molas pass

Driving up from Durango, the twists and turns and views were awesome! Be careful if you go in the winter, make sure you have proper tires or chains. If you can, switch drivers if you pass back down, it's unfair for just one person to see these amazing views!

The winding mountain road up to view Molas Pass challenged my driving skills and is one I would never try in the rain or snowy weather. Gorgeous scenery with about the highest mountains I have ever viewed in the United States. Picture postcard beautiful!

At elevation 10,910 ft./3325 m. Molas Pass is among the highest mountain passes in the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado. Many outdoor guides rank this range as the wildest and most beautiful in North America. You will encounter the pass on US Hiway 550 while driving North toward Silverton or South away from Silverton.For sight seers, Molas Pass offers spectacular views from the road and scenic overlooks. For sheer adventure, stop, get out of the car, and take it all in as long as you are OK with the altitude and sharp drop offs. Note that this pass is considerably less intimidating than Red Mountain Pass on the same road, and it is generally kept open in the winter months (Red Mountain Pass is not). Molas Pass is a dream destination for mountain and road bikers, hikers, kayakers, fishing enthusiasts and campers. It is a major feature of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic race held every Memorial Day week end, which thrusts riders into a race against the narrow-gauge steam train that runs from Durango to Silverton. Whether participating in the Iron Horse or riding on your own, traversing Molas is a badge of honor for cyclists, and it is a high adventure destination for outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes.

We arrived after dark and were greeted warmly by the camp hostess. We woke up to an amazing view surrounded by mountains in every direction. The campsite was clean and well maintained. Firewood prices were reasonable. The camp host and hostess gave us some great ideas for day activities.We would recommend using the second entrance if coming from Durango....the first is very bumpy and was a little scary in the dark!!The campsites are rustic, although there are well-maintained toilets throughout the site, and a potable water faucet beside the camp office.We tent camped and ended up using rocks to anchor our tent because the terrain was too rocky for stakes. The views and beautiful lake were well worth it. We will definitely be back!!

I spent several days mapping Molas Pass for a college geology project and all I can say is the beautiful views and fantastic volcanic/glacial geology could have kept me here for much longer!

We drove up to the Lake (about 4 miles from Silverton) and enjoyed a pleasant morning of fishing. There were several groups of people fishing, some from side of lake, some in belly boats in the water and a couple in boats. Also a couple on paddle boards.There are numerous campsite areas around and near the lake. Not sure what the charge is to camp, there was no charge to fish. Beautiful area and many wild flowers on the mountain side.We drove over Molas Pass to Durango and it is a nice drive. Much more relaxing than the pass from Ouray into Silverton!!

This is a great place The view is fantastic. We are here every year and I never get tired of it. There is a pretty little lake and nice picnic area.

Elevation approx. 10,000, cleanest, purest air you'll ever breath is in this region! Has a lookout over the mountains and I believe you can see approx. 6 miles out into the distance. outstanding

We loved it. Absolutely loved it.Four of us on motorcycles. After touring Arizona, and Utah, last night before heading back to Texas was at Molas Lake Campground. When we got there, they had lost our reservation. The man told us that he was sorry and could refund our pre-payment. NO! That's won't do. It' late in the afternoon and we have no other place to stay. So he took us to a new part of the area that hadn't been improved yet. NOPE. Won't do. We're on motorcycles and couldn't even get to the area. Then, he decided that since they were over-booked, it was first come (with reservations) first served. He gave us a GREAT campsite with an area as big as a football field to pitch our tents. We didn't use 1/4 of the area. He also gave us $20 worth of firewood and tokens for the bath (which I'll use next year) for our inconvenience. In the end, he really worked to accommodate us and make us happy. The campground is quiet and scenic. I went out for a sunrise photography walk; hoped to find a moose standing in the pond near out campsite. Found 3 mule deer instead. This place is idyllic. Silverton is only 11 miles or so away with restaurants, ice cream store, etc. We rode back to the campground on the Million Dollar Highway at night . . . and in the rain. Didn't want to leave. Period. Could have stayed there 2 more nights. But we had to get back to DFW; so the next morning we reluctantly broke camp, loaded our motorcycles, and rode back down to Durango and eventually Tucumcary, NM. I'll be going back to Molas Lake Campground, for sure. Next time, will spend more time in the area.

