Black Bear Pass closed indefinitely after SUV gets stuck on cliffside road
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Black Bear Pass, a popular high-altitude mountain pass in San Miguel County, is closed until further notice after a driver from South Carolina got his SUV stuck off the road, dangerously teetering on the edge of a switchback.
The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office said that the driver had attempted to take his Kia Telluride up Black Bear Road, despite people in the area advising him not to.
The sheriff's office said the driver ended up getting stuck just past Bridal Veil Falls, with the vehicle's wheels hanging off the side of the road.
Officials say the vehicle is currently unstable and unsafe for other vehicles to pass, prompting the full closure of Black Bear Pass for public safety until the car is towed.
"It is not safe for cars to drive around it. The vehicle requires tow, and it is unknown at this point when this can happen," the agency wrote in a post to social media.
Bridal Veil Road up to the Falls is also closed just past the parking lot, prohibiting access to the Via Ferrata, the sheriff's office said. Bridal Veil Trail will remain open.
Black Bear Road is a notoriously narrow, difficult off-roading path, open only to drivers in four-wheel-drive and high-clearance vehicles. It is not recommended for standard passenger vehicles, according to officials.
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