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Argentine Pass
From Dirtopia, The Off-Road Encyclopedia
 Photo: Santiago Mine | |
| Off-Road Information | |
| Other Names: | |
|---|---|
| Terrain: | dirt road/4x4 |
| Off-Road Use: | |
| Difficulty: | Easy(4) |
| Camping: | {{{camping}}} |
| Geography | |
| County: | Clear Creek County, CO |
| Nearest Cities: | |
| Map Links: | Google Map |
| Satellite Map: | {{{satlinks}}} |
| Special Map: | |
| GPS Coords: | 39.693777/-105.732415 |
| Google Earth: | Argentine_Pass.kmz |
| Climate: | |
| Area Size: | |
| Elevation: | |
| Last Visited: | {{{lastvisited}}} |
| Open/Closed/Date: | {{{openclose}}} |
| Season(s): | {{{seasons}}} |
Excerpt borrowed with permission from TrailDamage.com
The first half of the trail runs parallel to the McClellan Mountain trail. Argentine Pass runs in the valley while McClellan Mountain runs along a ridge higher up to the north. They both meet at the ghost town of Waldorf at the Waldorf Mine.
There is a network of trails here and it's easiest to get turned around in the beginning. It starts with a climb and if you find yourself going under the powerlines in the first mile or so of trail you have taken a wrong turn. You will eventually leave the main trail, taking a left turn that travels down into the valley. This part of the trail will then cross under the powerlines.
There is a fun, rocky area that will give a stock 4x4 vehicle a good time -- there are a couple rocks here that are good to challenge other offroaders too. You will eventually climb up this hill to Waldorf.
McClellan Mountain is off to the north while Argentine Pass continues ahead. You follow switchbacks here to reach the top. Argentine Pass used to continue down on the other side (you can still see remnants of the trail at the top of the pass) but it does not anymore. It was closed when an offroader was killed in an accident on the other side where it was extremely narrow and steep.
The views from the top of the Pass are spectacular. You can see the entire valley as well as the valley on the other side. There is enough room to turn around at the top, with parking for a few vehicles (though it would not be considered a parking lot).
After you get back to Waldorf Mine you can cross over to run the McClellan Mountain trail. These two trails are good to run together.
Maps and GPS Coordinates
A comprehensive list of GPS waypoints and tracks in Google Earth format can be found here: Argentine_Pass.kmz
Argentine Pass Coordinates: 39.693777° -105.732415°
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Find nearby Geocaching locations
- Find this location with Google Earth
External Links
TrailDamage.com pictures, movies, maps, GPS coordinates and additional trail information.
