Corkscrew Pass and Beyond

Corkscrew Pass Group Tour

Be prepared to be mesmerized! After departing Ouray, this tour travels south on highway 550 through the most iconic section of The Million Dollar Highway. Moose are often spotted along the route before exiting onto dirt at Ironton Park. The tour immediately begins a climb through dense timber forests, and works its way up through Corkscrew Gulch. After negotiating a section of switchbacks, the tour crests out at 12,244′ in elevation at the top of Corkscrew Pass. Created by ancient volcanic activity, this unique mountain landscape boasts colors unsurpassed in the Rocky Mountains; the perfect opportunity to exit the truck for photos and a stretch!

Just like all of our jeep tours you will see wildlife along this route.  With a little luck you may spot moose, bear and bighorn sheep. Moose are more commonly spotted on this ride than the other greats! A few of the more commonly seen wildlife on this trail are mule deer, elk, marmot, chipmunk, ermine, pika, ptarmigan, grouse and redtail hawks! Here at Alpine, our mission is to put you on the wildlife while we are out touring.

Our experienced guides strive to deliver a well rounded 4×4 adventure for your family and friends. Flower and fungi identification are always fun and interesting to learn about. Corkscrew Pass may not be as well known for its wildflowers as other areas, but it always delivers fantastic viewing and photo opportunities for flora and fauna.  Depending on what time of the spring/summer/fall you are exploring with us, you can expect to see Columbine, blue bells, and Lupine on corkscrew.  You may even see mountain phlox or jasmine flower growing above treeline in scree fields. These flowers are very specific as they only like to grow in very specialized areas, so they are always a treat to view.   Scarlet paintbrush and fireweed are commonly spotted in some of the lower lying areas of this tour.   Looking to spot a particular flower? Mention it to your guide and you may be surprised! Our 2022 touring season was exceptionally wet, and thus produced some of the most amazing fungi growths here in the San Juans!  We saw King Boletus the size of basketballs! Colorado has one of the largest mycological habitats in the nation; somewhere between two and three thousand species of mushrooms call Colorado home!

The BEYOND highlight of this tour includes AT LEAST ONE of the following epic destinations – The Tarns (high altitude lakes), Hurricane Pass, California Pass, Lake Como, Mogul Mine, and Velocity Basin. ALL of our group tours include:

• Restroom Stops
• Opportunities to exit the truck for photos, on-foot excursions, or just to stretch the legs
• Individual Bucket Seating
• Seat Belts
• Seats that accommodate your own car seat/booster seat
• Step Stools or Steps for easy entry/exit into truck
• Awning/Rain Flies
• Wind Screens
• PA Systems
• Personal Blanket for use during tour
• First Aid Kit
• Rain Ponchos
• Well behaved lap dogs may ride for free

This tour is more adventurous than our Yankee Boy Basin Group Tour.

• Tour length: 4 hours
• PLEASE NOTE: ​Some higher roads can be snowed in until July but we will always have an alternative route planned if Corkscrew Pass is not accessible. Early season alternative routes include the rough and tumble “Amphitheater”, Yankee Boy Basin, Lower Imogene Pass, or the panoramic Cutler Creek Trail.