Bronco Sport Badlands @ Imogene Pass in Colorado Rockies

[Bronco7221]

Hi!
We took a trip to Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride this week and ended up doing half of Black Bear Pass (we turned around at the one way sign leading to The Steps/Switchbacks). The portion of Black Bear we did was relatively easy but did have a few narrow roads and steep climbs. Overall it did great and the views up there are extraordinary!

We also took it over Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride. I watched a lot of videos of Imogene to determine if we could do it and we decided to go for it. No videos I watched did Imogene justice as it is a lot more technical than it looks on camera, especially for a vehicle that has limited ground clearance. However, our Bronco Sport Badlands did absolutely incredible up there and totally crushed the trail! There were quite a few spots on the Ouray side that did require picking good lines to get over obstacles without bottoming out and I recommend going with a spotter if you can. We did hit the skid plates a couple of times, but as we learned at the Texas Off Roadeo, these things can take more of a beating than you think and we found no visible damage done to the undercarriage of the vehicle.

We are super impressed with what this vehicle can do and we are so happy with the purchase!


Here are a few pictures from the trip:

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[13MikeH]

Awesome writeup and pics looks awesome. Glad the badlands is living up to it's badge.

 

[Bronco(maybe?)]

Epic pics. Super envious.

 

[Hdscreens]

Thanks for posting! Been waiting for bronco sport to confirm Imogene pass and black bear. Why didn‘t you continue onto steps/switchbacks? Was it lack of confidence on personal skills, bronco sport abilities/ground clearance or both? My own concern is if bronco sport has enough articulation for the steps cause I have big bend stock height with bigger KO2 245/65/17 that may rub significantly on more technical areas.

 

[Bronco7221]

Thanks for posting! Been waiting for bronco sport to confirm Imogene pass and black bear. Why didn‘t you continue onto steps/switchbacks? Was it lack of confidence on personal skills, bronco sport abilities/ground clearance or both? My own concern is if bronco sport has enough articulation for the steps cause I have big bend stock height with bigger KO2 245/65/17 that may rub significantly on more technical areas.

Hey! Thanks! I was hoping it would confirm that for some folks out there wanting to try some of the more technical trails. Honestly, it was a little bit of both. I think it can be done and when we attended the Bronco Off Roadeo one of the trail guides that had experience on both Black Bear and Imogene said it can definitely be done and that a good chunk of doing it is the confidence in ability. However, I do think the Bronco Sport has a greater chance at taking some damage on Black Bear without a good amount of off road experience and/or a slight lift and bigger tires, even for the Badlands. Keep in mind we also had the Rear Differential and the 4WD locked in Rock Crawl mode basically the entire trail for both the section of Black Bear we did and Imogene. I would definitely be open to trying it after I gain some more experience as an off roader and while it can likely be done without a lift and bigger tires, it would make me feel more comfortable doing it with the extra ground clearance. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. ?

 

[MTBabyBronco]

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing your trip experience with us!

 

[Alfredo]

Hi!
We took a trip to Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride this week and ended up doing half of Black Bear Pass (we turned around at the one way sign leading to The Steps/Switchbacks). The portion of Black Bear we did was relatively easy but did have a few narrow roads and steep climbs. Overall it did great and the views up there are extraordinary!

We also took it over Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride. I watched a lot of videos of Imogene to determine if we could do it and we decided to go for it. No videos I watched did Imogene justice as it is a lot more technical than it looks on camera, especially for a vehicle that has limited ground clearance. However, our Bronco Sport Badlands did absolutely incredible up there and totally crushed the trail! There were quite a few spots on the Ouray side that did require picking good lines to get over obstacles without bottoming out and I recommend going with a spotter if you can. We did hit the skid plates a couple of times, but as we learned at the Texas Off Roadeo, these things can take more of a beating than you think and we found no visible damage done to the undercarriage of the vehicle.

We are super impressed with what this vehicle can do and we are so happy with the purchase!


Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Impressive scenery, looks like you're in Middle Earth. Say hi to Bilbo Beggins for me.

 

[GoatyGoaterson]

that looks like a blast! incredible pics!

