Black Bear Road closed in Telluride for road and bridge work
Black Bear Road shut 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Telluride, closing Via Ferrata access, parking and nearby trails from Idarado Mine to Ingram Falls.
Black Bear Road closed from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, cutting off Via Ferrata access, parking and nearby trails between the Idarado Mine and Ingram Falls. San Miguel County said the shutdown affected the full work area while Road & Bridge crews cleared the switchbacks on the face of County Road K69.
The county posted the access warning on June 22 for the June 25 work window and said the maintenance was needed so crews could safely complete road work. During the closure, all trails, parking areas and access to the Via Ferrata inside the work zone were closed, turning what might have been a simple drive into a full-day routing problem for anyone headed into the Bridal Veil corridor.
That matters because the Via Ferrata sits at the east end of Telluride’s box canyon below Ajax Peak, with lower and upper access points that depend on the same mountain corridor now under maintenance. Telluride Mountain Club places the lower trailhead about a half-mile from the bottom parking area near the mine settling ponds, while the upper trailhead is about 1.75 miles from that same starting point. Visit Telluride describes the route as technical and exposed, with some sections leaving climbers suspended about 500 feet above the ground.
The closure also fit a pattern that Telluride regulars know well. A similar county notice in June 2025 hit County Road K69, Bridal Veil hiking trails, Bridal Veil Falls, the Via Ferrata and the Lewis Mill Trail through Bridal Veil Basin. San Miguel County has also said Black Bear Pass work is weather- and manpower-dependent, and in a spring 2026 update Road & Bridge Supervisor Ryan Righetti said crews could have the job finished by July 4.
Black Bear’s reputation adds to the urgency of every access warning. In October 2025, Black Bear Pass and Bridal Veil Road were closed after a Kia Telluride got stuck on the cliffside road, again blocking Via Ferrata access. Telluride Mountain Club says the route evolved from underground status into a popular, well-used climb, and Visit Telluride ties its origin to Chuck Kroger’s late-1980s vision. On a day when the road is shut from the mine to the falls, the practical answer is simple: the adventure plan has to change before anyone reaches the canyon.
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