Shrine Pass

This turned out to be a fantastic trail, which I regret not having tried sooner. It's going to be high on my fall colors list from now on (I ran it about a week or 2 late for peak colors.) It's definitely not a technical route and the only issue for any vehicle will be the rocky hills on the Red Cliff side which could pose a pinch/puncture risk for short sidewalls. I ran my 265-70-17 ATs at highway pressures without issue. I did engage 4Low for a brief time to control my descent down the rockiest parts (going eastward.) The rocks are all embedded in the surface, rather than loose, (and polished up from traffic) so traction isn't much of an issue.

It wasn't very busy when I ran it (early Sunday afternoon), but there was still a notable number of vehicles, including occasional two-way traffic which wasn't really a problem (though there are a couple of narrow sections.) With the proximity to the highway and so many large camping sites, I can see this road becoming very busy in summer. The short hike up to Julia's Deck is a great, accessible, family-friendly activity with fantastic views. A narrow hiking trail continues into the woods from behind the deck. Despite how some maps may make it appear, the Lime Creek Rd spur does not offer an alternative through-route and eventually dead-ends at a gate with additional obstacles preventing vehicles from continuing. But there is more worthwhile campsites, hikes, and views available up that way.

If you're passing through Colorado on I-70 and want a diversion, or if you want to take an interesting alternative route to/from Leadville, definitely consider this trail.

This is a really nice ride through the mountains. Didnt have any issues in the stock 4Runner. There are a good number of camping sites with amazing views.

We started Shriner Pass from the I-70 end which is open except for the drive through the creek which is closed. We exited next Red Cliff and drove down US24 to Camp Hale to continue our trek up McAllister Gulch and Ptarmigan Pass. It was a nice drive through the countryside. The start of the drive was an easy dirt road until you got into the forest area where the drive got a bit rougher and tighter. All in all with the creek portion closed I would rate this trail about a 3.

Left Alma and went over Mosquito Pass and then down to Red Cliff and ran Shrine Pass to I-70 and back to Alma through Breck. Great loop for a day trip to see wildflowers. First time over Shrine Pass and it was beautiful. Take in the views of Mount Holy cross on Red Cliff side near top. Easy trail as a passenger car was in front of us - I wouldn’t recommend it in a passenger car on the lower part in the canyon near Red Cliff, but careful tire placement and it can obviously be done. Wildflowers are in bloom and it is beautiful all along the trail right now.

Short trail that has a few good campsites and some good views. If you're trying to decide on a place to camp for a weekend, I wouldn't make this trail a priority as, like I mentioned, it's very short and the likelihood of getting one of the good campsites is slim to none unless you arrive on a Thursday or something. For the most part, the trail is smooth with some rough sections but airing down would be unnecessary.

Trail was busy near 70 but emptied out quickly as you get away from the upper parking lots. This really is just a dirt road, wouldn't rate it higher than a 1.

This trail is SUPER easy and has some killer views and camping spots along it. If you're looking for more less crowded camping spots, go further in on the trail. The dispersed camping at the beginning can get a bit crowded. But in October it wasn't too cold to camp. I recommend this spot to anyone who is looking for a quick, but also remote camping spot not too far from Denver. Don't let the altitude scare you off!!!

Nice little pass road with some neat looking camping sites. Nothing too difficult on this one and only saw one person today (Thursday), not counting the workers we ran in to. Cool little spot to walk out to to see Mount Holy Cross, it is even wheel chair accessible. Marked a couple of the campsites for a future visit and headed on out from Red Cliff to pick up some other trails since our targets were closed.

Rainy during our drive, was unable to see Mount of the Holy Cross. Very easy drive, a little rough towards Red Cliff which forced us to slow down a little. I would use this pass again as a scenic alternative to 70 through Vail.

Open from Vail to Red Cliff. Beautiful easy drive. Gate on left to Mccallister Gulch and Wearyman Road/Ptarmigan Pass looked to be closed.

Trail appears closed from East side until at least May but potentially accessible from the West (Red Cliff) side

Trail was open from Vail Pass to RedCliff. It looks like there was recent construction/road repair.

According to the Ranger District, the road is open from Vail Pass to Turkey Creek but closed to Red Cliff due to a road wash-out.

Gate is still closed

Trail is clear all the way through. Ran from the top of Vail Pass and was smooth sailing but dusty. Trail gets a little rocky and rutted a few miles before Red Cliff.

I called the ranger station today to ask if this was open as their website says its currently closed. I just wanted to confirm on this page to let others know that the gate will not open before June 21, 2018 for the season, but may take longer as there are lots of gates for them to open and not that many rangers to open the gates. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=41431

Trail was clear the entire away and a little dusty due to the lack of recent precipitation. Seems that the road may have been graded recently as it was smoother than usual. Available camping was few and far between due to the busy holiday weekend.