Governor Basin

A quick little jog off of the Yankee Boy trail, and my personal favorite this side of Imogene. Not because it is particularly challenging, although it might get sketchy in a couple places if you have to back up due to the narrowness of the trail, but rather because I don't think there is another place in the continental US that looks like this. Road is bumpy but flat. There are a couple of sections with steep drop offs that are wide enough for only one vehicle. So go slow around the corners. Except for those couple of sections, I would rate this as easier.

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.

Operations to clear the vehicle from the Drinking Cup area of Camp Bird Rd should be completed. Please be aware that emergency vehicles may still be present in the area.

Per Ouray County Road and Bridge: Ouray County is closing. Camp Bird Road for vehicle recovery on 9/13/22 from 6am-4pm This will impact travel on Imogene Pass. Vehicles on the Telluride side will be required to turn around at the Ouray County line. Updates will be posted if conditions change.

I would rate the difficulty of this trail a 2-3, not sure if it was graded or what but certainly isnt a 4-5 anymore. It was pretty busy and the people watching was like none I've ever seen before on any trail. Tons of rental side by sides with first time drivers and clearly not given any training by the rental company. I watched one rental unknowingly start driving up the very narrow shelf for Sydney Basin before realizing how nasty it is and then having to back down it while off camber and tight. It was pretty nerve wrecking to watch but he made it down. After that I watched another rental SxS driving very slowly up Governor Basin in high gear, only to get hung up on a very small rock because the engine clearly needed to be in low gear, or given a lot more gas to bump that rock in high gear. After that a full size truck with street tires comes up the trail and asks me where this goes. While I am glad to provide information to someone, it makes me nervous about the people on this trail being novice drivers and/or having no idea where they are going or what the trail entails. Also note that at the end of the trail as TrailsOffroad has marked, there is a trail that continues upward and makes a loop. However I wouldnt personally recommend it since it has some intense off camber in a loose, narrow, sandy shelf. Definitely wouldnt drive that myself.

Per Ouray County Road and Bridge: Good news! Camp Bird Road, Yankee Boy Basin and Imogene Pass are OPEN! We thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we closed the roads to clean-up and repair them after the mudslides on July 27. Please be safe out there and ENJOY! U.S. Forest Service-Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forests

From Ouray County Road and Bridge ‼️ CR361 UPDATE: 7/28 3:50PM Much progress was made today in the clearing of debris from County Road 361, specifically in the Senator Gulch area where a critical Hilfiker wall and culvert were significantly damaged in yesterday’s mudslide. After consulting with the contractor of the Hilfiker wall, it was determined that this area would not suffer from a catastrophic failure if we receive more rains this weekend. Water flow has been restored through the culvert at Senator Gulch and along with the progress made in clearing multiple debris fields, Road and Bridge has decided to RE-OPEN County Road 361 / Camp Bird Road / Yankee Boy Basin / Imogene Pass for the weekend. The road will re-open in the next couple hours and there will be two bulldozers continuing to work into the early evening. There is approximately 1000 cubic yards of rock that needs to be moved and cleared so please be patient with crews if you encounter them. Please note, County Road 361 / Camp Bird Road / Yankee Boy Basin / Imogene Pass (on Ouray County side) will be CLOSED on Monday, August 1, for repairs to the damaged road. Please continue to follow us for more updates. We appreciate your patience while we have worked through this today.

Closed for the time being while crews clear the mudslides on Camp Bird Rd.

Definitely more of a 3 from the date I visited, although I did find the '5' section. At the top there is a loop and on one side an off-camber sandy spot. I almost slid down it before reversing. Not dangerous, but easy to slide into the deep ditch. Nice trail for the flowers, especially at the top, but a side trip through Sidney Basin will be needed for any offroad 'fun'.

It's a gorgeous place and the road has recently been leveled, so it should be rated a 2/3 at this point.

Announced as fully open per Ouray County Road and Bridge

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.

Trail is open to the end. Trail is in good condition with some small ledges and narrow shelf roads. An experienced 4x4 driver shouldn't have too much trove with this trail. Side note, the trail keeps going after the sign to the left that says road closed.

Open

Per Ouray County, snow and icy conditions may exist. Travel on the 4x4 roads this time of year is not recommended. Expect winter weather at high elevations. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_002300

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

Ran this as part of the 2019 Unlimited LJ Adventure. Trail is 100% open from beginning to end. Looks like a dozer came in and cleared the remaining snow drifts so they could access the working mine up there. The views are great as always and we even met a historian at the end documenting some things in the area and filling us in with a lot of great history.

8/12/19 - The trail is open 95% of the way. Snow is still blocking the the last 200 yards of the trail. I seriously doubt it will clear by the end of the season.

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

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

Among the most scenic Ouray trails, Governor Basin is a favorite of mine. The road was fully open on this visit, and I got to drive to the end where the gate is situated some 500 yds. from the mining structure. Wildflowers were still abundant, but clearly beyond prime in late August. We saw a mature Big Horn ram just beyond the intersection of Sydney Basin, sitting beneath a cliff on the stone rubble. It was amazing!

We drove the Governor Basin Road as part of a four-day excursion in Ouray/Silverton/Telluride. This is a short and beautiful road ascending high in the mountains, with spectacular views all around. We found that the snow bank (Waypoint 5) was still large enough to prevent passage of 4-wheel vehicles; hikers, mountain bikes, and motorcycles could pass with relative ease.