Tincup Pass, St. Elmo

Total Miles
12.7

Elevation

3,706.11 ft

Duration

2 Hours

Technical Rating

5

Difficult

Best Time

Summer, Fall

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Tincup Pass, St. Elmo 4

Trail Overview

Tour historic mountain towns on this beautiful high-mountain pass. Visit St. Elmo, a popular Colorado ghost town with a few businesses, including an ATV rental. Tincup is a cute town with lots of historical buildings. No gate-closures on this trail.

Photos of Tincup Pass, St. Elmo

Tincup Pass, St. Elmo
Tincup Pass, St. Elmo

Difficulty

Difficult. Sharp rocks near the top may cut tires. One short section of narrow shelf road often remains snow covered into early July. After the snow clears, this trail is suitable for SUVs with high clearance, low-range gearing, skid plates and good tires.

History

St. Elmo was settled in 1878 and grew to a population of about 2,000. Like so many mining towns, the most prosperous businesses were saloons, dance halls and bawdy houses. In 1881, St. Elmo became an important railway stop. During the construction of the Alpine Tunnel, St. Elmo was a bustling supply center. When Mary Murphy Mine closed in 1920, St. Elmo was finished. Contrary to popular belief, Tincup is not a ghost town. Most of the old cabins in town have been restored to their original condition and are occupied during the summer. No visit to Tincup is complete without a stop at the Tincup General Store.

Technical Rating

5

Status Reports

Steve Shannon
Jul 12, 2024
Open
Dusty
Muddy/Wet
Rough/Deteriorated
Mirror Lake is over the road in a few spots. The water is about 3 feet deep in places. Stay near the bank when crossing.
Larry Stockton
Jul 05, 2024
2024 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5
Obstructed
Impassable Water Crossing
Mirror Lake to full to make it around the lake.
Thomas Tucker
Jun 27, 2024
SxS
Obstructed
Impassable Water Crossing
The trail is completely underwater. Shown behind and to the left of our adorable grandson.
Jody Durham
Jun 26, 2024
2021 Jeep Gladiator
Open
Snow/Ice
Rough/Deteriorated
Muddy/Wet
We started this trail from St Elmo. Gorgeous trail with a couple challenging mud holes.... lots of rocky sections but nice wide trail except where damaged. However... the trail is snow plug obstructed at 12,100' on the shelf road... see circled area on screenshot... and a cyclist told us it would be impassable without a snorkel at Mirror Lake. I COULD have gone a little further than I did... but I did NOT want to back down any further than I already had to... especially not on that ledge. See pics. Still we'll worth going as far as you safely and confidently can! The Moose was a nice bonus!

Access Description

From Johnson Village, head south on Highway 285 about 6 miles. Just past Nathrop, turn right on County Road 162. Go west 15.4 miles to parking area (with toilet) on left. Immediately after parking area, bear right following sign to St. Elmo. In center of town, turn right following sign to Tincup Pass. Cross wooden bridge and turn left. Head uphill on well-marked County Road 267.

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