Owl Creek Pass

Total Miles 45.9
Technical Rating
2 Easy
Best Time Summer, Fall, Spring
Trail Type Full-Width Road
Accessible By
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Owl Creek Pass trail photo

Trail Overview

This is an enjoyable and easy 45-mile trip over Owl Creek Pass between the Uncompahgre and Cimarron Rivers. There can be a few water-filled potholes, but nothing that would stop a passenger car with reasonable clearance. Perhaps it would be muddier early in the year. John Wayne filmed scenes from both "True Grit" and "How the West Was Won" along this road. The southern portion of the trail varies from ranch land to forested mountains. Chimney Rock is a prominent landmark along this stretch. Owl Creek Pass is heavily forested at just over 10,000 feet in elevation. Silver Jack Reservoir is a fair-sized lake fed by the Cimarron River. The Cimarron Road is a wide gravel road connecting Silver Jack Reservoir to US 50 east of Montrose. This track follows the main road for a ways toward US 50 but then takes a shortcut on a good county road to reach US 50 at the Dallas Divide. There are areas of private land with cabins and lodges, and also large expanses of open range land.

Photos of Owl Creek Pass

Difficulty

This is a graded, well-maintained, scenic route.

Technical Rating

2

Status Reports

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James stclair
Sep 28, 2025
Open
very beautiful place to have a picnic off the normal path.. lots of traffic.. very busy place. some people pulled off to the side others didn't care and would speed right passed u on blind corner.
It’s-A-Trip LLC
Sep 25, 2025
Open
Great trail to roam around on. Great views, offshoots gave different views and some surprises like the large rock photo attached to this review. Get out and enjoy this with the fall colors happening now.
Wide Open Roams
Sep 13, 2025
Open
Owl Creek Pass is a fantastic drive, especially in the fall when the trees are changing color — the scenery is absolutely stunning. We ran it during a rainstorm, which added a whole new atmosphere to the drive and made it a really fun experience. The road itself is easy and generally smooth, making it accessible for most vehicles. The only tighter section is the series of switchbacks as you descend toward Ridgway, but they’re still manageable with careful driving. Along the way we also had to slow down for some cows on the road, which added to the charm of the route. At the top of Owl Creek Pass you’ll find several great dispersed campsites, making it a perfect spot to stay overnight if you want to soak in more of the area. Overall, it’s an easy, scenic trail that offers some of the best fall colors you’ll find in Colorado. Check out our YouTube video @WideOpenRoams!
Rich Guess
Aug 08, 2025
Open
heavily shaled route, nothing too complex, but lots of golf ball sized rock.
Trish brown
Jun 17, 2025
Open
Most of the road was in great shape- a few washboards toward the top - pretty gentle grades on this side - stepper on the Ridgeway side but not much gravel so traction is good. Overall easy -rode my BMW gs
Justin Durham
Jun 01, 2025
Open
Trail was 99% dry throughout. There were some snow and wet patches towards the peak of the trail, but there were tracks through them which made it easy to continue on through the trail. More than likely all remaining snow will be gone within the next couple of days with the current weather outlook in the area. Drove it in my Subaru Outback XT.
Corbin Kinsch
May 27, 2025
Open
Clear past up towards the True Grit meadow. However, then after the snow gets pretty deep, made it about 200 ft then got stuck and had to use traction boards. Then my 4Runner and another Tacoma pulled out an F-350 that was stuck. I would give it few more weeks if not a month. 👍
George Nykun III
May 27, 2025
Open
Impassible snow on top of pass (from US50 side). Give it another week or so and it should be good to go.
Taylor Tindall
Oct 17, 2024
Open
R Staz
Sep 07, 2024
Open
Began the route on 10 by Ridgeway State Park. It increases in elevation t9 about 10,000 feet. Overall essentially a gravel road with some washboard. Some traffice but lighter. Decent views along the route as you move from ranchland to mountains. 4wd wasnt needed. Conditions were dry. The majority of vehicles appeared to be hunters.
David Barth
Jun 09, 2024
Open
Clear and dry on both sides of the pass. Snow fields and some mud if you turn south at the top of the pass onto CR-H1. Overall the trail is in great condition and it was green and beautiful up there.
Ale Chirinos
May 18, 2024
Open
deep snow
Paul @MyDirtyHummer
Sep 09, 2023
Open
Sherry & Harvey Shirley
Jul 30, 2023
Open
Lucas Ingraham
Jul 13, 2023
Open

Owl Creek Pass Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • Single Track
  • 50 Inch
  • 60 Inch
  • High Clearance
  • Full Width

Owl Creek Pass Map

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