There is something special about the San Juans. I’ve never been there without feeling a unique sense of magic and connection to the wild. They’re dotted with picturesque little mountain towns, each with its own warmth and charm, and because of the mining history in the region, the mountains are accessible in a way that’s rarely found elsewhere. For the most part, if you can see it, you can find a road that takes you there - so long as you have a bit of patience and a vehicle with a little clearance.
Of all the incredible places I’ve experienced in the San Juans, Yankee Boy has to be my favorite.
The start of the basin is just a short 20-ish-minute drive from the town of Ouray up Camp Bird Road. The road to that point is generally passenger-car friendly, and it’s worth the drive on its own, even if you don’t continue into the basin itself. It passes through a beautiful mountain valley with waterfalls on each side of the road and has a couple of narrow shelf road sections that will keep both hands on the wheel and eyes wide in front.
You’ll pass the Camp Bird mine, which was once one of the richest gold producers in Colorado and is a big part of why there’s a road here at all. Thomas Walsh found the gold in 1896, reportedly in ore that earlier silver miners had tossed aside as waste, and within a few years he’d made a fortune large enough to sell out and move his family to Washington, D.C., where his daughter would later become the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. Camp Bird had a reputation for treating its miners well by the standards of the day, with a boarding house that had electric lights, steam heat, and real dishes on the tables, which is easier to appreciate once you’ve stood there and pictured a winter at that elevation. It’s still private property and has been worked off and on ever since, so what you see from the road isn’t a ghost town so much as a working camp in various stages of use: headframes, shops, tailings, and buildings tucked into the hillside above the creek. It’s worth slowing down for, but don’t linger too long, because the basin above it is the main event.
From the mine, you’ll continue up the road and eventually reach the start of Imogene Pass, which is a 4x4 trail that will take you up to 13,114 ft over the top of Imogene Pass and down into Telluride. I’ve driven this trail many times, and it’s a must-do rite-of-passage trail if it’s your first time in the area.
Passing Imogene, you start to get in the heart of the low basin. This area is particularly special and contains both an upper and lower falls that you can park and hike to. Our family has a ton of memories exploring and taking pictures around these falls. If it works in your schedule, I’d recommend trying to time it for sunset, which does happen quite early given the height of the basin walls around you. Any time of day is great, though, and the August wildflowers will add a special touch that you’ll have to see to understand.
The road continues up from here and arrives at a small area that has a vault toilet, so that’s worth noting. If your vehicle is not high clearance, then this is a great spot to take in the views, stay for a while, and then head back into town. If you do have a high-clearance vehicle, though, the second half of the basin that gets you up above treeline and up to almost 12,500 ft is my favorite part of the drive.
After the parking area and a small creek crossing, you’ll be on a single-lane shelf road that starts to work its way up to the top of the pass. This is a moderate trail, and there are some required obstacles that make it more difficult than many of the mountain roads and trails in the area. A stock Jeep or other high-clearance vehicle will be fine, but this is definitely more of a trail than a road.
Once at the top, you have a couple of different options based on time of day and activity preference. I’ve spent many hours sitting in a lawn chair, enjoying a snack and a drink, and taking in the views. There’s also a short trip down to a small snowmelt lake that’s worth a walk or short drive.
The best thing, though, in my opinion, as long as you’re up for it, is taking the Blue Lakes Trail that leads from the parking area to Blue Lakes Pass. It’s a short hike at just under a mile each way, but it’s almost directly uphill the whole way, so I wouldn’t consider it easy. The reward, though, is out of this world and will undoubtedly take your breath away. We took this hike as a family with a 10- and 11-year-old, and it was more than doable. If you’re looking for something spicier, you can continue up the trail to the peak of Mount Sneffels, which is over 14,000 ft.
Yankee Boy Basin is a trip that you can do in a couple of hours or easily take up a full day. The adventure there is as big as you make it. I have a catalog of special memories there with different people that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Without question or hesitation, I can’t recommend Yankee Boy enough; it’s more than worth the drive.