Those traveling between Ouray and Telluride amid Highway 550 closures due to the nearby Gold Mountain wildfire might want to avoid using the first recommendation that pops up as a detour on their GPS.

As of 2:30 p.m. on June 30, Google Maps was recommending two detour routes between these two towns – one that travels over the notorious Black Bear Pass and another that includes the challenging Imogene Pass. Both of these roads are rated as a six of 10 on the OnX site in terms of off-roading difficulty, with travelers of both routes needing to have a vehicle built for the task. Big drop-offs, uneven road surfaces, and narrow lanes are present. On top of that, both Black Bear Pass and Imogene Pass remain closed following winter at this time.

Per the Colorado Department of Transportation CoTrip map, there’s a detour in place that allows local travelers and visitors to dodge the Highway 550 closure found north of town. This detour utilizes roads that run parallel and west of Highway 550, but it shouldn’t be used by everyone traveling through the area – only locals and visitors.

Here’s what the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office said regarding closures:

“Southbound from Ridgway to Ouray – Local commuters, visitors and local deliveries to Ouray only on CR 17 detour. All other southbound motorists and through-traffic must take the CO Hwy 145 detour through Telluride.”

“Northbound traffic from Silverton with a final destination of Ouray can access the town of Ouray. Travelers with final destinations north of Ouray need to seek the alternate route of CO 145 through Telluride.”

If one is unable to travel north out of Ouray and needs to get to the Telluride area, the best option is through Silverton and down to Durango on Highway 550, then heading west to Dolores on Highway 160 before taking Highway 145 northeast into the Telluride area. It’s a long detour that takes about four hours and travels 182 miles.

Hopefully the recommendation of using Black Bear Pass or Imogene Pass as a detour will be fixed soon on Google Maps. Usually, the company is pretty quick about that. Either way, it’s a good reminder to always double-check your route to make sure it’s the route you want, regardless of the GPS service you’re using.

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