It took our group of 12 rigs roughly 3 hours to reach the pass from St. Elmo. We really enjoyed the lake at the end of the trail. Not subaruable. Pass is open! Water runs down the trail nearly the entire route. Nothing technical but very bumpy. In Tincup, visitors can stop by a store and a cafe and wander around century-old buildings. During the construction of the Alpine Tunnel, St. Elmo was a bustling supply center. . Self-servicing fee tube is available. Nearby Chalk Lake is heralded as a great family fishing lake with rainbow, brook and brown trout. With all you could need nearby and on site, this is the perfect spot to rest on your trip to our through Illinois. Beautiful 12,154-ft. pass road between historic, quaint mountain towns Although considered a ghost town, St. Elmo is still inhabited and the general store welcomes visitors every summer. The road to the summit is totally unpaved. Immediately after parking area, bear right following sign to St. Elmo. Along the Old Tincup route, stay right and continue downhill at this unknown road spur. Easier than I remember from years past. A maintained road continues downhill to town of Tincup. Pueblo, CO 81008 Unlock all of the details on every Trail Guide and Scout Route. Interagency Senior/Access passes valid for 50% discount to the camping fee for one site. Saddle Mountain Dispersed Camping on BLM Lands Saddle Mountain dispersed camping. opportunities are an important component of the high quality recreational opportunities that are synonymous with Tin Cup Pass and the Taylor Park area for a wide range of user groups. New Ford Ranger truck (with paper plates) was doing the trail easily - possibly a small lift and A/T tires. Seconding what others have said, the route is in much worse shape than last year at about the same time. A scenic drive through Tincup Pass is a rewarding experience promising breathtaking views and visits to historic towns. By the late afternoon, there wasn't a lot of traffic on the trail, but there were still a lot of people at Mirror Lake. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Mirror Lake is still flooded over the trail. Some of the sites have tent pads and all sites have a picnic table and fire ring. have fun! Started on st. Elmo side. After a brief stop in St Elmo, my wife and I ventured up the trail to the pass in the rain (and occasional hail) on 18 Jun. Ran the trail from Tincup to St. Elmo in the rain. Please be sure to stay on the trail and drive over snow drifts and not around them at all. Fun day in the hills as always. We made it the whole over the pass a few days ago. Tincup Pass was in great shape, until you reach the last few hundred yards at the summit. Deep snow in places. Tincup Pass provides quite a few hiking opportunities, such as the trail to Fitzpatrick Peak. Old Tincup Pass Road reconnects here to the main route. Prior to Memorial Day weekend, and after Labor Day, services (such as hosts, trash, toilet and water) may not be available. Ran on a stock Xterra with KO2s. As previously stated, hug the bank. It connects Nathrop, south of Buena Vista, to Almont, between Gunnison and Crested Butte. A great little Colorado ghost town that is out of the way and not packed all the time. A lady with a little dog ran me down and was very snotty in telling me that he can't drive through there. went both ways 2 weeks ago two Rangers three four wheelers one was a two wheel drive 90 given by my ten-year-old granddaughter and my eight-year-old grandson all Polaris had a great time camping by Mirror Lake is great. You can go the back way, over the mountain that is travel able only on foot or 4 wheelers from the ghost town of St Elmo, or the 'easy' way on the dirt roads from Crested Butte. 4 wheel Low entire trail. FOR RESERVATIONS CALL: 1-877-444-6777 Rental Options We tried to plow through the 3' snow drift with no luck. This trail is beautiful. Amazing on the UTV even though extremely busy. A great adventure but next time we'll be in a jeep with more clearance! Ran in 4 high and did not need 4 low or lockers. An official website of the The road down to the lake was rough but scenic and the town of Tin Cup was cool. Boulders along the Old Tincup Route are much larger than the main Tincup route. Get Deals, Discounts, Information and more, in your inbox. Old Tincup Road goes right here. Tin Cup RV Park is set in the quaint village of Mahomet, Illinois. Thanks for all the reviews previously, it was great to know I could make it with the rental before heading up the trail. The picturesque, remote drive passes through the San Isabel and Gunnison national forests. Plenty of places to pull over for photographs. ( You can drive there without 4x4 from Gunnison area. My local 4X4 group visited the Buena Vista area for the week and this trail was our first choice. Tincup Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.710m (12,171ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary of Chaffee and Gunnison counties, in the U.S. state of Colorado. Mountain Biking Tincup Pass Road. Sites must be occupied the first night of payment. It's beautiful up here. Mount Princeton Campground is located in the Chalk Creek Canyon, which is one of the valley's most popular areas. A scenic drive, a wilderness hike, or a night of camping . Unless you plan on heading back