A 68-year-old Ignacio man died when his pickup truck plunged some 400 feet in Maggie Gulch, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Officials weren’t exactly sure when the accident that killed Bryan Graham happened.
The body was found around 3 p.m. Monday by a Silverton resident who was mountain-biking in the area. Kurtz said Graham had spoken to a daughter at about 1 p.m. Sunday and said he was planning to “come up here.”

“He probably hit a sheet of ice across the road,” said Sheriff Sue Kurtz. “There are very hazardous conditions up there. Those backcountry would were normally be closed by snow this time of year.”

Kurtz urged backcountry motorists to be aware of the extreme hazards.

Kurtz said sheets of ice may form where streams cross high-alpine roads, “turning into thick ice pads.”

A San Juan Search and Rescuee team recovered the body on Tuesday.

The San Juan County commissioners Wednesday expressed concern about the treacherous conditions of backcountry roads. County roads supervisor Louis Girodo said “closed” signs are being put up on some roads.

The mild weather is luring backcountry motorists onto roads that can be deceptively icy.