By Jon Crowley
For the last decade, I’ve seen posts on social media every summer about off-roading in the high-elevation mountains of Colorado. The Alpine Loop in the San Juan Mountains was top on that list with destinations like Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass at over 12,000 feet just looked epic. After waiting several years, the opportunity arose in 2023 thanks to my friend David Uptain, who had been there once before. A trip was setup for July 4th week based out of Lake City Colorado.
While Lake City is smaller and less known as a base of operations on the Alpine Loop, it offered something Silverton and Ouray didn’t – UTVs could legally travel on the streets of Lake City. While it is true that I brought my For Raptor and this wasn’t an issue for a street-legal vehicle (Colorado does not recognize UTVs that are street-legal in other states), the people I was exploring with all brought UTVs. Now some may ask why I brought the Raptor instead of one of my UTVs, and that is a very valid question. 2023 was a very wet winter and Colorado had a higher-than-normal snowpack.
Odom Point near Engineer Pass
Engineer and Cinnamon passes had just been cleared of snow just about 7-14 days before we arrived. All of the UTVs I have are fully open and I had expected wet/muddy conditions climbing over the passes combined with wind and cold. I figured a closed cab with heated seats and HVAC would be a big advantage in comfort since my wife Teresa was also along for this adventure. In addition, due to the crazy amount of snow, several destinations like Stony Pass and Poughkeepsie Gulch were still snowed in. I figured we would be doing more non-off-road exploration instead.
It turned out that we had great weather and the conditions at the passes were quite warm without much wind, so the advantage of the enclosed cab was nullified. But I took it as a chance to see the Ford Raptor in action again.
If you are exploring the Alpine Loop, Silverton and Ouray are closer to more destinations like Animas Forks, Corkscrew Pass, Hurricane Pass, California Pass, Cinnamon Pass, Engineer Pass, Stony Pass and more. So if you have a Colorado-recognized street vehicle, these towns are closer and have more amenities than Lake City. They also enable you to explore more trails towards and into Telluride, CO like Imogene Pass, Black Bear Pass and Yankee Boy Basin, If you have a UTV and want to stay in Silverton, there is one RV Park that is just outside of the city limits that you can ride to in a UTV. But just know that Silverton strictly enforces no UTVs in town and half the town doesn’t want you there.
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On our two rides on the Alpine Loop, we hit Engineer Pass and Odom Point on day one. Then the second day, we hit Cinnamon Pass, Animas Forks, California Pass (not technically on the Alpine Loop), then back to Animas Forks before going up and over Engineer Pass and back to Lake City. We never did make it to Ouray or Silverton due to our group having UTVs and them not being allowed. Most of the in-car GoPro footage is from day two,
So, how’d the Raptor do on the Alpine Loop? Not bad at all! While I still think the ride over rough terrain would have been better in a UTV, the Raptor handled it like a champ and we really didn’t slow our group of UTVs down at all. Riding in this area is definitely not fast-paced because there is a lot of traffic and blind corners. Plus, there are many parts of the “roads” that just don’t allow traffic to pass without one vehicle finding a wide spot to wait while the other passes. That being said, I do feel like we gave our Raptor a beating that UTVs are just better designed for.
The big advantage to a street vehicle like the Ford Raptor is the freedom to explore more of the areas and towns without trailering. If I was to do any off-roading in the area again, I would probably bring the Raptor again and stay in Ouray or Silverton. Or bounce through Silverton, Ouray and Telluride so we could experience each town’s charm.
While we saw many less capable vehicles on the trail, I am glad that we were in the Raptor and not a Subaru or other vehicle with low ground clearance. There are a few situations where ground clearance is more important, but low range and all-terrain tires are a must in my opinion.
If you are looking for more information regarding the trails in this area, I would strongly suggest the San Juan Mountain Trails Group on Facebook. Here you can find lots of posts regarding current trail status and also get help with finding new trails or destinations.
2022 Ford Raptor
If you are looking for trail status for the San Juan Mountains and other nearby trails, check out the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce page on Facebook. The regularly post updates on trail status during the Summer months.
Our 2022 Ford Raptor is equipped from the factory with FOX Live Valve shocks and 35-inch BFG tires. We have added a VHF digital mobile radio from Rugged Radios so we can easily communicate between vehicles on group rides.
Our Raptor handled the trail like a champ. The FOX shocks soaked up the washboarded roads very well and we survived the light rock crawling we encountered without damaging the truck. If I was going to off-road on a more frequent basis, I think 37-inch tires would be the ticket, but as a daily driver, the 35-inch tires perform much better. The side steps do help protect the rocker panels in the rocks, but they do hang down more than I’d prefer.
Having your Ford Raptor’s shocks serviced is an important aspect of maintaining your vehicle and ensuring that it performs at its best. Shocks play a crucial role in the handling and stability of your vehicle, and if they are not in good condition, it can lead to a number of problems. If your Ford Raptor is a daily driver that never goes off-road, it is recommend that you have your shocks serviced every 30,000 miles, and if you drive your Raptor off-road 100% of the time, your shocks should be serviced every 3,000 miles. If you are somewhere in between, try to estimate your percentage of off-road vs. highway usage to approximate the mileage accordingly. Learn more: Ford Raptor Shock Service.
