4X4 Adventures in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado - San Juan Odyssey 1999

Brown Mountain Trail Report
Saturday July 31st, 1999

Today's Activities:
As some members of our team had to head home today, we decided to keep it simple. We made a quick trip to the Brown Mountain Trail that starts in Ironton Park. This is a great short run to get your 4x4 feet under you if it has been awhile.
Miles had planned a trip to the mine tour in Ouray this afternoon. He should have some great new photos for us.

Trip Length:
1 1/2 hour from Ouray.

Difficulty Rating:
2 to 3

Trail Condition:
The Brown Mountain Trail is a great quick trip that provides some stunning views of Ironton Park and the surrounding area. For those who are interested in the Silverton Railroad, great views of the Ironton area can be experienced. The trail has a lot of good vertical travel with a little mud in a few spots. The trail begins at the north end of the larged capped tailings pile in Ironton Park on US 550. This is also the start of the Corkscrew Gulch Trail so don't make a wrong turn. Brown Mountain is on teh left and Corkscrew on the right. We did not have time to follow the trail all the way to the top as our constant companion, the rain, chased us back down the mountain.

Sites along the trail:
The views to the west of Ironton Park are the best part of the tral. We stopped at a mine that had seen some work in much more recently than most inthe San Juan Mountains. Evidence of an army surplus truck was found. It appeared that they may have been using the motor from this truck to power a compressor or hoist. We could still see the white star against green paint on the truck. I have not identified this mine yet but will update this narrative when I have.

Brown Mountain Photo Gallery