Recommended off-road trails near Durango/Telluride for a stock 5th gen 4Runner ORP?

Hi guys.

I own a 2024 Toyota 4Runner ORP, completely stock except for KDSS suspension and 265/70/17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires. The vehicle is brand new, in pristine condition, and intended for family vacation road trips, not hardcore rock crawling. (I plan to do some mods, but for the foreseeable future, it will have to be in this stock configuration.)

My question is:

What scenic off-road trails near Durango, Telluride, Silverton, or Ouray, Colorado, are suitable for a stock 4Runner ORP with KDSS to avoid damage?

By "avoiding damage," I mean: preventing undercarriage impacts/bashes, brush scratches on the body (pinstripes), or breaking parts that could leave us stranded.

By scenic, I would prefer trails with some good panoramic views.

• Which trails are safe and recommended for this setup (e.g., is Ophir Pass suitable)?
• Which trails should I avoid due to risk of damage ?
• Questionable Trails: I'm interested in Engineer Pass and Imogene Pass. Can these be navigated without bottoming out?

Thank you!

 

Way too many to list. If you're a paper map kinda guy, the Wells Guide for Southern CO. is sold at multiple retailers in any of those towns. If GPS your go-to, Trails Offroad, GAIA and On X Offroad all have either free or inexpensive memberships with excellent details. All of the above have trail difficulty ratings.

Have seen bone stock Wranglers and 4Runners on everything from Ophir and lower part of Yankee Boy (easy) to steps on Black Bear and THE obstacle on Poughkeepsie (not so much).

Driver experience (+spotter if have one) and tolerance on underbody touching terrain big factors.

 

I did Ophir Pass in a stock rental Jeep Wrangler with itty bitty street tires and had zero issues. Basically a very rough unpaved road with incredible views! At Telluride you can go from downtown up to the waterfall at the end of Black Bear but no farther. Be careful on that as there are a couple of ledges to navigate. It was easy in a rental!

 

I'm trying to avoid making contact with anything rocky or sharp.

I'm sure there's a zillion possible options. Maybe a better question is... What popular trails should I definitely avoid in a stock 4runner ORP?

 

Black Bear pass is one to avoid i think.

 

No one here can tell you what you're comfortable with/what trail conditions will be/how congested you'll find them. Do a few green/easy rated trails during the week when you get there. You'll figure out your skills/tolerance levels PDQ without a small armada behind you pushing you faster than you're comfortable physically & mentally.
Play around. Stop part way over an obstacle, hop out (assuming no traffic), assess clearance you thought you had vs. reality. Place your rear differential to one side or the other of a rock, hop out and compare drivers view to reality. These kinds of goofing around instill more skills and confidence than all the articles written. Slow's good. No shame in pulling over and letting folks by. In doubt, get out and walk it first (traffic dependent).

You'll figure it out quickly/as you go. Have fun. Post pics.

 

Cinammon pass starting at and returning to Lake City is a really nice scenic drive. If you decide to go over the pass to silverton you’ll hate the world, since the roads are made of football size jagged rocks. Impossible to go much more that 5 miles an hour for long sections without feeling like everything will shake apart.

The only problem is that the only way to get to lake city from silverton in a day is to go over cinnamon pass. It’s not too bad I guess, but just be ready to get rattled for hours between the silverton and the pass. Almost everything between the pass and lake city is gravy.

Engineer pass starting and returning to Uray is really nice, but you’ll definitely make contact on the mineral trail section at the beginning coming out of uray. You’ll need some testicular fortitude climbing the last bit of engineer pass if you’re not used to being one mistake away from falling off a mountain.

eta: last dollar road is nice and easy from telluride to ridgeway

 

This guide book will help.

$28 Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails (FunTreks Guidebooks)

Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails (FunTreks Guidebooks): Wells, Charles A., Peterson, Matt: 9781934838266: Amazon.com: Books

 

I enjoy Corkscrew Gulch up to Hurricane Pass. Very scenic with broad views. You continue on to California Pass and down California Gulch to Animas Forks, then you have to choose Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass or drive easy gravel out to Silverton. It’s been a few years since I’ve drive Engineer and Cinnamon but I don’t recall anything beyond the ability of a stock 4runner. There are very narrow, seemingly one way stretches on Engineer Pass that you’ll need to be careful not to get over the edge if you meet traffic.
Placier Gulch and Picayne Gulch a bit rougher and the later has a steep washed section but my 1” lift and AT tires had no troubles at all.
The only time I’ve driven Mineral Creek from Ouray was in the Jeep and I remember a long off camber narrow stretch that switchbacks steeply up and left. It was neat but I’m not sure I’d take my 4 runner that way. At the time farther up there was also a deep swale or wash across the trail that would have certainly dragged the backend of 4runner.
The more gravel road sort of trails around the Red Mountain Mine,
accessed off 550, get up close to a few mine ruins with puddles and pot holes as obstacles.
Neat place to visit and get dirty.