Sawpit Cutoff

Rating: 1. This is a well maintained, gravel road that can be easily done in a passenger vehicle. 

Location: This is a cut-off between Ridgeway and Telluride, CO.

Trailhead

The north end starts 12.1 miles west of Ridgeway, CO on Highway 62, measured from the intersection of highways 62 and 550. The coordinates are 38.099930, -107.912448 (38°05'59.8"N 107°54'44.8"W). This is the same turn-off for Last Dollar Road.

The south-end begins at Sawpit, CO on highway 145. The turn-off is to the north, 4.2 miles east from the intersection of highway 62 and 145. It is east measured from the roundabout going into Telluride. Coordinates are 37°59'40.6"N 108°00'00.8"W (37.994618, -108.0002180. 

Description

This is a scenic, alternative way to travel to Telluride from Ridgeway. I doubt it saves any time, but it is shorter. It is 11.5 miles long compared to the 15.5 miles it would take on pavement.

This is a great alternative cut-off to Last Dollar Road for people who don't have high clearance or 4-wheel drive. The scenery is similar and it is a nice road to get off the beaten path a little.

Here are the GPX and KML files.