RM ORS #15-04: Mirror Lake

Rocky Mountain (RM) Off Road Series (ORS) #15: Tincup Pass
A series by: RocketMan, zoltig, Grand High Pobah, Red Ruby, jpit and Fork L Man.

This cache is the fourth of eight caches in the #15 series of Rocky Mountain off-road caches located along the beautiful Tincup Pass Trail. The Tincup Pass trail starts out about 20 miles south-west of Buena Vista at the cool little ghost town of St. Elmo. This trail is considered a moderate trail with a short section of shelf road near the pass and some rocky sections from the pass to Tincup on the west side (a full trail description is included below).

Cache Information
This is the first cache on the west side of the pass and it is located where the difficult Old Tincup Pass trail starts. You will get a nice glimpse of Mirror Lake from here.

RM Off Road Series #14 Compete Cache Listing

1. Beaver Dam
2. Tres Amigos
3. View of the Divide
4. Mirror Lake
5. Buggy Meadow
6. Jolly Bovine
7. Beaver Meca
8 . Tincup Meadow

Trail Information

Rating/Description
Tincup Pass trail is one of the more popular trails in the Buena Vista area. The trail starts out at the cool little ghost town of St. Elmo on the east side of the pass and ends at the historic little ghost town of Tincup on the west side of the pass. The pass is at an elevation of 12,154 feet so this trail typically is not passable until mid to late July. The trail is easy to follow starting out at N38 42.240 W106 20.921 and ending at N38 45.246 W106 28.530. For an added thrill if you have the right equipment, you can take the "Old Tincup" bypass trail on the west side that starts out at N38 43.005 W106 26.153 and ends at N38 43.278 W106 26.271 (This trail is not for stock vehicles).

This trail is rated moderate and can be run in most SUV type vehicles with 4WD low range and good ground clearance. It is rated a 2 (easiest routes) to 3 (most difficult routes) out of 10 on the traildamage website. Team Red Rubicon members believe that the trail should be rated more like a 3-4. Disclaimer: You need to decide for yourself if it is safe to make the trip in your vehicle and if you have any doubts, don't do it.

To get to the trailhead, head south on US 285 from Buena Vista. Turn right on CR-162 at N38 44.396 W106 05.044 and travel 16 miles to the trailhead at N38 42.240 W106 20.921. You can return back over the pass the way you came, or head north out of Tincup on a smooth dirt road eventually heading east over Cottonwood Pass (approximately 45 miles from Tincup to Buena Vista).

Note: All coordinates in the above description are included on the waypoint list on the first cache page.

Winter Months
As stated previously, because this trail is at a relatively high elevation, it is not accessible in the winter months. Tincup Pass is generally accessible to off road vehicles from mid to late July though mid October although conditions can vary greatly from year to year.

Time/Distance
The trail is 13 miles from the start at St. Elmo to the end at Tincup. The trail can be run in 2 hours if you don't make many stops, but make sure you leave a bunch of extra time to have lunch on the trail, find the caches and to do some exploring. To reach the trailhead from the Denver area takes about 2.5 to 3 hours so leave the house early.

Trail Waypoints
See waypoint list on the first cache page.