Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway

The Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway is located northeast of Silverton, Colorado in San Juan and Hinsdale Counties. The route is circular, running from the ghost town of Animas Forks to Lake City and return. The Byway combines crossings of Engineer and Cinnamon Passes with high country scenery that features river meadows, alpine tundra, and ghost towns.

Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway
Highway system
Colorado State Highways

While the meadows and tundra are accessible to ordinary passenger vehicles, a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel the entire route.

"Wilderness along the Alpine Loop in Colorado".

Route description

The Alpine Loop is generally considered to begin and end at Lake City. From there the route commonly followed is west over Cinnamon Pass to Animas Forks, and then returning east over Engineer Pass back to Lake City. This clockwise circuit generally puts the vehicle on the inside "lane" of the mountainous portions (but moot because almost all is single track) with the driver on the outside, providing a better view of the relative position of the vehicle and the outer edge of the road at the top of the drop-off. [1]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
HinsdaleLake City0.000.00 SH 149 northZero milepost
FH 14
SH 149 southBecomes FH 30 west
FH 33
FH 33
Camp Redcloud
Castle Lakes Campground
FH 36
FH 35
FH 12
FH 5 westBecomes FH 5 west
San Juan FH 2 southBecomes FH 2 north
FH 18
FH 17
FH 2 westBecomes an unmarked road
Hinsdale FH 21 southBecomes FH 21 north
FH 21 northBecomes FH 20X east
FH 20 westBecomes FH 20 east
FH 24
FH 23
SH 149
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. "The Alpine Loop" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.


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