Is Cinnamon Pass open?
Lake City ↔ Animas Forks · 12,640′ · Moderate 4WD. Typically open May 28 to October 28.
The southern half of the Alpine Loop, running from Lake City past Lake San Cristobal and the Sherman townsite, up Burrows Park to the 12,640′ summit and down to Animas Forks. Easier than Engineer — a careful driver in a stock high-clearance 4x4 can manage it in good conditions.
Highlights
- American Basin — world-class wildflowers in mid-July
- Trailhead for Handies Peak (14,058′)
- Lake San Cristobal, Colorado's second-largest natural lake
History & lore
- Follows an 1870s toll route linking the Lake City mines with Animas Forks and Silverton.
- American Basin, on the west side, is one of Colorado's most famous wildflower gardens — peak bloom mid-July.
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