Colorado mountain passes

The following tables list some important mountain passes in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. State of Colorado.

Contents

High elevation Colorado highways not on a pass

High Elevation Colorado Highways Not On a Pass
Rank Highway Elevation Grade Surface Route
1 Mount Evans Scenic Byway[1] 14,160 feet
4316 m		 15% asphalt SH 5
2 Pikes Peak Highway[2] 14,110 feet
4302 m		 8% gravel toll
road
3 Trail Ridge Road[3] 12,183 feet
3713 m		 5.4% WB asphalt US 34
4 Eisenhower Tunnel[4] 11,158 feet
3401 m		 7.0% EB concrete I-70
5 Grand Mesa Summit The highest point on Grand Mesa, the highest flat-topped mountain in the world.

Colorado Highway 65 (Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway) traverses this mountain and conditions can be quite severe in winter, though it generally remains open.

 10,839 feet
3304 m		 6.4% NB asphalt SH 65

Colorado mountain passes traversed by paved highways

Paved Colorado Mountain Passes
Rank Mountain Pass Elevation Grade Surface Route
1 Independence Pass[5] 12,103 feet
3689 m		 6.0% asphalt SH 82
2 Loveland Pass 11,990 feet
3655 m		 6.0% asphalt US 6
3 Hoosier Pass 11,541 feet
3518 m		 8.0% NB asphalt SH 9
4 Slumgullion Pass 11,361 feet
3463 m		 9.4% NB
7.9% SB		 asphalt SH 149
5 Fremont Pass 11,318 feet
3450 m		 5.7% asphalt SH 91
6 Berthoud Pass 11,315 feet
3449 m		 6.1% NB
6.0% SB		 asphalt US 40
7 Monarch Pass 11,312 feet
3448 m		 6.4% asphalt US 50
8 Juniper Pass[6] 11,130 feet
3383 m		 6.5% asphalt SH 103
9 Red Mountain Pass 11,018 feet
3358 m		 7.2% asphalt US 550
10 Molas Divide 10,910 feet
3325 m		 7.0% asphalt US 550
11 Spring Creek Pass 10,901 feet
3323 m		 7.5% asphalt SH 149
12 Wolf Creek Pass 10,850 feet
3307 m		 6.5% asphalt US 160
13 Milner Pass[3] 10,758 feet
3279 m		 5.4% WB asphalt US 34
14 Vail Pass 10,666 feet
3251 m		 7.0% asphalt I-70
15 Coal Bank Pass 10,640 feet
3243 m		 6.5% NB asphalt US 550
16 Tennessee Pass 10,424 feet
3177 m		 6.0% asphalt US 24
17 Cameron Pass 10,276 feet
3132 m		 3.8% EB
3.1% WB		 asphalt SH 14
18 La Manga Pass 10,230 feet
3118 m		 5.2% asphalt SH 17
19 Lizard Head Pass 10,222 feet
3116 m		 4.1% asphalt SH 145
20 North Pass 10,149 feet
3093 m		 6.0% asphalt SH 114
21 Cumbres Pass 10,022 feet
3055 m		 6.3% asphalt SH 17
22 Kenosha Pass 10,001 feet
3048 m		 5.3% EB asphalt US 285
23 Red Hill Pass 9,993 feet
3046 m		 6.0% asphalt US 285
24 Cucharas Pass 9,941 feet
3030 m		 5.9% NB
5.4% SB		 asphalt SH 12
25 Squaw Pass[7] 9,807 feet
2989 m		 6.0% asphalt SH 103
26 Willow Creek Pass 9,621 feet
2932 m		 6.3% asphalt SH 125
27 Gore Pass 9,527 feet
2904 m		 6.3% asphalt SH 134
28 Wilkerson Pass 9,507 feet
2898 m		 5.8% asphalt US 24
29 Rabbit Ears Pass 9,426 feet
2873 m		 6.8% asphalt US 40
30 North La Veta Pass 9,413 feet
2869 m		 6.0% asphalt US 160
31 Trout Creek Pass 9,346 feet
2849 m		 5.2% asphalt US 24
US 285
32 Ute Pass 9,165 feet
2793 m		 5.6% asphalt US 24
33 Wind River Pass 9,150 feet
2790 m		 asphalt SH 7
34 Poncha Pass 9,010 feet
2746 m		 2.9% asphalt US 285
35 Dallas Divide 8,970 feet
2734 m		 6.4% EB
5.0% WB		 asphalt SH 62
36 Muddy Pass 8,772 feet
2674 m		 5.6% asphalt US 40
37 McClure Pass 8,755 feet
2669 m		 8.0% asphalt SH 133
38 Douglas Pass 8,268 feet
2520 m		 7.0% asphalt SH 139
45 Cerro Summit 7,958 feet
2423 m		 asphalt US 50
46 Raton Pass 7,834 feet
2388 m		 asphalt I-25
48 Monument Hill 7,343 feet
2238 m		 asphalt I-25
49 Unaweep Divide 7,048 feet
2148 m		 asphalt SH 141

