Owl Creek Pass

Owl Creek Pass is a real hoot.

This circle drive is close and offers the kind of scenery generally only found on calendars and in coffee table photography books.

Travel south from Grand Junction to Montrose. Continue south toward Ridgeway.  At Ridgeway State Park look for signs to Silver Jack Reservoir. This is Owl Creek Pass, an unpaved drive well worth a few washboards. A passenger car is suitable for this well-maintained dirt road.

It's 13 miles to the top of Owl Creek Pass, but expect the drive to be at least 30 minutes if not longer. The road is narrow, not completely devoid of traffic, and beautiful enough to provoke sudden stops for gazing or picture taking.

Scenic highlights on the west side of Owl Creek Pass are dominated by Courthouse Mountain (12,152 feet).  Chimney Rock, on the ridge leading to Courthouse Mountain, puts one in mind of Wyoming's Devil's Tower as it looms lonely and foreboding over the Owl Creek Drainage.

Peaks up the West Fork drainage, just beyond the Owl Creek Pass summit include Dunsinane Mountain (12,724), Precipice Peak (13,144), and Redcliff (13,642), but they rarely come in to view. Coxcomb Peak (13,656 feet) lurks farther up the West Fork Road, which is clearly marked just below the summit of Owl Creek Pass on the east side.

For campers, several pull-outs can be found to enjoy a night or longer. More camping can be found up the West Fork road.

Once over the summit, motorists are heading down into the Cimarron Valley. Look for roads that travel south up the Middle Fork and East Fork drainages. Both offer unsurpassed Colorado scenery and lead to the Uncompahgre Wilderness area, home of fourteeners Uncompahgre Peak  (14,309) and spectacular Wetterhorn Peak (14,015). It is possible to hike back to the high peaks, but at 14 miles, it's easier to access these mountains from the Lake City side of the wilderness area.

Still, the hiking is terrific, for those who want a leg-stretcher.

Once back in the car, pick up the primary road down to Silver Jack Reservoir.

Silver Jack boasts a large and generally uncrowded U.S. Forest Service campground. Just below Silver Jack is Beaver Lake, which also has a campground.

Below Beaver Lake is a long expanse of open ranch land and mountain vacation homes scattered throughout the Cimarron Valley.

Continue north to U.S. Highway 50. A right turn leads to Blue Mesa Reservoir, a left turn leads back to Montrose. This is also the access to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

At Montrose, this short, sweet loop drive is complete.