I have been wanting to run this trail for quite some time, it is very scenic and a little more challenging than the average Jeep trail. The trail is Located near St Elmo Ghost town, off Hancock pass.  As you start up Hancock pass, it will be on the left, there is no signs at the time we went, but a there is a small parking lot.

The beginning of the trail is the most difficult, it has a rock garden tray may be a quarter mile or so. The rocks are basketball and move around while driving on them.

 

Heading up the Rock Garden.

The rock garden keeps you on your toes, this is the kind of rock you can hang a diff, or even worse catch a driveline.

After the Rock garden you gain elevation quickly. The trail is very narrow, so meeting someone is not ideal, considering it was the 4th of July weekend, we only meet one other group head down the trail.

The trail smooths out after the rock garden, but still remains rougher than most forest trails in my opinion.   Here is a spur trail to the left that leads to a mine that has fallen apart. This may be the toughest section trail, due to tight braches and rock placement. There where some rocks I could straddle, due to the lack of room. There was a great view of the valley here.

We continued on up the trail.

At the top, the weather is slowly eroding away what’s left of these wooden structures.

We walked around and checked out the ruins.

On the way back down it started to rain harder.

Here is an optimal rock in the middle of the Rock Garden to play on.

The rock garden was interesting due to the rain, my tires kept slipping off and sliding around, it kept me on my toes!   My Jk is a bit heavier and more bulky than my rock buggy, so driving rocky trails like this feels a little different than I am used to. This was a great trail, would recommend it to anyone