| Difficulty: | Number: | Miles: | Altitude: | Obstacles: | Time: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate 5 | FR 708 | 10.10 | 9,360 to 11,900 ft. | Steep Climb - 1 Rock - 1 |
4-5 hours |
Holy Cross Ranger District
Minturn, Colorado 81645
Closure:
July - Best
August - Best
September - Best
October - Early snows possible
Accessed:
From Leadville, CO. head north on Harrison Ave toward East 9th Street for 141 feet. Turn right onto East 9th Street and go 0.1 miles. Take the 1st left onto US-24 W/Poplar Street and go 1.0 miles. Turn left onto US-24 W and go 14.4 miles. Turn right onto 10th Mountain Div Memorial Hwy and go 381 feet. Take the 1st right onto Camp Hale Spur 1B and go 0.5 miles. Turn left onto Eagle River Road/Forest Road 714 Continue to follow Eagle River Road for 0.7 miles. Continue onto Forest Road 702 for 240 feet. Turn left onto Road 708/McAllister Gulch and go 1.3 miles. Take a slight right onto the McAllister Gulch 4WD road.
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Starting up McAllister Gulch photo by: Adam M |
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After passing a private house the road will follow the gulch through some open stands of trees as well as thicker areas of the forest. There will be a few steep sections as you climb up the gulch. After about a mile and a half the road will head to the east and start a continuous steep climb through a series of short switchbacks. You will come to a large boulder that is an outcrop in the road. There is a bypass. Just past this obstacle the road will turn back to the north and climb out of the tress.
As you begin driving through more open high meadows look for a road to the right, Resolution Mountain, FR108.1A. This is a very steep, but short, hill climb to the top of Resolution Mountain. FR708 continues toward the west from here crossing a high ridge off of Resolution Mountain.
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The high ridge beyond Resolution Mountain photo by: Adam M |
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You will have great views of the mountains to the west. There will be small patches of forest spread out across this large sloping ridge. At the west end of this ridge is the top of Hornsilver Mountain, which the McAllister Gulch road will cross.
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Top of Hornsilver Mountain photo by: Adam M |
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After about a mile and a half McAllister Gulch road will head to the north and start its decent to Wearyman Creek. There will be a series of long switchbacks through the trees with few openings to view the surrounding area. After about 2 miles you will bottom out at the creek crossing for Wearyman Creek.
After crossing the creek you will be on the Wearyman Creek, FR747, road which heads east and west following the creek, crossing from side to side. In 2014, one year after the 2013 floods, many sections of the road along the creek had been washed away. There are boulders and rocks that make up the road now with only a few sections that still contain the fill material of the old road. Some sections have the creek running down the road as it has moved from its original course. Heading west there will be a few tight sections to navigate before you cover the half mile to connect with the Shrine Pass Road, FR709.