Stony Pass

Stony Pass

Stony Pass
Stony Pass

Distance

38.6 mi

Technical Rating

4 Moderate

Best Time

Summer, Fall

Trail Type

High-Clearance 4x4 Trail

Accessible By

Trail Overview

Stony Pass will take you from Silverton to Highway 149. The Jeep trail is relatively easy, but it is 38 miles long and the section from Kite Lake to the Rio Grande Reservoir (10 miles) could be more exciting. From there, Highway 149 is well-graded. The more interesting place to spend your time is west of Kite Lake. Along the descent on the east side of Stony Pass, you can see small streams along the trail. These are streams starting at the Continental Divide and they are the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. As you start up the west side, watch for what is left of the Buffalo Boy aerial tramway with a few tram buckets still attached. The Buffalo Boy trail will take you to the upper end of the tramway. The wildflowers are fantastic on the west side of the pass, if you are there at the right time of the year, which is a bit later in the season than most of the San Juans. Sheep will be grazing all the high country at certain times through the summer. Stony Pass is 12,592' in elevation.

Weather

Status Reports

Bert Huff
Sep 15, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
Dusty
Gun’r Cowan
Sep 01, 2024
2023 Ford F-Series
Open
Rough/Deteriorated
Raptor did surprisingly well considering its width but had no issues on 99% of the trail just super tight
Vic Blaufuss
Jun 26, 2024
SxS
Open
Normal
Dozer had been over the pass and repaired the spring washouts the day before and was still working on the back side during our ride to Kite Lake. Trail was dry during our ride but looks like it could be very muddy in spots after a rain. One of my favorite passes so far.
Rob Kirby
Jun 25, 2024
2023 Ford Bronco
Temporarily Closed
Trail Restoration
County bulldozer was working on the trail.