Tag Archives: Pitkin County

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INDEPENDENCE PASS – Rocky Mountain High #Colorado

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INDEPENDENCE PASS

Independence Pass was originally known as Hunter Pass.  It is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The elevation on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range is 12,095 ft. The pass is midway between Aspen and Twin Lakes, on the border between Pitkin and Lake counties.  State Highway 82 traverses it.  The is the highest elevation of a paved Colorado state highway on a through road.  ~wikipedia

Map of Independence Pass and Highway 82

The land around the summit is flattish, windswept, lonely, and covered by sparse vegetation of grass and delicate tundra plants – the treeline is a thousand feet lower down – and yet all around are higher mountains, especially to the south and east. Several shallow pools line the road around the pass, and patches of snow are likely to remain for most of the summer. There are no visitor facilities at the summit, just a large carpark and a short, paved loop path leading to two overlooks of Lake Creek valley and surrounding peaks.  A longer trail (2 miles) heads southwest, following the continental divide, to an unnamed peak 700 feet higher up.  ~http://www.americansouthwest.net

Aside from traversing Trail Ridge Road in RMNP, Independence Pass is my favorite to drive.  The road gets a wee bit narrow in spots, but the views are incredible.

[Past trip photos: September 2016 Independence Pass]

Independence Lake Trail Head

1: N39 07.484 W106 34.909 — 0.0 miles : Independence Lake Trailhead
2: N39 07.577 W106 34.996 — .15 miles : Linkins Lake Trail split + Wilderness Boundary
3: N39 07.833 W106 34.889 — .48 miles : Cross Roaring Fork River to east side of valley
4: N39 08.205 W106 34.694 — 1.0 miles : Steady climb in expanding upper valley
5: N39 08.543 W106 34.189 — 1.8 miles : Independence Lake (12,487′)
6: N39 08.920 W106 34.035 — 2.35 miles : Lost Man Pass (12,810′)
7: N39 09.119 W106 34.048 — 2.75 miles : Lost Man Lake (12,482′)

We returned for another look and hike.  This time we made it a wee bit further up the path amidst the thin mountain air.  Our previous trip in 2016 we made it to the Roaring Fork River crossing (3) and this trip we made it to the upper valley (4).  Some day we’ll make the entire journey round trip.

Roaring Fork River
water flow from Linkins Lake above
Upper Valley

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Destination, iPhoneography, Photography, Travel

INDEPENDENCE PASS – Rocky Mountain High #Colorado

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INDEPENDENCE PASS

Independence Pass was originally known as Hunter Pass.  It is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The elevation on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range is 12,095 ft. The pass is midway between Aspen and Twin Lakes, on the border between Pitkin and Lake counties.  State Highway 82 traverses it.  The is the highest elevation of a paved Colorado state highway on a through road.  ~wikipedia

HISTORY

On July 4, 1879, a group from Leadville struck gold in the uppermost Roaring Fork valley below the pass. Four miles to the west, they established a settlement in the upper Roaring Fork Valley that eventually took the name Independence from the holiday on which it was established. The pass, the lake from which the Roaring Fork rises and another nearby mountain all took that name as well.  The Twin Lakes and Roaring Fork Toll Company, established to build a road through to the camps in the lower Roaring Fork Valley, improved the original path over the pass sufficiently enough by 1880 that horses could be used for the trip.  ~wikipedia

Independence Pass Photo Map

Independence Pass Photo Map

We drove to Independence Pass from Aspen.  A few miles out of Aspen you will see Difficult Campground.  The name cracked me up a bit; it sounds really inviting.  I am sure it is a wonderful place to camp.

Difficult Campground sign

State Highway 82 Views (ascending)

The road grade from here steepens and your field of view widens as you ascend to the pass.  The conifer trees blanketing the mountain side is simply beautiful and the aspen trees glowed yellow in places.

Weller Lake Trail

Part way up the pass we decided to pull off, stretch our legs a bit and hike around.  You are immediately enveloped in the conifer trees once on the trail.  We spied a stump where a squirrel had eaten its fill of pine nuts.

Independence Lake Trail Head

Just before Independence Pass in a great place to pull off and hike.  The air is a wee bit thin here and we moved along the trail slowly.  We didn’t venture all the way up to Independence Lake.  We gained some altitude and took some pictures; then returned to the comfort of the SUV.

