The Vail Valley lies far from the Scottish Highlands, but residents and visitors here who enjoy exploring peaks and valleys have many high and low byways to choose from. From obscure wildlife routes to well-trodden hiking trails to rugged backroads to solitary passes to paved highways, there are endless ways to trek Colorado. Some are famous and often crowded; others are lesser known. The highest paved roadway in the state and North America is Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway (CO 5, formerly Mount Evans) reaching the summit at about 14,265 feet. The Pikes Peak Highway also climbs to within 50 feet of that record height at its own summit. Rick Spitzer, author and photographer of Colorado Mountain Passes, selects Blue Sky as his favorite drive closest to Vail with “incredible views and lots of wildlife,” he says. Mountain goats abound!
DAY TRIPS FROM THE VAIL VALLEY
Mount Bross is the highest unpaved road in Colorado and one of the country’s highest. It is accessed via Pike National Forest and reaches 14,028 feet (150 feet below summit). This 14er peak embraces private land and the top remains closed to public access.
Trail Ridge Road (US 34) is the nation’s highest continuous paved road, at 12,183 feet, stretching 48 miles east to west from the towns of Estes Park to Grand Lake. Milner Pass, the portion crossing the Continental Divide, scans valleys and peaks with ponderosa forests to alpine tundra. Elk, moose, bighorn sheep, marmots, pikas, ptarmigan and golden eagles are frequently spotted.
Elk Off Trail Ridge. Photos by Sandy Ferguson Fuller.
As Spitzer says, “Trail Ridge (Milner Pass) is tops. I worked as seasonal supervisory park ranger naturalist on its west side in Rocky Mountain National Park for 15 seasons. I have driven over it maybe a thousand times.” This national designated All American Road is an absolute must-see.
The lowest pass in Colorado is Douglas (CO 139) at about 8,200 feet. Near the popular biking mecca of Fruita, it traverses the Book Cliffs in Garfield County. It offers unusual views of Utah’s La Sal Mountains and descends into valleys, following creek beds.
Hoosier Pass (CO 9) is between Breckenridge and Alma, a high-elevation border-crossing between Summit and Park Counties. It straddles the Continental Divide, the ridgeline that dictates waterflow into the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Easy access to short hikes or four-wheel drive excursions lead deeper into stunning scenery.
Perhaps the route with the most distinctive name is the 7.6-mile, winding “Oh-My-God-Road” which snakes up the north slope of Idaho Springs and drops into Central City. Open year-round, but snow and ice make it treacherous. Expect dirt and paved stretches with jaw-dropping views and a ride guaranteed to remember!
Gore Pass (CO 134) provides a scenic shortcut from Toponas (northwest of State Bridge) and the Yampa River Valley up and over Middle Park and into Grand County above Kremmling. It crosses a gap in the northern end of the Gore Range. Especially stunning in the aspen foliage.
WORTH THE TRAVEL TIME
The 23-mile Million Dollar Highway (US 550) is considered one of the state’s most scenic highways, but also among its most dangerous. Sharp curves (without guardrails in many spots) make it risky. It leads from Ouray to Silverton in southwestern Colorado over Red Mountain Pass. It was originally constructed in the late 19th century as a wagon trail to transport miners and supplies to the area’s rich gold and silver mines. It is designated as the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway where US 550 crosses Molas Pass north of Durango.
Everyone has a favorite Colorado byway, but Molas Pass on the Divide is Spitzer’s choice with “great long views and clear skies.” The Colorado Trail crosses the road just north of the pass with exceptional vistas of San Juan peaks.
Slumgullion Pass (CO 149) is the stunning Silver Thread Scenic Byway between Creede and Lake City. Tales abound about infamous Alfred Packer who was convicted of manslaughter after eating five fellow prospectors while snowbound in this region. The famous Slumgullion mudslide still oozes down Mesa Seco at about 20 feet each year.
Cumbres Pass (CO 17), Colorado’s most southern, is a less-traveled gem in the San Juan Mountains. It’s worth driving in itself, but don’t venture this far without planning to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad from Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. The rails traverse the pass route. It’s a unique summer or fall adventure.
Finally, if you venture into Utah, nothing surpasses the beauty of another All American Road, US 12, between Panguitch and Torrey and connecting Bryce and Capitol Reef National Parks via the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Dixie National Forest.
