Alpine Loop - Backcountry Byway Lake City - Silverton - Ouray
Whether you start from Lake City, Ouray or Silverton, gravel roads lead you into the high alpine meadows and forests. As your elevation increases, so does your need for a 4-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle. This byway takes you into the Backcountry of Colorado’s mining past, up above the timberline into the tundra, and over two high elevation passes.
Originally built as toll roads for the stages and freighters of the late 1800s, these roads are now your access into Colorado’s frontier history. The Alpine Loop covers 65 miles of roads between the towns of Lake City, Ouray and Silverton. Depending on winter snows, the loop opens in late May to early June and closes in late October.
Historic interest includes ghost towns, abandoned mining camps, and cabins that were built from the mid- 1870s through the early 1900s. The true star of this show is NATURE in all her glory: waterfalls, rare wildlife, spectacular fields of wildflowers, and geologic features such as jagged volcanic peaks, glacier-carved cirques, and canyons.