Independence Pass

The scenery at the pass (and all along the 44 mile route) is some of the most spectacular in all Colorado, and perhaps the finest you can view from a major highway,  The road runs right beneath many great mountains including the highest in the state (14,433 foot Mount Elbert), and rises well above the treeline into the stark Alpine tundra zone.  We passed many lakes, rivers, steep-sided valleys, thick forests of fir and extensive aspen groves.  In the Fall, the aspen groves glow yellow; it is quite beautiful.

State Highway 82 Views (descending)

The beauty continues on as you descend from the pass toward Twin Lakes.

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Destination, Photography, Travel

MCCLURE PASS – Marble #Colorado

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McClure Pass

McClure Pass is located along the boundary between Pitkin and Gunnison counties, in a gap at the western side of the Elk Mountains south of Redstone. It separates the headwaters of the Crystal River with the headwaters of the North Fork Gunnison River. The pass is traversed by State Highway 133 between Carbondale and Paonia.  It provides the direct route between the Roaring Fork Valley and the North Fork Valley. The pass is not especially high and is generally open year round.  It does close during heavy snowstorms. The approaches are fairly steep on each side, with an 8% grade. The approach is smooth on the south side, as the road overlooks Muddy Creek above Paonia State Park. The approach on the north side has one large switchback overlooking the valley containing the town of Marble, Colorado. ~wikipedia

McClure Pass is just south of Glenwood Springs.  Reaching nearly 8800 feet in elevation, it is a small fry in Rocky Mountain terms.  It is one of the steepest paved roads in the state, requiring drivers to climb an 8 percent grade.  The pass offers magnificent views of Chair Mountain, Ragged Peak and Ragged Mountain.

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CRYSTAL RIVER – REDSTONE #Colorado

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Crystal River

The Crystal River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River.  It is approximately 40 mi long, in western Colorado in the United States. It drains a glacial valley, called the Coal Basin, south of Carbondale, historically known as a center of coal mining in southwestern Colorado. The river rises in northern Gunnison County in the Elk Mountains, passing through the ghost town of Crystal City, still inhabited by a few summer residents. It then flows north past Marble, then into Pitkin County past Redstone. It joins the Roaring Fork below Carbondale. State Highway 133 follows the river along much of its route north of Marble.

From Crystal City to Marble the river flows through the Crystal River Canyon, a narrow valley with numerous snowslide runs, rockfalls, and other hazardous terrain.  It is locally known as a fishing and hiking attraction.  The unpaved and largely un-maintained mining road is nearly impassable to vehicles other than ATVs and off-road motorcycles.  A four-wheel-drive jeep tour is operated out of Marble.  It only operates during the summer when the road is not blocked by snow, mud, or rock slides. ~wikipedia

Colorado State Highway 133 is a beautiful stretch of road.  The Crystal River adds to the beauty exponentially.  My wife and I especially enjoy the route from Carondale, through Redstone and over McClure Pass.  Hwy 3 from 133 to Marble is quite lovely as well.  At some point; hopefully in the not too distant future we will be able to make the trip from Marble to Crystal and photograph Crystal Mill.  The road condition and off-road vehicle requirement makes this trip all the more interesting.

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COKE OVENS – REDSTONE #Colorado

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COKE OVENS

The Redstone Coke Oven Historic District is located at the intersection of State Highway 133 and Chair Mountain Stables Road outside Redstone, Colorado. It consists of the remaining coke ovens built at the end of the 19th century by the Colorado Fuel and Iron. In 1990 it was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Two hundred were built because the coal in the surrounding mountains was ideal for refining into coke.  At their peak they were producing almost 6 million tons a year. The development was the beginning of the modern settlement of Redstone.  The ovens are the only remnant of the sizable coking operation in the area.  It was the largest at the time in Colorado.

Within ten years of their construction the ovens fell into disuse when the mines closed. Their support steel was removed during the scrap metal drives of World War II, and later they were used as living space by hippies who moved into Redstone. The possibility that some might be demolished to build a gas station eventually led Pitkin County to acquire the land in the mid-2000s, and since then some have been restored. ~Wikipedia

Redstone is a lovely small art community on the banks of the Crystal River.  You can spend some time here browsing the shops in town.  Don’t miss out on an ice cream cone from Redstone General Store.  There are also several lodging options, outfitters and a cafe.  To my surprise, there was a walk bridge over the river made by Continental Bridge from Alexandria, MN.

Redstone Coke Ovens
Redstone Coke Ovens
Redstone Coke Ovens
Redstone Coke Ovens
Redstone Coke Ovens

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