The Alpine Loop Back Country Byway is a 63-mile scenic and historic route through Colorado’s high San Juan Mountains, linking Lake City, Ouray, and Silverton. Usually traveled as a loop from Lake City over Cinnamon Pass or Engineer Pass to Animas Forks and back, it crosses alpine tundra, meadows, ghost towns, and remnants of the region’s silver-mining era. Rising from 7,792 feet in Ouray to 12,800 feet at Engineer Pass, it is among Colorado’s higher backcountry driving routes. Designated both a National Back Country Byway and a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway, it combines dramatic mountain scenery, mining history, and rugged travel conditions that range from passenger-car access on some stretches to full four-wheel-drive requirements on the complete circuit.