Trail Overview
This high-elevation route travels through the mountains above the historic Waldorf and Argentine mining area, providing expansive views across the surrounding valleys, forested slopes, and alpine peaks. The landscape transitions between dense stands of spruce and fir and more open subalpine terrain covered with grasses, low shrubs, willow, and scattered evergreens. The surface varies from relatively smooth packed dirt and gravel to rougher sections containing loose and embedded rock, shallow ruts, and exposed stone. Portions of the route are only one vehicle wide, while other sections provide more room to maneuver. As the route climbs higher, the forest becomes increasingly scattered and the surrounding views open considerably. The combination of open mountain terrain, rocky hillsides, and distant ridgelines makes this a particularly scenic route within the Argentine Pass road system. There is no fixed seasonal motorized closure listed for this route, but heavy snow typically limits access during the winter and spring. Summer through early fall generally provides the most reliable access, although lingering snow can remain into early summer and early-season snow may return in the fall.
Difficulty
The route consists primarily of packed dirt and gravel with scattered loose and embedded rock, shallow ruts, minor erosion, and occasional rougher rocky sections. Moderate grades and narrow one-vehicle-wide sections require some additional attention, but there are no major technical obstacles under normal dry conditions.
History
The mountains above Georgetown and Silver Plume contain an extensive network of historic mining, wagon-road, and railroad corridors. Silver discoveries in the Argentine district began in the 1860s, and wagon toll roads were constructed through the Leavenworth Creek drainage and across Argentine Pass beginning in 1869, providing an important early connection between Georgetown and mining communities west of the Continental Divide. Transportation changed again in the early 1900s with construction of the three-foot narrow-gauge Argentine Central Railway. Beginning at the Colorado & Southern connection at Silver Plume, the railroad climbed through the mining district to Waldorf and ultimately reached Mount McClellan. The line used steep grades, sharp curves, switchbacks, and Shay locomotives to negotiate the mountains while hauling ore and carrying tourists into the high country. Clear Creek County records the railway opening to Waldorf in 1906, and historical documentation shows that portions of today's roads through the area occupy or closely follow the former railroad grade.
