Tincup Pass

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4.8/5 (98 reviews)
St. Elmo, Colorado (Chaffee County)
Last Updated: 10/28/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude Category Icon Altitude
Camping Category Icon Camping
Forest Category Icon Forest
Ghost Town Category Icon Ghost Town
Overland Category Icon Overland
Rock Category Icon Rock
Scenic Category Icon Scenic

Cutting through two National Forests and crossing the Continental Divide at 12,154 feet, Tincup Pass offers beautiful high alpine views while following the same route used by miners and prospectors searching for their fortunes in the late 1800s. This relatively easy route takes you from one historic mountain town right into another. St. Elmo is a true ghost town built during the mining boom of the 1880s, while Tincup, originally called Virginia City, has been resurrected as a popular summer destination with many historic buildings still in use today.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Tincup Pass is a straight-through trail that can be run in either direction. Starting in the ghost town of St. Elmo, follow signs through town to reach the start of the trail. The route begins fairly smooth but quickly becomes rocky and rough and stays that way the entire length of the trail. Driving through the trees, you pass many awesome primitive camp spots that tend to fill up rather quickly during the weekends. Once above the treeline, the trail narrows a bit with a few switchbacks that lead you across a shelf portion that can have snow covering it into early or even mid-July. The north side of the pass is slightly more rocky than the south but is still relatively easy if you stay on the primary road. The route can be made more difficult if taking the old Tincup trail, which has one large boulder section and is very narrow with overgrown brush. Follow the trail down to a water crossing at Mirror Lake, which may be totally impassable during early summer. Water depths vary week to week depending on snowmelt and evaporation. If crossing the trail when it is flooded by the lake, users should stay uphill of the large orange snow poles that have been installed to mark the edge of the roadway. After passing the parking area for Mirror Lake, the trail becomes a graded dirt road and passes many more dispersed campsites before ending in the town of Tincup.

This trail is suitable for aggressive, high-clearance stock vehicles with good offroad tires. Users should always check the depth of any flooded sections of trail before attempting, as the water depth could surpass your air intake height.

Trail Reviews

4.8/5 (98)
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Official Crew
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137550
Impassable
Visited: 10/28/2023

Snow has now made the trail impassable.
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300
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/07/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Great views from the summit, the hike is worth it too. We did the trail as defined with the difficult bit a lot of fun. There was less pinstriping than expected, really only one section required a spotter and getting the help from some rocks to fill in my line to avoid slipping into a tree. Fun times for sure! (2015 Lexus GX460 on 34’s and a 2.5” lift)
Trail Review: Tincup Pass - Matthew
Trail Review: Tincup Pass - Matthew
Open
Visited: 09/23/2023

Thoroughly enjoyed this trail! Where you normally drive through Mirror Lake is completely dry right now. Leaves are starting to change colors.
Trail Review: Tincup Pass - Tamara Gold
Trail Review: Tincup Pass - Tamara Gold
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Official Crew
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14400
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 09/08/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

A pretty rocky and bumpy trail. The water level of Mirror Lake was low enough that we didn’t have any water on the trail. Nothing too difficult for a stock rig to complete.
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1200
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 08/22/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Good trail conditions, lots of side-by-sides, and great alpine views.

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