Colorado mountain passes traversed by improved roads

Colorado Mountain Passes with Improved Roads
Rank Mountain Pass Elevation
1 Cottonwood Pass 12,119 feet
3694 m
2 Fall River Pass 11,762 feet
3585 m
3 Guanella Pass 11,660 feet
3554 m
4 Boreas Pass 11,499 feet
3505 m
5 Shrine Pass 11,086 feet
3379 m
6 Marshall Pass 10,882 feet
3317 m
8 Cochetopa Pass 10,200 feet
3109 m
9 Kebler Pass 10,003 feet
3049 m
10 La Veta Pass 9,426 feet
2873 m

Some Colorado mountain passes traversed by unimproved roads

Some Colorado Mountain Passes with Unimproved Roads
Rank Mountain Pass Elevation
1 Argentine Pass 13,205 feet
4025 m
2 Mosquito Pass 13,179 feet
4017 m
3 Imogene Pass 13,117 feet
3998 m
4 Black Bear Pass 12,840 feet
3914 m
5 Engineer Pass 12,795 feet
3900 m
6 Pearl Pass 12,713 feet
3875 m
7 Cinnamon Pass 12,615 feet
3845 m
8 Hagerman Pass 11,925 feet
3635 m
9 Weston Pass 11,921 feet
3633 m
10 Ophir Pass 11,789 feet
3593 m
11 Ptarmigan Pass 11,777 feet
3590 m
12 Rollins Pass 11,677 feet
3559 m
13 Georgia Pass 11,585 feet
3531 m
14 Schofield Pass 10,722 feet
3268 m
15 Hayden Pass 10,712 feet
3265 m
16 Medano Pass 9,931 feet
3027 m

Some Colorado mountain passes traversed by trail

Some Colorado Mountain Passes with Trails
Rank Mountain Pass Elevation
1 Electric Pass 13,494 feet
4113 m
2 Elkhead Pass 13,245 feet
4037 m
3 The Keyhole 13,163 feet
4012 m
4 The Notch 13,035 feet
3973 m
5 Hermit Pass 13,015 feet
3967 m
6 Blue Lake Pass 12,969 feet
3953 m
7 Denver Pass 12,907 feet
3934 m
8 Triangle Pass 12,907 feet
3934 m
9 The Window 12,877 feet
3925 m
10 Trimble Pass 12,874 feet
3924 m
11 Fall Creek Pass 12,848 feet
3916 m
12 Conundrum Pass 12,779 feet
3895 m
13 McHenrys Notch 12,736 feet
3882 m
14 Coffeepot Pass 12,726 feet
3879 m
15 Sunnyside Saddle 12,677 feet
3864 m
16 Columbine Pass 12,674 feet
3863 m
17 Richmond Pass 12,667 feet
3861 m
18 Stony Pass 12,592 feet
3838 m
19 Willow Pass 12,556 feet
3827 m
20 Whiskey Pass 12,549 feet
3825 m
21 Pawnee Pass 12,542 feet
3823 m
22 Venable Pass 12,539 feet
3822 m
23 Halfmoon Pass 12,523 feet
3817 m
24 Copper Pass 12,510 feet
3813 m
25 Stone Man Pass 12,506 feet
3812 m
26 Hunchback Pass 12,500 feet
3810 m
27 Arapaho Pass 11,905 feet
3629 m
28 Buchanan Pass 11,837 feet
3608 m
29 La Poudre Pass 10,175 feet
3101 m

See also

References

  1. ^ The state highway up Mount Evans ends about a quarter mile (400 m) from the summit. The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved highway in North America. The road is closed during the winter, and the upper section from Summit Lake, at an altitude of 12,836 feet (3,912 m), is closed after Labor Day.
  2. ^ The toll road up Pikes Peak ends at the summit of the mountain. Pikes Peak is the most visited mountain summit in North America.
  3. ^ a b Trail Ridge Road (U.S. Highway Route 34) crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass but reaches its highest point several miles northeast of the pass. Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through highway in North America. The road is closed during the winter.
  4. ^ The highest elevation in the Eisenhower Tunnel is a short distance inside the West Portal. The tunnel passes under the Continental Divide a few miles west of Loveland Pass. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest elevation on the Interstate Highway System of the United States.
  5. ^ Independence Pass is closed during the winter.
  6. ^ The high point near Warrior Mountain is the highest point on State Highway 103.
  7. ^ State Highway 103 passes by, but not through, Squaw Pass.

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