Engineer, Cinnamon Passes

JacksJeep · **Posted:** Tue May 16, 2006 6:44 pm

We are still trying to plan our vacation (lot's of snags). Do you guys have any idea whether Engineer or Cinnamon Pass in the Ouray area will be open by June 5? The trail books and online sites list them as being open in June, but is June 5-7 to early?

Thanks

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

I would say that's probably too early. We had a better than average snow fall this winter and have yet to have any really warm weather...

Kugellager · **Posted:** Tue May 16, 2006 11:40 pm

+1

Many of the passes and higest mountain areas do not become snow free until late July or August.

Engineer/Yvonne Pass is over 12,700 feet and Cinnamon pass is over 12,600 feet. There is a very good chance both will have plenty of snow left in less then a month. Plenty being 10's of feet at the higher elevations.

For comparison...Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is worked at the entire month of May to be ready to open by Memorial day. I talked to one park ranger last week when I was up in Estes Park. I asked her how much snow they have to clear at the higher points. The ranger told me tha snow is in the 30-40 foot range on the upper parts of Trail Ridge Road...and the highest point of Trail Ridge Road is about 11,700 feet. The area you are interested in gets some of the highest amounts of snowfall in the state....Anyway...you get the idea.

John
];')

JacksJeep · **Posted:** Wed May 17, 2006 6:41 am

Thanks so much for the first hand information. I really appreciated it. I would have been less than happy to have planned on those trails only to make the trip out there and discover they were closed.

ks2002kj · **Posted:** Thu May 18, 2006 9:32 am

I'll be out there July 15 to the 20th in that area. Last year we did Transfer Trail above Glenwood Springs on July 4th week and had to deal with some snow drifts that hadn't melted off yet. Hopefully I'll be safe later in July this time. All I know is all the snow the last two winters made for some awsome skiing. Joe

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

I'd try and get a chance to do blackbear if you are out there. Very beautiful trail.

Here are some pictures from when I went last year at the end of July.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92053262@N00/

ks2002kj · **Posted:** Thu May 18, 2006 11:56 am

Eddo, where were you camping at in the pic? Joe

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

ks2002kj wrote:

Eddo, where were you camping at in the pic? Joe

Just a spot along the animas river. I can give you some directions and some coordinates if you are planning on going up there. There are quite a few spot like that, but need to show up sometime during the week to get them.

krazz1e · **Posted:** Thu May 18, 2006 1:11 pm

Eddo wrote:

I'd try and get a chance to do blackbear if you are out there. Very beautiful trail.

Here are some pictures from when I went last year at the end of July.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92053262@N00/

Those are some neat pics.

Engineer, Cinnamon Passes

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