A memorable road trip to Velocity Basin in CO
Velocity Basin (formerly named Colorado Basin) is a cirque basin with a small turquoise lake at its base at an elevation of 3.449m (11,315ft) above the sea level, located in San Juan County, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
Set high in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, at the north foot of Storm Mountain, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It’s called County Road 52. Road conditions are always changing. This trail is well maintained as it provides access to several summer cabins. 4x4 vehicle required.
Located just north of Silverton, winter comes early and stays late on this trail, so you may only be able to safely run it in the middle of the summer. Spring doesn’t get the chance to happen here until July or August. There are a few muddy sections but nothing to be concerned with. Stay alert for potential turnouts as you may meet traffic in inconvenient locations. The end of the trail is just below the lake.
The road to the summit is pretty steep. Starting at State Highway110, the road to the summit is 2.73km (1.7 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 241 meters, and the average gradient is 8.82%.
Pic: Max Molello