Excellent video! Story here. Let me start out my saying that I started taking my wife out into the "great, wild outdoors" in 1983. We've camped in areas where we didn't see another human being for 5 days (yes, quite remote). She's hunted and fished with me in the the Snowy, Sierra Madraes, Wind River, Big Horn, and Absoraka MOuntain ranges in Wyoming as well as the Red Desert and Great Divide Basin (yes, she has harvested deer, pronghorn, and elk, just like me). She has been everywhere in the Ouray area except for Poughkeepsie and Black Bear. All of this has been in 4x4 pickups, Suburbans, and Jeeps. However, we came up Ophir pass from the townsite of Ophir. In the section depicted in your video, from 4:10 to 4:43 (what you referred to and the narrow section), there trail was layered with a great many large, loose rocks (many more than you experieced). All four wheels of the Jeep were slipping/bucking intermitantly and repeatedly on those rocks. A bit of a strange feeling to be sure. But that is where my wife lost it! She would only look straight ahead and was white-knuckled gripping the hand grab on the A-pillar and her seat. When we got to the top and stopped for pictures, she said to me, "I hope you've enjoyed all this, because I'm never doing these passes again!" I was floored...we had done Imogene earlier in the day! This was in 2018 and we haven't been back down there since. However, we are going down there this fall to "see the colors" but it will be on Owl Creek Pass and Last Dollar Road/Pass (just need a high clearance vehicle for them). Mind you, she had to see a video of Last Dollar before she said yes. At any rate, I've enjoyed your videos of the area and the memories they brought back (especially with the pics at the end of this video). It was good to remember it with your beautiful family. Thanks!!!

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your memories with me. Super happy to hear you enjoy the videos. I spend a lot of time filming and editing them so it is good to know they are appreciated. We loved this trip and will look back on it fondly. Cheers and happy trails!

We’ve done Ophir Pass several times in both directions. Most memorable was the year we were in our Chevy pickup. Left Ophir with some light snow on the ground. Got into the wooded section and there was a large Aspen tree across the road. 1 set of tracks probably a Jeep and he had crawled over it. I used a bow saw and cut the tree in half and drug it to where we could get thru. When we got up to the summit snow was 8 or 9 inches. Sure beat backtracking and going around the long way to get to Ouray.

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

That’s impressive! I would imagine Trail conditions are much more treacherous in adverse weather.

Love the photo dump at the end. You’re a lucky man Scott!

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Preaching to the choir my friend!

Great trail for a beginner,let my friend drive it and they had a blast for their first trail.

@TrailExpedition

6 ай бұрын

It’s a solid beginner trail. We loved all the trails out west!

Ophir is definitely anticlimactic, but you went down when you should have went up. It’s better on a busy day with traffic coming down while trying to go up. Trying to pass oncoming traffic on the narrow trail will make you question life!!

@TrailExpedition

3 ай бұрын

Haha! My wife would disagree! It was actually the busiest badge trail we went on while there. I think it’s because it was the easiest one and a more direct path to telluride.

Seems like every time I watch a Colorado trail video the poster films a Marmot, there's either a lot of them up there or that little guy really likes having his picture taken. 😂😂😂😂😂

@TrailExpedition

6 ай бұрын

I think a little bit of both! They are everywhere out there 😆

Ophir much easier nowadays since it has become a shortcut to Silverton & Durango.

@TrailExpedition

7 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly. It was definitely the easiest of all the Colorado badge trails.

Very cool man.. Love the pics at the end... thinking about doing 14 days out west next year..

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

You’ve gotta do it! It was hands down my favorite vacation!

@mikebrown200004

10 ай бұрын

14 days enough? @@TrailExpedition

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

We did sixteen days in total but four of those were drive days. We felt it was more than adequate time to do all we did. We didn’t trail ride every day either.

Thank! Great video! Which other easy pass trails would you recommend in that area? We have a Ram 2500 4x4. Definitely a capable vehicle but I’m not comfortable taking on something like Black Bear. We did Hurricane Pass in a rented jeep and it wasn't that bad.

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

I would also recommend Engineer Pass. It’s a little steep to start but after that it’s really easy. I have a video out on that one as well.

Ophir is an easy pass, went across one year and met a ford fusion driving it😂😂

@TrailExpedition

7 ай бұрын

Totally agree. It was my least favorite badge trail during our Colorado trip.

Too bad you guys just blew right over the pass. There is a beautiful lake just a short hike up from the pass on the side where the sign is. The views from there are absolutely amazing! The lake name is Crystal Lake.

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Aww dang. Wish we would have stopped to see that! Would have made it more fun!

I am a newbie who is just about to start my overlanding adventures and have a Bronco Sport. Which trails would you say I should start with besides Ophir in that area? Love that you take your family with you. Also was that the Guide book you link to at the around the 5 minute mark that is in her lap?

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Hey Bill! Ophir is a good starter trail along with Engineer Pass. I have a video out for that one as well. Engineer from the Ouray side starts out steep but no major obstacles. After the summit it smooths right out and is very easy. And yes, I have the book that we used linked below and it is well worth the money. Happy trail riding!

@jimf.625

9 ай бұрын

@@TrailExpeditionIsn’t Engineer Pass from the Ouray side go through Mineral Pass? My understanding is Mineral pass is on the difficult side. Probably too much for a Bronco Sport.

@TrailExpedition

9 ай бұрын

@jimf.625 there are multiple ways you can get there. We did do mineral creek to get to Poughkeepsie Gulch. There are small clips of it in that video. I didn’t think it was hard at all.

What antenna are you using

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Hey there! That is the WeBoost OTR Drive cell phone signal booster and it was great to have on this trip as cell phone reception was very spotty. It is linked below in the Amazon store under the Jeep Gladiator build.

If trail expedition says it's easy you might as well just hit the mall! 😅

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

You could do this trail in a clapped out two wheel drive Ford Escape.

@ForeverJeep

10 ай бұрын

@@TrailExpedition i usually take that to the mall though and hit up some good potholes on the way there

@ForeverJeep

10 ай бұрын

@@TrailExpedition defined clapped out 🤣

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Probably harder than Ophir!

Is the video about the pass or your vehicle and the chimming chipmunk you have with you. Go to MJ’s Adventures, his videos are road and the trail! Nothing else.

@TrailExpedition

5 ай бұрын

Straight chipmunks and marmots.

'Promo sm' ☀️

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

😎

It's not Ofeer!

@TrailExpedition

7 ай бұрын

O-fur. Noted.

구독

Great video. It’s pronounced O-fer pass by the way.

@TrailExpedition

10 ай бұрын

Aww gotcha! I knew I was bound to get some of the pronunciations incorrect. Thanks for watching!

@NigelNaughton

10 ай бұрын

Oh - Fur 😁