Alpine Loop
Sixty-three miles of high dirt linking Lake City, Silverton and Ouray over Engineer and Cinnamon passes, topping out at 12,800 feet. It is not a highway: the BLM calls for high-clearance four-wheel drive, and the whole thing is shut for the winter.
When does Alpine Loop close?
Gated for the winter
There is no published opening date. The BLM gives summer as the season for the loop, and the passes open when the snow lets them — which at 12,800 feet is late.
The loop is closed in winter. Even outside it, the roads can be muddy enough to turn a vehicle back.
Conditions change by the hour at 12,800 feet on Engineer Pass — check BLM Gunnison's status page before you drive. This page is trip-planning history, not road status.
The road itself
The BLM's own byway system, not the federal scenic-byway roster. Colorado also lists it as a state scenic byway.
The drive
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Lake City
The eastern corner of the loop, and the usual start.
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Cinnamon Pass
The southern crossing, toward Silverton.
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Silverton
The southern corner, on US 550.
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Engineer Pass
The northern crossing, toward Ouray.
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Ouray
The northwestern corner, at the top of the Million Dollar Highway.
What's on the road
- Old mines, ghost towns and the relics of the 1870s silver rush sit along the whole route — this was a working pack road before it was a drive.
- Portions require high-clearance four-wheel drive. This is a rugged high-elevation road, not a scenic highway with a shoulder.
- The BLM's advice is worth taking literally: bring a full tank of gas and extra food and water. There is nothing between the towns.
Nearby: San Juan Skyway · Million Dollar Highway
Alpine Loop is one of the roads on our scenic byway and seasonal road index — every road here, with its designation, length and winter in one table.
Where these facts come from
- BLM: Alpine Loop Back Country Byway
- CDOT Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways: Alpine Loop
- USDA Forest Service, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests: scenic travel corridors
Last checked August 25, 2026.
Alpine Loop: closing and opening questions
- When does Alpine Loop close for the winter?
- There is no published opening date. The BLM gives summer as the season for the loop, and the passes open when the snow lets them — which at 12,800 feet is late.
- What closes Alpine Loop?
- The loop is closed in winter. Even outside it, the roads can be muddy enough to turn a vehicle back.
- Is Alpine Loop open right now?
- This page is the road, not its condition this morning. Bureau of Land Management — Gunnison Field Office publishes the current state of Alpine Loop, and that is the one to check before you drive.
Watching a spring trip? The opening watch board follows every road we keep a record for at once.