Bridalveil and Ingram Falls in Telluride
Colorado Travelog #15
Telluride, CO - Monday, 4 Jul 2022, 5:30pm
Despite getting a bum steer on staying Telluride the next few nights we decided, "We're here now, let's make the best of it." There was a waterfall we could basically drive to, so we visited that first. ...Mind you, it was one you could drive to with 4 wheel drive and high clearance. Thus why I paid, like, 3x the price of renting a sedan to get a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 (and also why I was frustrated when it came shod with poor tires).
Bridalveil Falls is big enough that we could see it a few miles back in the valley around Telluride. I just kept driving in its direction. Soon paved road turned to dirt and gravel. Then there was a parking lot where most people parked. The trail to the base of the falls was just over a mile with about 800' of ascent from there. But the road continued for the skilled and well equipped. I switched into 4-Lo and drove another 2 miles up rocky switchbacks. We parked in a small lot at the base of the falls alongside mostly Jeep Wranglers.
The road continued up a bit from the base of the falls. It goes to the top of the falls. There's a power generating station up there. I'm not sure how it generates power as it's atop the falls.
The road continues beyond the top of Bridalveil Falls. It's one way the opposite way, though. It comes over the Black Bear Pass from Red Mountain south of Ouray. We parked the truck and walked up the road a bit to catch a better view of Ingram Falls.
Ingram Falls has several tiers. The drop shown in the photo above is near the top. Further down it falls in a series of small cascades. In total it's over 2,000' of falls, basically from the top of the ridge to the bottom of the valley.
Speaking of top and bottom of the valley, here's a pano from where we parked our truck on the Black Bear Pass road. That "tiny" waterfall off on the left is 200'+ Bridalveil Falls.
Telluride, CO - Monday, 4 Jul 2022, 5:30pm
Despite getting a bum steer on staying Telluride the next few nights we decided, "We're here now, let's make the best of it." There was a waterfall we could basically drive to, so we visited that first. ...Mind you, it was one you could drive to with 4 wheel drive and high clearance. Thus why I paid, like, 3x the price of renting a sedan to get a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 (and also why I was frustrated when it came shod with poor tires).
Bridalveil Falls is big enough that we could see it a few miles back in the valley around Telluride. I just kept driving in its direction. Soon paved road turned to dirt and gravel. Then there was a parking lot where most people parked. The trail to the base of the falls was just over a mile with about 800' of ascent from there. But the road continued for the skilled and well equipped. I switched into 4-Lo and drove another 2 miles up rocky switchbacks. We parked in a small lot at the base of the falls alongside mostly Jeep Wranglers.
The road continued up a bit from the base of the falls. It goes to the top of the falls. There's a power generating station up there. I'm not sure how it generates power as it's atop the falls.
The road continues beyond the top of Bridalveil Falls. It's one way the opposite way, though. It comes over the Black Bear Pass from Red Mountain south of Ouray. We parked the truck and walked up the road a bit to catch a better view of Ingram Falls.
Ingram Falls has several tiers. The drop shown in the photo above is near the top. Further down it falls in a series of small cascades. In total it's over 2,000' of falls, basically from the top of the ridge to the bottom of the valley.
Speaking of top and bottom of the valley, here's a pano from where we parked our truck on the Black Bear Pass road. That "tiny" waterfall off on the left is 200'+ Bridalveil Falls.