down Tincup Pass once reaching the end of the trail in Tincup, I highly recommend heading north on FSR 765 (dirt road) in Tincup to the Taylor Park Reservoir, then taking CR 209 (paved road) back to Buena Vista via Cottonwood Pass. This trail is perfect for the novice Jeeper. While in Tincup have lunch at Frenchy's Cafe. Just follow the roads in, pick your patch of sand, and set up. The trail down to St. Elmo isn't quite as interesting as the Tincup side. I suspect that it was snowing up higher. Just past Nathrop, turn right on County Road 162. Immediately after a parking area with a toilet, bear right and follow signs into St. Elmo. Numerous camping sites, many of which were occupied by people with large 4x4s and camping trailers. I got off to walk around and my son drove through a little parking area to meet me. Fishing is available in Chalk Creek located along the southern edge of the campground. Great ride! There are some great lakes/reservoirs for fishing along the way, and Crested Butte is a doable drive. Classic run that got a little easier. There are 3 sections of water with the third (going south to St. Elmo) being shallow and very short. While this is not a hard trail, it is EXTREMELY rocky and this actually turns a lot of people away from it as you will feel pretty beat up by the time you get to the lake. The trail and beautiful scenery both vary enough to keep it interesting. Rocky at the top with one short section of narrow shelf road at 12,000 feet that often remains snow covered into early July. connected to the .gov website. Open and beautiful. Get Directions. Parking is limited to the parking spurs provided with each campsite. Two Jeeps tried and both had to be recovered. Ran the trail from Tincup to St. Elmo. No showers or electrical hookup are available. Tincup's past is tainted with old Wild West violence and tragedy. Bumpy and scenic drive all the way to Tincup. We were lucky to be on a relatively flat portion of the road and were able to change our tire. The Taylor Park Trading Post and the small town of Tincup are your best bet for cabins in the upper park. Fair amount of side by sides; but trail mostly wide enough for passing. Accessibility: I grew up with a relentless passion for all things Jeep and off road related, and that passion has never died out. 4 of us on 37s+ with dual lockers and around 5lbs of air in the tires, headed up Tincup from St Elmo. Saw just a few tiny snowflakes along the way with some patches of snow in shady areas. Everyone behaved but the big groups of UTVs really need to get radios to communicate to the front to pull over and let others pass once and a while. The trail features a few steep sections and a few narrow areas where two cars can barely pass each other. He needed 4wd because of his tires and wheel base, but seriously. a stock f150 did it. My rig is built for extreme offroading, but I love to get my tires dirty on any kind of trail whether it's rock crawling or just scenic high Alpine drives. At 12,154 feet, you pass over the Continental Divide, leaving San Isabel National Forest and enter Gunnison National Forest. We also did a short trail to Mary Murphy Mine nearby. Most of the trail is pretty easy but there are large rocks to watch out for. First-come, first-served. Nearby ATV/UTV and 4X4 rides include Mount Antero, Baldwin Lake, Tincup Pass, Hancock Pass, Pomeroy Lakes, Hancock Lakes. Self-servicing fee tube is available. Trees snapped through and or uprooted and deposited on the uphill opposing side of the valley. The trail up to the town of Tin Cup was very rocky that was mild to moderate in most areas. You can also eat at Frenchie's Cafe. From there, you can return the way you came. The most important advice I can give is to have a vehicle that has a very high clearance and a good set of tires, oh, and a good spare! No gate-closures on this trail. The Cascade Loop Trail is located across the street from the campground. Views are incredible. Difficult. The north side of the pass is slightly more rocky than the south but is still relatively easy if you stay on the primary route. It was one of our best day trips over the passes of Colorado. Mirror lake also makes for a nice spot to stop and have lunch or to stretch you legs out. Shoveled out the drift at the top. Starting off in St. Elmo was awesome. They were nearly out of merchandise. We got a late start and a storm blew in so we headed back over the pass. This giant loop makes for a long day, but it certainly is a fun one rich in history. Drove the route from St. Elmo to Tincup on 15 August 2022. The snow was about 2 feet deep until we reached tree line. It was very busy and if you are not a fan of SxS's, I would recommend going during the week. There is abundant OHV riding nearMt. We have taken our ATVs over a dozen times. Very picturesque scenery throughout with lots of great dispersed camping along the way. The hike is a lot harder than it seems, and I have not done it. Lifted 4Runner on 32's. Easy beginner trail with great views from the pass. Right goes to Taylor Park and Cottonwood Pass back to Buena Vista. When a trail is this popular I suppose youre bound to see some people with awful trail etiquette. Somewhat crowded with jeeps and UTVs. We were able to get the rough the water crossings at Mirror Lake just fine. Does