I came across this campground by googling "best campgrounds in CO". Having seen it now firsthand, it's picturesque but nothing I haven't seen before. The lake is small and mostly popular with the anglers. Only a few parties kayaked during our stay and the lake stayed empty for the most part. Majority of the sites are NOT by the lakeshore. Maybe 5 or 6 have direct access to the lake. Since this campground is owned by the town of Silverton (private), you are not advised to just drive into this campground without a reservation. Sites are usually full during the summer even though we noticed MANY empty sites. According to the campground hosts, if a site is reserved and paid for by a party and they fail to show up on the 1st day, they will not let another party take it. You have to stop at the office before driving into the campground. The other huge disadvantage with this campground is that the campground hosts have total control as to which sites are assigned to whom. We were assigned a non-tent friendly site and we were refused a switch since according to the hosts, all sites are spoken for. There are tent walk-in sites which are the farthest from the lake. Not much of a walk from the parking lot (50-100 ft). The sites that start with "PV" appear to be the better sites. According to the hosts, you can make a request for a specific site when making your reservation in advance. Very few sites have privacy here. There is water, sink, showers ($5 coined - 5min-ripoff!), ice bags for sale, trash dumpsters by the office. We were not happy with the campground hosts here - husband made a "culturally ignorant/biased" comment about another party which I DID NOT appreciate. Apparently, starting next year, this couple will have total power with the reservation process. Just for the that reason alone, we will not be back to this campground. That's unfortunate since the lady I made a reservation with (office in town of Silverton) was very helpful.The campground is only a 10-minute drive north on 550. Ice bags are cheaper at the liquor store in town. We had our best ice cream cones at "Wooden Indian". Best coffee from Avalanche Cafe and Cafe Mobius although it depended on who made the cappucino at Avalanche Cafe (young woman there made the best cappucino!). Ouray is 40 minutes north of Silverton. If you haven't been to Ouray- it's a must-see. It is referred to as the "Switzerland of America" - way prettier than Silverton. It is internationally known for its massive ice climbing park (man-made). We got our soak on at the Ouray Hot Springs pool ($12). While we primarily rock climbed in Silverton and Ouray during our trip, we hiked the Ice Lakes trail (+12,000ft, 9mi RT, 5hr), drove to Animas Fork (ghost town), and Clear Lake. Be advised- road to Clear Lake is narrow, windy, and very rocky!!! FWD would be advantageous especially if raining but we did see a Subaru. We didn't have time or the opportunity to do the Highland Mary lake trail due to the weather but it is recommended. The trail to Ice lakes is fairly easy (not steep) for the first 3 miles. You do have to cross a tricky stream once you get to the valley so wear shoes with good traction. Majority of the hikers were older (at least in their 50s and over) so while it is a bit long, it's completely doable. The ice lake is turquoise....no joke! Probably one of the prettiest alpine lake in this state. There is another trail up to Island Lake from Ice Lake but we didn't have time to do it.If you do not want to pay for camping, there are vast (and absolutely picturesque) areas of BLM land that are very popular with RV and tent campers. Wish we had known about this beforehand...we could have saved ourselves the $18/night that we paid at Molas Lake campground...for a bad site and little privacy. The San Juans are probably the most visually stunning area of Colorado and we have been everywhere that is worth visiting in this state minus the Great Sand Dunes. You can even camp up by the subalpine lake below Ice Lake and even up at Clear Lake. Campers brought their kayaks and kayaked on Clear Lake! The county road that takes you from 550 to Mineral Creek campground is where we found the free campers. We drove around Mineral Creek campground after our Ice Lakes hike and it was nice. As I've said, there are other picturesque campgrounds in CO - if you haven't been to Lake City and Lake San Cristobal, I highly recommend it. The "Alpine Loop" off of 550 between Silverton and Ouray takes you into Lake City (this loop is unpaved and very popular with ATVers and FWDs). It's a great little town with restaurants. Little Molas Lake campground which is just south of Molas Lake is smaller, more primitive and prettier. I think it's free too so check it out if you're in the area (only 10 sites, no water or picnic tables).

