FJ Summit 8: Ouray, Colorado

Few countries organise a gathering of like-minded enthusiasts with the verve and commitment of the Americans. The subject matter or object of affection is almost irrelevant. The best motoring events (of any kind) I’ve attended have almost all been in the USA.


One such event that CarAdvice was recently lucky enough to attend was the annual FJ Summit in stunning Ouray, Colorado. Nestled among the awe-inspiring San Juan mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, it’s hard not to fall in love immediately with Ouray’s authentic western charm. The tiny municipality (population 1014) is the perfect backdrop for a weekend of off-road trail driving and exploring.

The town has real Western credentials too. The John Wayne classic True Grit was filmed in Ouray, as was How The West Was Won. Ouray has a picturesque storybook feel to it, with traditional hotels and saloons serving all kinds of American fare, the side streets are still unsealed gravel and the locals welcome visitors with open arms. Just about every shop window had a ‘Welcome FJ Cruisers’ sign.

Ouray, which sits at an altitude of 2375-metres, is higher than our tallest mountain (Mt Kosciuszko at 2,228-metres), and yet the town is still dwarfed by the epic Rocky Mountains that shadow it in every direction. Battling a nasty flu, I was struggling to get the conversion from feet to metres right, and you’ll notice in my video intro I said 4900-metres instead of 3900-metres. I’ll blame the altitude…

Without doubt, the best aspect of the FJ Summit is that you get to climb up into those mountains on organised, orderly trails. Scaling mountains up to 4000-metres is exciting enough, but being able to do it three or four times in one day is even more intoxicating.

As you’d expect, Ouray comes alive in summer. Winters are relatively harsh and quite long, so as the weather warms, the town comes out of hibernation. Visitors arrive in off-road vehicles, on quad bikes, riding mountain bikes and loaded with hiking gear to soak up the incredible scenery. We’re told that Ouray is the ice climbing capital of the USA. The national flags protruding out of rocks at impossible heights and angles indicate that statement might be true.

The original FJ Summit took place in 2007, not long after the retro off-roader’s launch in the USA. As you’d expect, in the years since, the event has become a well-oiled, incredibly organized machine that’s bigger than the founders ever intended. I’d say it’s a once in a lifetime event for Australians given how far away it is, but I have a feeling I’ll be back. Even if you’re not into four-wheeling as such, the setting itself is worth the trip alone. Factor in a visit to Denver and Vail and you’ve got a great road trip without even trying.

2014 marked the eighth annual event and the FJ Summit has a philosophy of everyone being welcome – so long as you’re an FJ fan. It’s a real family affair too - Mum, Dad and the kids mixing it up off-road with heavy hitting companies like TRD USA and the best the aftermarket has to offer. Australian off-road fans know that gear designed down under is as tough as anything in the world, and plenty of modified FJ Cruisers in Ouray are fitted with Aussie-designed gear.

The FJ love affair is over in the States - officially at least - with Toyota announcing the end of FJ production in America (after the 2015 model year), but enthusiasm for the model looks like it will long outlive production, judging by the assembled throng at the FJ Summit. The FJ Cruiser remains alive and well Down Under though, and the event gave CarAdvice a taste of what these vehicles are capable of and just how strong the fan base is around the world.

After an overnight stop in Denver, where we used the ‘Mile High City’ to acclimatise to the altitude and get over any jet lag, we saddled up in our TRD-tweaked FJs and drove out toward Ouray with a quick stop in Vail for lunch.

Colorado is truly breathtaking part of the United States and it’s an absolute must for anyone who loves sightseeing. As you enter the canyons and valleys there’s spectacular scenery everywhere you look. Rolling into Ouray, we have no idea how beautiful the view will be from the top but if it’s anything to rival the view up into the mountains we’re in for a hell of a few days.

Day One – Black Bear and Imogene Pass

The San Juan mountain terrain differs depending on the peak and which side of the range you happen to be climbing up or down. Most of the trail driving is comfortable and challenging enough to be fun, without the white-knuckle moments you might expect given the altitudes. We dive straight into the deep end and head for Black Bear Pass for our first taste of the Rockies. We only need to head 30 minutes out of town along the Million Dollar Highway (US Route 550) to find the start of the trail.

On our first descent after cresting Black Bear Pass (3914m), we need the assistance of one of the volunteer guides through a short, rocky section where the track narrows considerably and drivers need to pick their way down slowly and carefully. Just after that descent, there’s a series of super tight switchbacks, which help you pick your way down the hill and even the FJ, which has a great turning circle by off road standards, needs a few four point turns.

Apart from that challenging section, common sense prevails on all the other trails we explore and you’re left to enjoy the view as you climb or work your way down. The scenery means that it’s often better to be a passenger than a driver!

One benefit of Black Bear Pass is that it offers the ‘short-cut’ from Ouray through to Telluride, which is a beautiful, bustling little holiday enclave fast becoming the new Aspen. I use the term short-cut, because it still takes a good few hours to get over the crest and into town. A lunch stop in Telluride is a must and that’s exactly what we did before heading back up into the mountains – next stop Imogene Pass.

Leaving Telluride, I’m struck by how quickly we climb back up into the mountains via steep, smooth trails. At 3997m, Imogene is the second highest pass accessible by vehicle in Colorado and as such, it provides some stunning views.

After cresting Imogene we head back into Ouray to have a closer look at some of the custom FJ Cruisers on display in town – and to enjoy a well-earned dinner. One thing that is immediately apparent if you haven’t had much to do with off-roading in the US, is just how much more owners can get away with than we can here. The amount of seriously modified FJs is incredible. Some, minus doors, have been driven from interstate and look like competition trucks. It’s an amazing sight to see such heavily modified vehicles cruising around sharing the road with more mundane modes of transport.  

Day Two – California, Hurricane, Ophir and Corkscrew Pass

We head off on day two scouting locations to shoot video and still photography to accompany this article. Our decision to leave the busier trails closer to town is a good one – a short run down the Million Dollar Highway into the old mining town of Silverton opens the door to some incredible backgrounds.

We see well-preserved abandoned mining towns high up in the mountains and we’re left wondering how they were ever built in the first place, given the age of some of them. There was gold in the hills though, evidenced by the colloquial name of the highway and the amount of prospectors who made their fortunes. There’s proof of mines everywhere you turn.

In one day of smooth driving, without being more than an hour or so out of town, we crest four passes, some with plenty of snow still on them. California Pass tops out at 3941m, Hurricane Pass at 3782m, Ophir Pass at 3578m and Corkscrew at 3840m.

Corkscrew is particularly enjoyable and the organisers’ tip that the trails wouldn’t be bas busy as day one turned out to be spot on. We even had the chance to chat to other holidaymakers from around the States who were out in hordes exploring on quad bikes.

Our small group of Aussie journos wakes with a heavy heart on day three, knowing we’ll only have a quick coffee in Ouray and hit the road heading out of town back to Grand Junction for our flight home. We’ve had a ball. It’s been a privilege for CarAdvice to be part of such a sensational event that welcomes all comers no matter where they are from. I hope my first FJ Summit, won’t be my only FJ Summit.

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Trent Nikolic

Trent Nikolic has been road testing and writing about cars for almost 20 years. He’s been at CarAdvice/Drive since 2014 and has been a motoring editor at the NRMA, Overlander 4WD Magazine, Hot4s and Auto Salon Magazine.

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