 

[tshaw03]

This is awesome brother! My wife and I may be attempting Black Bear Pass in about a month. After we get the lift and the 245/70R17s on it, I may have one of my fabrication buddies build me some powder-coated sliders and some additional skid plates to protect that pesky EVAP sensor people have been running into issues with, since the aftermarket clearly doesn't care to get with the program on the BS Badlands and First Edition trims. 4WP teased sliders, a spare carrier, skid plates, etc. back in March and still nothing but a 1 inch steel spacer lift. But, the market abounds with stuff for the big Bronco already.

 

[Bronco7221]

This is awesome brother! My wife and I may be attempting Black Bear Pass in about a month. After we get the lift and the 245/70R17s on it, I may have one of my fabrication buddies build me some powder-coated sliders and some additional skid plates to protect that pesky EVAP sensor people have been running into issues with, since the aftermarket clearly doesn't care to get with the program on the BS Badlands and First Edition trims. 4WP teased sliders, a spare carrier, skid plates, etc. back in March and still nothing but a 1 inch steel spacer lift. But, the market abounds with stuff for the big Bronco already.

That’s awesome! I think Black Bear would easily be doable with those upgrades. I agree, it did kind of fell silent on what was to come for the BS. Hopefully some of those aftermarket options start opening up for us soon because it would be nice to get some additional protection on it!

If you do end up going DM me because I’d love to connect and gain some insight on your experiences.

 

[tshaw03]

That’s awesome! I think Black Bear would easily be doable with those upgrades. I agree, it did kind of fell silent on what was to come for the BS. Hopefully some of those aftermarket options start opening up for us soon because it would be nice to get some additional protection on it!

If you do end up going DM me because I’d love to connect and gain some insight on your experiences.

Absolutely, I will reach out to you! I will also try to record the experience and upload to the forum. I'd love to get the Jeep Badge of Honor and stick it on my Bronco afterwards, lol.

 

[Bronco7221]

Absolutely, I will reach out to you! I will also try to record the experience and upload to the forum. I'd love to get the Jeep Badge of Honor and stick it on my Bronco afterwards, lol.

Oh man, that would be great! ?

 

[Blynne]

Awesome pics. I'm still waiting for mine to be built so I'm totally jealous.

 

[YukiSport]

Hi!
We took a trip to Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride this week and ended up doing half of Black Bear Pass (we turned around at the one way sign leading to The Steps/Switchbacks). The portion of Black Bear we did was relatively easy but did have a few narrow roads and steep climbs. Overall it did great and the views up there are extraordinary!

We also took it over Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride. I watched a lot of videos of Imogene to determine if we could do it and we decided to go for it. No videos I watched did Imogene justice as it is a lot more technical than it looks on camera, especially for a vehicle that has limited ground clearance. However, our Bronco Sport Badlands did absolutely incredible up there and totally crushed the trail! There were quite a few spots on the Ouray side that did require picking good lines to get over obstacles without bottoming out and I recommend going with a spotter if you can. We did hit the skid plates a couple of times, but as we learned at the Texas Off Roadeo, these things can take more of a beating than you think and we found no visible damage done to the undercarriage of the vehicle.

We are super impressed with what this vehicle can do and we are so happy with the purchase!


Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Fabulous pics and story. Very inspiring. I'll be headed that way in September and hope to (at least) attempt Imogene.

What tires do you have on your Badlands? I still have the stock 225 Pirelli Scorpions right now, but may upgrade before my trip.

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[Bronco7221]

Fabulous pics and story. Very inspiring. I'll be headed that way in September and hope to (at least) attempt Imogene.

What tires do you have on your Badlands? I still have the stock 225 Pirelli Scorpions right now, but may upgrade before my trip.

Thanks for sharing!!!

That’s great! We had never been to that part of Colorado and it was absolutely stunning! You are in for a treat if you have never been! We do have the optional Wildpeaks which I think helped as far as traction goes. It did rain on us on the way back down the Telluride side so some of the rocks got pretty slippery and every little bit helped. We did also air down to about 30lbs. I didn’t want to go too far down because I didn’t have a compressor and I wasn’t sure if we would be able to air up in Telluride. We did end up finding air in Telluride and had I known that I probably would have aired down to 25lbs or so.

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