Porphyry Basin
Porphyry Basin (Silverton, CO)
Porphyry Basin is a short unmarked three mile spur trail leaving US 550 near Black Bear Pass that leads up to a cool basin with some great views. Right from the start, the trail is fairly narrow with few places to pass another vehicle as you climb the switchbacks up Three Needles Mountain.
One you reach the highest switchback on the east side of the mountain and start heading around the south face of the mountain, you are greeting with a sign warning you that the next section of the road is very dangerous. If you are afraid of heights and narrow shelf roads, you probably should not proceed. The next section of the trail is very narrow with a high drop-off and some sections that are off-camber towards the edge. Also, there are long stretches of this section without any places to pass another vehicle. Luckily, this is not a very popular trail so there is not much traffic.
Once you reach the upper basin, the trail levels off a little bit and gets a bit wider. The scenery in Porphyry is just awesome, and a bit different from some of the other basins in the area. You will pass through the remains of the Bullion King Mine before the trail dead ends. From the end of the trail, you can hike to Porphyry Lake or Bullion King Lake.
I really enjoyed this trail and would highly recommend it if you have the chance.
Please feel free to leave your comments and post your pictures from Porphyry Basin below.
Porphyry Basin KML Track
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Open file above in Google Earth.
