As the rigors and miles of the trade show season comes to an end, it's always nice to punctuate the season with a less formal, more fun oriented trip. While it's great to engage with our customers and dealers at outdoor expos, it's even better to get to interact with them out on the trail doing what these vans excel at. I met up with our ambassador Dennis at his home base in Idaho Falls and together, and together we made the trek south to Colorado for the 2025 edition of Van Wild.

Nestled at the foothills of the legendary San Juan Mountains is Montrose, CO where you will find multiple rivers and rugged mountains juxtaposed with rolling hills as the desert region of northwestern Colorado transitions to the heart of the high alpine country it is famous for. It's also where you will find one of our premier dealers: Adrenaline Vans. Founded in 2019 by Tim Hines, he has quickly built a reputation as an uncompromising technician and complete wizard with the modern electronics in these vans. If you're looking for someone who can solve problems that leave others frustrated, Tim is your guy.

Van Wild was started as an idea to be more than just another vendor expo; in fact there isn't really a vendor expo at all. The focus on Van Wild has been entirely on experiential elements. Sure, there are industry folks like me there, but the emphasis is to get out and use the vans, spend time with customers as they use our products, and experience the best that the Western Slope of Colorado has to offer for outdoor recreation. Tim goes all out, with catered food, group-site camping, live entertainment and guided fishing, golf and mountain bike tours. But the real reason most of us are there is to experience the absolutely stunning scenery and epic trails disguised as old mining roads in the San Juan mountains.

 

 

For our first day excursion, Tim went straight for the jugular and we formed a core group of industry folks in well equipped vans to tackle Imogene Pass. One of the more famous trails in the area, Imogene connects Telluride and Ouray via an 'up and over' route that winds between the 2 valleys, topping out just above 13,000 feet. Our trek would start from the Ouray side, as the Telluride side was closed due to landslide (which seems to be a weekly occurrence here). Ascending from the Ouray side is the more technical way to access the pass, with lots of off camber scrabble through the trees and a tricky creek crossing, eventually emerging from the treeline near an old mine.

Above the treeline, the trail takes on an entirely different feel: exposed shelf roads with (you guessed it) more off camber scrabbles. Normally, in a smaller vehicle like a Jeep or Bronco, this trail is not a huge deal; their smaller size and nimble nature keep a lot of options open. Vans have everything working against them: large dimensions, lots of weight, limited wheel travel, ground clearance, traction, and anemic power. In more than one place, the 'line' was simply the only option available to us, and 3+ point turns are common in the tightest sections.

 

 

One might even say doing this pass in 4 motorhomes is a dangerous, stupid, irresponsible, and foolish idea. Undeterred by this consideration, we trudged onward and upward, keeping our vehicle's limitations in mind. One thing we all noticed is that around 12000 ft, the vans all felt very down on power. The onboard traction and power system safety nannies were clearly not happy with our decision, even stalling out on the most technical obstacles, which meant we were pulling cable. While trying to balance content creation, navigating the tricky parts of the trail, and the flow of traffic, we'd definitely burned more daylight than intended to get to this point.

We finally reached the pass, all 13,114 ft of it, and savored the views as long as we could. The air is thin up here, and without taking much time to stop for a proper lunch, all our bellies were rumbling like the tons of dynamite used to break open these mountains in the quest for mineral riches. Luckily for us, Tim had arranged for catered meals and live music back at Adrenaline HQ each night. The only question now was whether we'd make it back in time to enjoy some delicious BBQ and sweet music. The best part about summiting a challenging climb in a vehicle like this is that the downhill portion of your journey is usually pretty uneventful. Aside from one technical spot, an off-camber washed out rut on a steep exposed slope near the bottom, the trip down was quick. But, even with all our upgrades and shared knowledge, navigating this one little hole in the trail came down to the oldest trick in the book: stacking a big old rock in the hole to keep the vans from nosing down into it and getting off balance.

The outing on the second day proved to be much less eventful, and we did a large group run with most of the attendees. Our route on this go around was a much tamer one, considering we had a wide range of vehicle build level and driver experience. One thing to keep in mind during shoulder season visits to this area is how quickly the seasons turn at elevation. At 8000+ feet, the fall colors were in full effect while the low lands were still firmly in the grip of summer. This high in the mountains, the weather can change several times in the course of one trail too; while it was bright and sunny at camp, but it was snowing by the time we reached the high point of Ophir pass.

Starting out on a quick route near the Yankee Girl mine got everything nice and muddy. After regrouping from the first half of the trip, we crossed over the Million Dollar Highway and headed to Ophir Pass. This is a much tamer route than Imogene, with Tolkeinesque views as you follow an old mining round up and over a mountain pass, ending up to the southwest of Telluride. While the trail itself is not difficult, the exposure is still high and danger is ever present: the descending side gets right to it, with a sharp switchback leading to a long narrow shelf road barely wide enough to accommodate a van; once you commit there is no turning back, and oncoming traffic must be managed carefully. Ultimately, it all went off without a snag and we were soon enjoying tasty burgers and frosty brews in Telluride.

As all trips of this nature go, it was over too soon. The fresh alpine air, epicly expansive views of the towering peaks, beautiful fall colors, and just the right amount of rain made for an unforgettable time in the mountains. Its not just about the places you go, but the friends you make along the way and the memories you share together; the unrelenting smiles on the attendees faces say it all. If you're at all able to make the trek to Montrose in the fall, put this trip on your calendar for the 2025 season!