Wolf Creek Pass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Wolf Creek Pass is also the name of the C.W. McCall album which contains the song that made the pass famous.
| Wolf Creek Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 10,800 ft. |
| Location | Colorado,  United States |
| Range | San Juan Mountains |
| Coordinates | |
| Traversed by | U.S. Highway 160 |
Wolf Creek Pass (el. 10,800 ft.) is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. It is the route through which U.S. Highway 160 passes from the San Luis Valley into southwest Colorado on its way to New Mexico and Arizona.
Contents |
[edit] Expansion
Wolf Creek Pass, once a two-lane road winding through the San Juan Mountains between South Fork, Colorado and Pagosa Springs, has recently been expanded into a multi-lane highway, greatly increasing the traffic capacity of the pass and making it more navigable in bad weather. It will also become the easiest access to southwest Colorado from the rest of the state, as all remaining overland routes require a lengthy detour through New Mexico, or the intimidating Red Mountain Pass: a two-lane road winding along sheer cliffs from Ouray to Silverton.
A 900-foot tunnel on the eastern portion was opened November 5, 2005. Construction is expected to be completed by Summer 2006, with the highway fully widened and drainage projects along the route completed.
At present, a major resort project headed by Texan billionaire Red McCombs is causing controversy in the area. The proposed resort would be situated near the summit of the pass.
[edit] Attractions
The pass is also home to Wolf Creek ski area, frequented by locals and famous for large annual snowfall. It is located on the eastern side of the Continental Divide on Highway 160. Also on the eastern side is one of the largest RV parks in the United States, located just a few miles west of South Fork, Colorado.
Wolf Creek Pass is also an attraction for tourists, as it is known for the natural beauty of the wilderness the highway passes through.
[edit] C.W. McCall
It was made famous in 1975 by Country music artist C.W. McCall's humorous spoken word song of the same name, in which two truckers drive an out-of-control 18-wheeler down U.S. Highway 160 to Pagosa Springs -- a 5,000-foot drop in elevation.
- I looked at Earl and his eyes was wide
- His lip was curled, and his leg was fried.
- And his hand was froze to the wheel like a tongue to a sled in the middle of a blizzard.
- I says, "Earl, I'm not the type to complain
- But the time has come for me to explain
- That if you don't apply some brake real soon, they're gonna have to pick us up with a stick and a spoon..."
- ("Wolf Creek Pass" written by Bill Fries and Chip Davis, sung by C.W. McCall)
The song describes the truck careening down through a "tunnel" and eventually into Pagosa Springs. (This tunnel is actually a snow shed. The song predates the only true tunnel on the pass by 30 years.) However, the snow shed is on the east side of the pass while Pagosa Springs is on the west side, making this sequence of events impossible.
[edit] Sources and external links
