Alpine Loop Back Country Byway

{{Short description|National Back Country Byway in Hinsdale and San Juan counties in Colorado, United States}}

{{Infobox road

|state=CO

|type=BCB

|name=Alpine Loop Back Country Byway

|maint=

|map=

|map_notes=

|length_mi=63

|length_ref={{cite web|url=https://www.codot.gov/travel/colorado-byways/southwest/alpine-loop|title=Alpine Loop|publisher=Colorado Department of Transportation|year=2021|access-date=April 3, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://scenicbyways.info/byway/2105.html|title=Alpine Loop|publisher=America's Scenic Byways|access-date=April 3, 2022}}

|marker_image=72x72px 72x72px

|formed=1989

|direction_a=West

|terminus_a={{Jct|state=CO|US|550}} at Ouray or Silverton

|direction_b=East

|terminus_b={{Jct|state=CO|SH|149}} Lake City

|junction=

|counties=Hindale, Ouray, and San Juan

}}

File:My Public Lands Roadtrip- Wilderness along the Alpine Loop in Colorado (19158160954).jpg near the Alpine Loop. (Wildhorse Peak on the left)]]

The Alpine Loop Back Country Byway is a rugged {{convert|63|mi|0|adj=on}} Back Country Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in the high San Juan Mountains of Hindale, Ouray, and San Juan counties, Colorado, USA. The byway connects the mountain towns of Lake City, Ouray, and Silverton. The route ranges in elevation from (a mere) {{convert|7792|ft|0}} in Ouray to {{convert|12800|ft|0}} at Engineer Pass. The byway features high mountain passes, alpine tundra, beautiful mountain meadows, ghost towns, and relics of the silver mining era. While the meadows and tundra are accessible to ordinary passenger vehicles, a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel the entire route.

The Silverton Historic District and the Shenandoah-Dives (Mayflower) Mill are National Historic Landmarks. The Alpine Loop connects with the San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway at Ouray and Silverton.

__TOC__

Route

The Alpine Loop is generally considered to begin and end at Lake City. From there the route commonly followed is west over Cinnamon Pass or Engineer Pass to Animas Forks, and then returning east back to Lake City. The clockwise circuit starting with Cinnamon Pass generally puts the vehicle on the inside "lane" of the mountainous portions with the driver on the outside, providing a better view of the relative position of the vehicle and the outer edge of the road at the top of the drop-off.

{{cite web | url=http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/co/information/general_publications.Par.3701.File.dat/alpineloop.pdf | title=The Alpine Loop | publisher=United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management | accessdate=1 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611180011/http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/co/information/general_publications.Par.3701.File.dat/alpineloop.pdf | archive-date=11 June 2014 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} The counter-clockwise direction is preferable for less powerful 4-wheel drive vehicles that may have a difficult time ascending steep sections on the western portion of Engineer Pass.

Major intersections

{{COint

|county=Hinsdale

|cspan=11

|location=Lake City

|mile=0.00

|road={{Jct|state=CO|CO|149|dir1=north}}

|notes=Zero milepost

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|14}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|CO|149|dir1=south}}

|notes=Becomes FH 30 west

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|33}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|33}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road=Camp Redcloud

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road=Castle Lakes Campground

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|36}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|35}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|12}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|5|dir1=west}}

|notes=Becomes FH 5 west

}}

{{COint

|county=San Juan

|cspan=4

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|2|dir1=south}}

|notes=Becomes FH 2 north

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|18}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|17}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|2|dir1=west}}

|notes=Becomes an unmarked road

}}

{{COint

|county=Hinsdale

|cspan=6

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|21|dir1=south}}

|notes=Becomes FH 21 north

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|21|dir1=north}}

|notes=Becomes FH 20X east

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|20|dir1=west}}

|notes=Becomes FH 20 east

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|24}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|FH|23}}

|notes=

}}

{{COint

|location=none

|road={{Jct|state=CO|CO|149}}

|notes=

}}

Gallery

File:Engineer pass road, CO.jpg|Along the road to Engineer pass

File:Animas Forks shack.jpg|Abandoned building in Animas Forks, on the Alpine Loop

File:Capitol City, Colo.jpg|Capitol City ghost town

File:California Gulch Rd, Colo.jpg|California Gulch Road, near Animas Forks

File:Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway.JPG|Signs at the start of the road in Lake City

File:My Public Lands Roadtrip- Wilderness along the Alpine Loop in Colorado (19785510201).jpg|Colorado blue columbine along the Alpine Loop

File:Ouray, Colorado.JPG|Ouray

File:Hinsdale County Court House.JPG|The Hinsdale County Court House in Lake City

File:Silverton Stage.JPG|A stagecoach in Silverton

Notes

References

External links

[https://scenicbyways.info/state/CO.html America's Scenic Byways: Colorado]
[https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/BLM_Backcountry_Byways_Sytem_Brochure.pdf Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byways]
[https://www.blm.gov/visit/search-details/16739/2 BLM Alpine Loop website]
[https://www.codot.gov/ Colorado Department of Transportation]
[https://www.codot.gov/travel/colorado-byways/bywayscommission Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways Commission]
[https://www.codot.gov/travel/colorado-byways Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways]
[https://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/otis/MapSearch/TravelMap Colorado Travel Map]
[https://www.colorado.com/other-tourism-organizations/colorado-tourism-office Colorado Tourism Office]
[https://www.historycolorado.org/ History Colorado]