The 4 Wheel Drive Highway to Heaven, Kendall Mt, Silverton Colo part 2
I hope you made it around that ‘S’ Curve on this 4 wheel drive road just fine.
As I was saying, the hard right at the Y and then the tight S curve soon after is the most difficult part of this 4 wheel drive road. From now on all you have to overcome is the pucker factor. As this road is a bit narrow and way high and open; but boy does it start to get cool.
The Notch along the side of the 4 wheel drive trail.
The Notch!
The next spot along this 4 wheel drive road that is definitely worth a stop is the Notch. I don’t think this needs any more description. The Notch has a great view of some well bowled out basins and makes for some great photos.
The next Leg of the 4 wheel drive road.
The road wraps around to the front of Mt Kendall
The next stretch of this 4 wheel drive road is way cool, and I was just thinking “how could this be any cooler”. The road begins to wrap around to the front of Kendall Mountain, funny how I think of the Silverton, Colorado side as the front. The view as you wrap around opens up towards Durango, Colorado and you can see Hwy 550/the Million Dollar Highway as it climbs over Molas Pass and by Molas Lake. You will also start to see some of the communication antennas and such located up here. I would have to imagine this is why this road even goes all the way to the top because I see no other signs of mining at this elevation. But as always, I am always very drawn to the double peak that I like to call Dolly Parton Mountain ( the Grenadiers). I am just not sure why those mountains always get my attention, hmm.
Dolly Parton Mountain!
Now for the Grand Finale of this 4 wheel drive road!
Now I drove the road out until you get to another S turn in the 4 wheel drive road that will take you all the way to the top of Mount Kendall, another 50 ft or so higher if you choose. It looked a little gnarly to me, so I pulled out to a stopping point, then used the first switchback to back into and turn around. And, no, there is not a lot of space for turning around and even less above if you choose to go on. But now that you have your rig safely parked time to get out and go AHWWW! Over 25 years I have been exploring these mountains, trust me, this really is one of the best views out there. I love how you can look up all the gulches such as Chattanooga where 550 runs, Cement in the middle, and the Animas on the right. Then there is Silverton way down below, it is almost scary to look at! I really enjoyed the panoramic feature on my new Fugi Fine Pix Camera as you can see.
The stopping point!
I hope you enjoyed this 4 wheel drive adventure.
I do hope you enjoyed this 4 wheel drive road, and will safely get turned around and headed back down to Silverton. As tradition would have it, stop by and say hi to the folks at the Handlebars Food and Saloon before you leave town. I will see you on our next 4 wheel drive road adventure!
A Panoramic from the Top!
Having fun with the Panoramic Feature at the top of Kendall Mountain 4 Wheel Drive Road!
Who has made this trip? Tell me about it on Facebook!
