Cinnamon Pass is the friendlier of the two high passes on the Alpine Loop, though friendly is relative at 3,852 metres on a dirt road. It links Lake City with Animas Forks over the shoulder of the San Juans, and its name is supposedly from the cinnamon-coloured rock of the slopes, which glow rust and orange in the right light. The summit is a broad, open saddle with a marker, a wide view of ragged peaks, and usually a few jeeps, a few motorcyclists and a few marmots arguing over the best rock.
The road is a long, rocky climb from the east, past old mining sites and meadows full of wildflowers in July. The surface is rough but generally less technical than Engineer, with loose stones, some washboard, and a few exposed bends. The descent toward Animas Forks drops through high valleys, with the old town laid out below, and the effect is a little like arriving in another century. Handies Peak, a fourteen-thousander, stands nearby, and keen walkers use the pass as a starting point.
The region has a long history. The Ute people used these mountains for centuries, until pressure from miners led to treaties and removal in the 1870s and 1880s. Then came prospectors, then towns, then the collapse. Alferd Packer, the notorious Colorado cannibal, was said to have wandered into this country in the winter of 1873 and 1874, an unfortunate tale that is part of the local lore of Lake City. The old mining camps and roads left an extraordinary legacy of trails for modern travellers.
The road is open only in summer, usually from late June through September or early October, and you should check conditions with the Lake City or Silverton visitor offices. Afternoon storms are common, and the high basins catch cold, wet wind. Fuel is available in Lake City, to the east, and Silverton and Ouray, but not on the pass, so fill up before leaving. Bring tools and a tyre repair kit, because help is slow to arrive. The air is thin, the drop-offs are serious and the scenery is a good reason to stop often. Take your time, and enjoy it.