any one know the status of Antero, Tincup or Hancock Pass? 8. There are currently two large avalanches that cover the road in debris and those need to melt out and be cleared by heavy equipment before they will open the road. more, Ghost and Murder Tour provided by Steve's Original Salida Walking Tours, Browns Canyon Sizzler 6-Hour Whitewater Rafting Experience from Buena Vista, Browns Canyon National Monument Whitewater Rafting. Gunnison Ranger District, Attn: Dispersed Camping Comments 216 N. Colorado St., . FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Boulders are much more pronounced, not a smooth spot anywhere except on the pass itself. This is one of my favorites! great little glimpse into the history of the area. Start a free trial and get this level of detail on every trail Tacoma TRD OR. The primary route heads west at the FSR 267 marker, while the Old Tincup route heads north at this Y intersection. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock St. Elmo is one of the most popular ghost towns in Colorado. Sites must be occupied the first night of payment. -On 32s with about 18 of road clearance before bottoming anything. Now 25% Off. To the northeast you see Emma Burr Mountain. The plan was to extend the day on other trails once we arrived in St. Elmo. Luckily for him, there were plenty of experienced wheelers there to get him back on the road. Tincup RV Park 4.5 based on 2 reviews 1715 East Tin Cup Road Mahomet, IL 61853 Get Directions (217) 586-3011 tincuprvpark.com/ Add Photo Write a Review Add a Photo Bookmark Email to Friend All RV Parks Illinois RV Parks Mahomet RV Parks Tincup RV Park Park Features & Amenities Camp Basics Park Type: Private Sites: 75 Pull Through Sites: 18 Looks bad, but fine if you hug the edge. This is an old mining town. No reservations are taken for sites in this campground. After pass the path ceases to be a road but a rocky area with no defined borders. Excellent trail! 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, Mesa Cave Creek Regional Park. You also agree to the storing of cookies on The trail does have some steep/rocky sections, with increased difficulty due to snow melt runoff making for some slippery climbs. An interpretive sign at the entrance to the cemetery provides information on the early settlers and miners who are buried there. By 1918, the town had so few people . Trail conditions can change without notice. What makes this trail worthwhile is the great views and lake water crossing . For current conditions call Salida Ranger District (719) 539-3591. But a friend finally talked me into it and I'm glad he did. Not sure when those pictures were taken, but the road is a lot more rocky and degraded than those pictures suggest. Airing down is your best for this of course :). Fishing is available in Chalk Creek. Sometimes the water level in the lake is high enough to cover the road and you have to take a higher path above the lake. #coloradocheck #tincuppass # . You have to run this trail. But today Tincup Pass is one of the most popular 4-wheel-drive destinations in the region. In 1881, St. Elmo became an important railway stop. But we had a blast. An ordinary stock Jeep, 4-wheel-drive vehicle or ATV is capable of reaching the top. Aired down to 20 psi. Good run. We went from Tincup to St Elmo which is the harder route. The impatient driver tried to pass in a narrow spot and put both passenger side wheels over the edge. At the pass, youll be on the Continental Divide at 12,154 feet in elevation. Someone has laid some logs as a barrier at Old Tincup Road so I am not sure if it has gotten worse and that was done to indicate that? I have been a trail leader several times for events such as All-4-Fun, ColoradoFest, Set Them Free, 14er Fest, and others. There a snow bank covered 1/2 of the width of the already narrow road. Would love to Atv toward tincup and pitkin. I do tend to disagree with the bottom end of the difficulty being a 3. I highly suggest that if you don't have the ability to air down, then you are going to have a rough day. We hiked in a little over a 1/2 mile from the trailhead before hitting snow fully covering the trail. on official, secure websites. We ran Tincup Pass from St. Elmo to the town of Tincup then back. I believe you can see and or hike to the Fairview Peak Fire Lookout. The entire loop takes us about 8 hours. After the last switchback, the road was covered with snow for roughly 150ft. Tin Cup, which has to be the best name anyone ever named a town, was named something else once, and the post office said there was another one, so they changed it. Cons Few resupply options Trailhead Elevation 9,270.00 ft (2,825.50 m) Highest point 12,853.00 ft (3,917.59 m) Features Near lake or river Backcountry camping Wildlife Fishing Big vistas Big Game Watching Wildflowers Bird watching Typically multi-day Yes The is fishing and camping and people to talk to. Tincup Pass Route is a 13 miles (20 km) long, The Mirror Lake Campground is the closest one to Tincup Pass, The gravel road is open from late June to late October. LockA locked padlock The best part of this was the stop at the top of the pass where the Continental Divide marker was. Planning on visiting this area shortly. Cave Creek Regional Park. 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