Driving through the lonely trail to Saint Sophia Ridge
Saint Sophia Ridge is a high mountain ridge at an elevation of 3.829m (12,562ft) above the sea level, located in Ouray County, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It’s one of the highest roads of Colorado.
Set high at the head of Governor Basin in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It is called Governor Basin Road. It’s an old mining road. Near the summit are remnants of several abandoned old mining buildings. The road can be driven in many stock SUVs equipped with 4x4 & higher clearance. However, the road is continuously rocky and does present some degree of clearance challenges for stock SUVs.
The trail is narrow with few places for passing so meeting someone can be a challenge. This trail is a treasure with no traffic and complete solitude. Keep an eye on the weather for thunderstorms and lightning. The views from the summit are spectacular. The road is accessible from June to October.
The road to the summit is very steep, hitting a 17% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at Yankee Boy Basin Road, the ascent is 5.6 km (3.47 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 567 meters. The average gradient is 10.12%. East of the summit, below Mendota Peak, a minor old mining road climbs up to 3.799m (12,463ft) above the sea level (37.966950, -107.772151).