For the 2022 Ghost Town Run, we heading back to St. Elmo and Pitkin to enjoy the surrounding trails and all the great mining and railroad history. I hoped that we’d be able to get back to the West portal of the Alpine Tunnel after seeing reports of volunteers breaking up and removing rocks from a past rockslide on the Palisades, but unfortunately, the road to the West Portal was still closed. It sounds like things are in the works to have the damaged section of the Palisades repaired to original condition.

For an extra credit run, a few of us headed over Napoleon Pass to get to TinCup and back over Cottonwood Pass to camp. Saturday, after metting up in St. Elmo, we headed over Hancock Pass, checking out some sites along the old railroad grade of the Denver South Park and Pacific while heading to camp. Sunday we took the scenic drive over Cottonwood Pass to TinCup, then TinCup Pass to get back to St. Elmo.

Some pretty impressive engineering can be found along the old grade of the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad. The Palisades are one example of the engineering used. 432 ft long and a height of 33ft. The Palisades consisted of hand cut, interlocking stones to help keep the grade level as it passed along a massive cliff face on it’s way to the Alpine Tunnel. No mortar was used on the Palisades and until the rockfall aa few years ago, the Palisades had been in use for over a 100 year. Pretty dang cool:)!

Ghost Town Run 2009

As you pass over the Palisades, the views are stunning and it’s awesome to know that a steam train passed over the same spot over a hundred years ago.

A few pics from the trip. Enjoy!

Act 1: A fine evening at camp and a run over Napoleon Pass

Act 2: Pomeroy Lakes, Mary Murphy mine and a busy drive over Hancock Pass

Act 3: A stroll around Tin Cup, Mirror Lake and Tin Cup Pass