You can park at the top of Molas Pass and take a gander at the mountains there, which are beautiful. But if you want more of a mountain experience, with a little time and effort, park just off 550 south of Molas Lake (east side of the highway) and begin your hike down for a great view of the Grenadiers. In a little less than a mile, you will come to an outcropping of rock that looks to the northeast at a line of jagged peaks. You can also look down into the valley and see a tiny piece of the Animas River and the D&SNGRR alongside. The wildflowers will be in bloom from the middle of July on. Don't miss this short hike.The Molas Trail on the west side of 550 takes you up mostly above timber line. Fantastic mountain scenery.Note that summer afternoon showers in July and August mean an early start on the trail if you don't want to get wet.

Molas Pass has some awesome views of the San Juan Forest and surrounding mountains. Get there early for a breathtaking sunrise.

To preface, my husband and I are avid campers and have camped all over the great United States, with varying degrees of difficulty. We live in the great state of Arizona, and love to travel to nearby areas for new adventures. We consider ourselves experienced, and wish to bestow our knowledge and love of camping, fishing and hunting upon our children. My daughters, ages 5 and 3 wanted nothing more than to go fishing. We have taken them fishing many times before in our state, but that was months ago, and they've since "forgotten how". Which worked out fine because we were invited to meet my husbands brother and wife, and their two children ages 7 and 4. The place, Molas Lake. We read all about it online and were very excited for our trip.The campgrounds are STUNNING. Views of the mountains, lake and amazing pines stretching far and wide. Our campsite was on the rocky and hilly side, which was a bit difficult for the kids to maneuver, but we made do. We reserved two campsites next to one and other so we could all eat, play and be merry. Now to my complaint. My husband wasn't particularly interested in fishing or eating fish (we had planned for smoked tri tip afterall), but we knew that his brother (two years his elder) is a very skilled fisherman and was excited to fish with all of the kids. My husband went along, across from our campsite to the lake, to help his brother "rangel" all of the children. He had already looked up the rules on DPW for the state of Colorado and learned that children are allowed to fish without a permit, he has always been a stickler for the rules. He did not purchase a fishing licence for himself because we would only be there for a day and figured his brother (a Colorado resident and holder of a fishing permit) could show our kids the ropes this time. My two daughters were taking turns using their Barbie-Themed pole. It broke after about two hours. My brother in law kindly shared his second pole with my daughters. My oldest daughter wanted to come back to the campsite after fishing for five minutes, so my husband took her back to the site, and brought my youngest daughter, 3 year old Anna, back down for her turn to fish with the group. Not even five minutes after he took her down there, DPW truck shows up, and gives my husband a ticket for fishing without a license. I was listening to the man speak in over-the-top RUDE tones to my husband, claiming he had been "watching him fish for half an hour" He explained to the DPW officer that he had just arrived, and was just helping the little one throw in the line, to which he replied "YOU TELL YOURSELF WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU WERE FISHING HARD". Absolute absurdity. My daughter came back crying, scared and worried that SHE WAS IN TROUBLE FOR FISHING. Not a good experience at all. We know that this officer mistook my husband for his brother, but this officer refused to hear either of them out. For his mistake, and refusal to simply issue a warning, we now have to pay $70. Yes, I realize this is review geared mostly toward DPW, but I feel as though the campgrounds should be made aware that this incident with a rude officer really soured our experience. If you wish your children to enjoy fishing, or if they are young and need a grown up to assist with tangled lines or holding the pole while putting a worm on (yes, my daughter was using a worm she had found earlier) then I would avoid this campground for the sheer ridiculousness of said particular officer. We will find campgrounds elsewhere in the future.

We stayed just driving through and tent camped. Beautiful campgrounds. very peaceful and quite. Owners very friendly and helpful. They where full due to July 4th weekend but they found us a spot right on the lake. Only regret was wish we could have stayed longer. Toilets are vault toilets but very clean. One night with 2 people was only $27. Gorgeous area. They have coffee and pastries each morning at the host residence. Also have firewood for sale if you didn't bring any.

What a wonderful road to travel. We recently took our canam spider across the country and this was one of our favorite rides. We took lots of pictures and they were out of this world beautiful. There were no bad views. We explored some of the side roads around Red Mountain and took a closer look at some of the old mines there. Then we moved on toward Ouray. Be sure you stop before you reach Ouray and check out the waterfalls under the bridge before you go under the tunnel and down to Ouray. Absolutely beautiful, rainbows can be seen. We loved our time spent here, well worth the ride And Silverton and the train ride were awesome also. I loved looking at all the old buildings and shopping in the stores.