Home > Jeep Jamborees > Colorado - Ouray Jeep Jamboree

Colorado - Ouray Jeep Jamboree

This Jeep Jamboree takes place in Ouray, Colorado.

User Reviews

Colorado - Ouray Jeep Jamboree

 Avg. Customer Rating: (4.3 Stars) Average Customer Rating
Number of Reviews: 3 reviews

Write a review and share your thoughts with other Jeepers.



Colorado - Ouray Jeep Jamboree - Reviews

Customer Rating I'll come back again
Date: Oct 06, 2006
Reviewer: A JeepReviews.com User from (Katy, TX)
After two days of traveling, my Dad and I reached Ouray, Colorado. On Thursday, before the Jamboree even began, we took a drive through the mountain roads from Ouray to Telluride via Ophir Pass. Funny how in such wilderness, you can so easily find yourself - reconnect with your soul. Through the mountain trails, one thing ran through my mind that will separate this Jamboree from others. This is not an event of technical difficulty, obstacles or of the size/modifications to your Jeep. This is one of beauty, reflection, serenity.

Driving along, there is of course the incredible scenery. Mountains that are timeless rise up on both sides of the road. When you stop, you are surrounded by senses in the middle of nowhere. The aroma of Lodgepole pines permeates through the air. Wind dances on the leaves in the aspen groves; mountain streams babble over rocks that seem perfectly placed. The sun glistens through the trees and in the shadows there is beautiful fauna. Mushrooms and moss grow in the shade while fields of wildflowers blanket the valleys. Even though it is August, there is briskness to the air that brings a flush to your cheeks. Clouds form overhead promising a summer rain. Here, we are the visitors; nature is in control and we play only a small part.

There are 72 Jeeps registered for the Ouray Jeep Jamboree representing 23 different states. I was able to speak with many of the participants at registration Thursday night. When I first walked in, I found the guys to be most accommodating. Chris Timmes, Merlin and others assisted with getting the Jeep Tales banner in place and put me at a table along the row where participants gathered their give-a-ways. There are a wide arrange of Jeepers here. Some are old pros; for others, it is their first Jamboree. All events were held at the Ouray Community Center and catered by the Lamplight Restaurant from Monticello, Utah. The food was excellent and we even had a full catered meal on Sunday morning.

We joined up with the Blue Group which was guided by Chris Timmes who was the event coordinator. As he led us up mountainous switchbacks, he gave us a comprehensive lesson on the history of the area. Ouray was settled by prospectors; numerous abandoned mines are scattered throughout the mountains. Ghost towns are along the trails and remind us of a time long gone. What strikes me most on this trail is the color variations in the mountains from the different minerals and ores. There are some mountains that are red, some that have yellow aspects and of course, just sheer rock. The contours and variations blend well and blue spruce trees decorate the sides up to almost 12,000 feet where the tree line ends.

Chris and Than Larsen, our tail-gunner, led us up through Corkscrew Gulch, over Hurricane Pass, through the ghost town of Animas Forks and down into Silverton on Friday. For Saturday, we went over Imogene Pass. I have been to Jeep events where it has rained, now I can add sleet and hail to the list. The guides did a great job assisting everyone over the slick rocks that led to sheer drop-offs. We wound down the mountain through the ghost town of Tomboy where we did a little gold prospecting and then descended via very narrow roads into Telluride. We left on Last Dollar Road winding through aspen groves, past the set of True Grit and back to Ouray.

Like I mentioned, this is an event where the specifications of your vehicle are not as important as your driving skill and your ability to be comfortable with heights. There were many stock Jeeps, some with street tires, which ran these trails just fine. If you have a Jeep with very wide tires, this may not be the best place because with the extremely narrow roads, your tires would be hanging over the edge of a very long way down. The trails are county roads which are open from July to September and available to anyone with a good map.

I would like to thank Jeep Jamboree for having us out. We had a really great time. I would also like to thank Scott Laws & family of Lamplight Restaurant for the terrific meals. All of the trail guides deserve kudos for doing such a wonderful job. An extra thanks to Chris and Than for the history lessons and guidance for the Blue Group. I think I can speak for all of us when I express appreciation for guiding us through the passes in the rain and blowing sleet. Thanks also Chris for the use of your CB radio. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.


Rachel Bruner
www.jeeptales.com
 
This review is the subjective opinion of a JeepReviews user and not of JeepReviews.com.
 
Customer Rating Almost made me not do Jamborees again
Date: Sep 19, 2006
Reviewer: A JeepReviews.com User from (Round Rock, TX)
This was my first Jamboree. I had heard the Jamborees were very well organized, the food was excellent & the trail guides were experienced, helpful & plentiful.

This was a let down and I'm almost at the brink of not trying another one as I could have rented a Jeep and a guide for $250 on my own for a better time and more time spent on the trails .

I skipped the meals after the first couple as they were not up to school cafeteria food standards and I would rather spend my money in the local restaurants than eat the dinner that seemed to come out of a can of Chef Boyardee.
Was only missing spaghetti O's for a real meal.

Also, the mornings seemed to start very slowly, the event seemed disorganized, and then we were rushed on the trail all day. The guide was informative and the scenery was breathtaking--that is, what little bit I got to see, as we were rushed down a narrow trail, hence did not have enough time to look around. It seemed that the trail was too long for the time we had to do it in. The trail guide seemed more interested in making to the end of the trail in the time allowed rather than letting us see the wonderous sites. Due to my experience on this Jamboree, I will most likely not waste my $250 by sending it to Jeep Jamboree again. I would highly recommend going to Ouray and hiring a guide and eating at local restuarants for less money and a better trip.

A very disapointed customer
Sincerely
M. Hernandez

Round Rock,TX
 
This review is the subjective opinion of a JeepReviews user and not of JeepReviews.com.
 
Customer Rating Beautiful scenery, but JJ dropped the ball.
Date: Sep 01, 2005
Reviewer: A JeepReviews.com User from (Phoenix, AZ)
Let me first state that this was the fifth Jeep Jamboree I've attended (Big Bear, Vegas, Moab & Canyon Lands).
In the past the Jamborees were very well organized, the food was excellent & the trail guides were experienced, helpful & plentiful.
I noticed a change as we grouped up the first morning. There weren't enough guides for every group to have a tail gunner so the leaders were asking for volunteers from the group. After a few minutes of talking to our leader I found out he had volunteered as a tail gunner but the original leader had backed out so he was pushed into leading. He had never run the trails we were about to go on (either day).
After departing we found our leader's radio wasn't being picked up by anyone behind us (we were just behind him). He in turn could not hear most of the group behind him. We spent the day relaying messages back and forth between the leader and the group.
As he did not know the trails, there was none of the usual guide descripritions of what we were seeing (there are lots of old buildings, deserted mines, waterfalls & points of interest along the way - but I can't tell you a thing about any of them!).
The food was way below par & it seemed like everything was very unorganized.
To be fair, our trail leader did his best (only taking one minor wrong turn)and even went into Montrose the first evening and bought a new CB & antenna. He was very nice, but obviously inexperienced at leading a group.
Ouray is full of companies that give guided tours of the trails, Jeep Jamboree couldn't hire a few experienced local trail guides for two days?

I've always felt that the trail guides & food made the steep price worthwhile, but after this Jamboree I am seriously questioning whether I will attend another one.
I will return to Ouray, the views are amazing and while the trails aren't really challenging they are still fun. Next time it will be with the Charles Wells trail book & a couple buddies. There are plenty of nice restaurants & bars in town that would appreciate my $250.
 
This review is the subjective opinion of a JeepReviews user and not of JeepReviews.com.