Trail Review: California Pass - Andrew Earle

View More Images

Josh Spring

Official Crew

15550

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/17/2019

Came up California after driving Hurricane and found quite the party at the summit. Not much room to take pictures or park to walk around with how many vehicles were up there. Still nabbed one summit picture since I'm sure you'd love to see my SxS again lol. The views were great though! Although I had no problems on this road I did see a 4Runner spinning his tires trying to make it up the switchbacks.

Trail Review: California Pass - Josh Spring

Neal A. Tew

4900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/08/2019

The Corkscrew / Hurricane / California route is one of my favorites. Scenery is amazing and this road is faster because it's less technical than something like Imogene. We experienced rain, hail, clouds and moderate traffic. I cut a tire on sharp rocks while pulling over for traffic.

Gary

900

Open

Visited: 07/21/2019

OHV and ATV traffic on California complicates the issues with sight lines with the snow banks adjacent to the road. The road appears that it has widened courtesy of continued melt. OHV's are observed to be traveling at higher speeds than most highway 4x4's which only makes the problem more difficult to manage. Couple this with the OHV's coming at you in packs of 10 to 15 (and on occasion more) and trying to get up or down the mountain requires more patience. The amount of snow remaining his late in July is something we couldn't miss. Awesome!

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

137550

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/13/2019

Trail is open, but extremely wet and muddy. The snow walls right now are extremely impressive, but it does make seeing oncoming traffic very difficult. In some sections it is currently impossible to pass oncoming traffic so make sure to keep an eye far out. The trail description in this guide is spot on.

Trail Review: California Pass - Ryan Boudreau

View More Images

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/02/2019

Per San Juan County officials California Pass is officially open as of today. San Juan County has announced also that Animas Forks is able to reached by vehicle at this time also only by way of the Corkscrew/Hurricane/California Pass route. If Animas Forks is your destination then you will need to retrace your steps back the way you came at this time.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Impassable

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/02/2019

Heavy snow pack and late season snow falls have greatly affected the opening date to many of the trails in the San Juan Mountains. I will try to quickly update these trail guides to reflect when the hard working plow and dozer operators are able to dig these wonderful trails out for all of us to enjoy. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

John K

1900

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/09/2018

Took California Pass en route to Animas Forks. Trail was rocky in spots but overall good condition.

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/02/2018

Declared open all the way through per the San Juan national forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

Greg Stokes

Official Crew

28400

Partially Open

Visited: 11/03/2017

Snow has fallen making this trail impassable until next season, closed at the top by snow according to the U.S Forest Service. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

Marc Nitz

Official Crew

4850

Open

Visited: 08/23/2017

This California boy completed a trip to California Gulch and California Pass on the 4th day of our Colorado trip in August. We encountered sheep. Lots of sheep. Animas Forks was full of marmots. I too visited the mill and didn't know why each wood beam was numbered. Thanks for informing me about that.

Trail Review: California Pass - Marc Nitz

View More Images

Michael Greene

900

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 06/17/2017

Our trip, after coming down from Engineer Pass, began in Animas Forks and concluded at the Poughkeepsie Gulch intersection and Lake Como. As you begin to get into the Red Mountains, the vistae aren't as expansive as others in the San Juans, as this drive is up the gulch itself, but the snow levels were such that my daughter could get out and play. Slow and steady up, with no real issues. I look at California Gulch as a means to an end destination (Lake Como or Animas Forks), which makes the journey itself not as stellar as others you'll see in the area.

Trail Review: California Pass - Michael Greene

View More Images

Jennifer Chapin

650

Open

Visited: 08/06/2016

A typical August day in the San Juan Mountains with some low clouds occasional rain and very green. Leaving Animas Forks Ghost Town and on up California Gulch to California Pass. We got to drive up into the clouds with some great views and a somewhat rocky trail all along the way. There are some tight switch backs coming down California Pass towards Hurricane Pass. Of course great views all along the way.

Trail Review: California Pass - Jennifer Chapin

View More Images

Trail Information

Highlights

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Start your next adventure on California Pass

Upgrade your Membership

Trail Navigation

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Trail Reviews

From the Community

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

TJ Bosworth

California Pass

Trail Information

Highlights

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Start your next adventure on California Pass

Upgrade your Membership

Uploading to Gaia GPS

Directions to...

Share Trail

Trail Navigation

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

Trail Reviews

From the Community

Exclusive for our All-Access Members

TJ Bosworth

Print Trail Guide

Recent Updates