Cottonwood Pass

(1)
  • Author: Motobeemer
  • Created: June 23, 2023 3:27 am
  • Updated: November 12, 2023 11:56 pm
Categories:
Tags:
Route type: Ride Through
Difficulty grade: Blue (Intermediate)
Pavement Quality Very good, well maintained smooth surface. Some tar snakes on the eastern side to be wary of.
Route Type Combination of sweepers, tight hairpins with a few chicanes. Passing zones are numerous on this route.
Traffic Level Weekends in the summer are terrible, full of campers and others heading into the mountains to camp. Best ridden on weekdays.
Fuel Stops Buena Vista, although there is a small gas station just past the reservoir off to the left where the cabins are.
Hazards Tar snakes on the eastern side, some traffic pulling out of lots along the way, watch for gravel in the hairpin turns are larger vehicles often drag it out onto the road.
  • Distance Instructions
Label
  • Distance 37 miles
  • Time 1 h 20 min
  • Speed 29 mph
  • Min altitude 7982 ft
  • Peak 12123 ft
  • Climb 3786 ft
  • Descent 5341 ft









**NOTE: Cottonwood Pass is CLOSED for the Winter, as such the route on the map will not be reflected or be accurate.  This is because this program uses a Google Maps platform.  Once this opens back up in the spring the route will be reflected**

Cottonwood Pass is a great well maintained road that runs west from Buena Vista to the Taylor Reservoir. The start point is 122 miles or about 2.5 hours west of Denver, CO. While running the road west is fun, some might claim running it from the reservoir back up to the pass is even more fun. With plenty of passing zones and places to pull off and take in the views or snap photos it is truly a great experience on two wheels.

1. Cottonwood Pass

Altitude: 0 ft
Address: 28777 County Rd 301, Buena Vista, CO 81211, USA
Cottonwood Pass Information
Click here to start Waze Navigation

Cottonwood Pass (elevation 12,119 feet (3,694 m)) is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in south-central Colorado in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. It is located along the border of Gunnison and Chaffee counties in Colorado, and is in the Sawatch Range. The road over Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the U.S., and the second highest pass with an improved road in the state (the highest is Trail Ridge Road, US HWY 34 at 12,183 ft). It is the fourth-highest paved road in the state after Mount Evans Scenic Byway, Pikes Peak Highway, and Trail Ridge Road.

Source: Wikipedia

**NOTE: Cottonwood Pass is CLOSED for the Winter, as such the route on the map will not be reflected or be accurate.  This is because this program uses a Google Maps platform.  Once this opens back up in the spring the route will be reflected**

Cottonwood Pass is a great well maintained road that runs west from Buena Vista to the Taylor Reservoir. The start point is 122 miles or about 2.5 hours west of Denver, CO. While running the road west is fun, some might claim running it from the reservoir back up to the pass is even more fun. With plenty of passing zones and places to pull off and take in the views or snap photos it is truly a great experience on two wheels.

2 comments

    • Eric on June 23, 2023 at 3:33 am
    • #
    • Reply

    Nice job!

    1. Thanks much!

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