Elevations given are generally for ground traffic, such as the highest point of a road through a pass. All pass elevations are given in height above Mean Sea Level (MSL). It is highly recommended that flights cross passes at least 2,000 feet above the terrain.
BERTHOUD PASS
Route: Denver west to Granby/Kremmling (central mountains). Road elevation 11,315’ MSL. This pass
is part of the Mountain AWOS program. This pass follows I-70 to Highway 40 west from Denver. Expect strong downdrafts and limited climb capability when moderate to high winds aloft exist. East to west flight path will be a blind right turn to cross the pass. Mines Peak AWOS 134.325 (0CO) N39°47.9’- W105°46.67’.
CAMERON PASS
Route: Fort Collins west to northern mountains (Walden). Road elevation 10,276’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. N40°31.25’-W105°53.55’.
COCHETOPA AND NORTH PASS
Route: Located between San Luis Valley and Gunnison area in the center of the state. Road elevations - Cochetopa 10,067’ MSL, North 10,149’ MSL. The vicinity of these adjacent passes is partially visible from Alamosa and Gunnison weather reporting stations. Elevations and weather often favor these passes over Monarch Pass. N38°10’-W106°36.04’.
CORONA (Rollins)
Route: Denver area to Granby/Kremmling (central mountains). Trail elevation 11,671’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. This is an open pass with several miles to cross. The trail that crosses is located on the north side of the pass. Expect strong down drafts with winds aloft over 30+kts. N39°56.05’-W105°40.97’.
COTTONWOOD PASS (NEAR BUENA VISTA, CO)
Route: Buena Vista to Taylor Park/Gunnison Area. Trail elevation 12126’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. Bald Mountain AWOS 132.05(7BM). This pass is a better alternative than Monarch Pass in moderate winds aloft. N38°49.67’-W106°24.55’.
COTTONWOOD PASS (NEAR EAGLE, CO)
An alternative to following the river over Glenwood Canyon with better options for emergency landing sites. N39°31.83’-W107°3.49’.
CUCHARAS PASS
Route: Southeastern plains (Trinidad) to San Luis Valley and Alamosa. Road elevation 9,941’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. This pass is located west of the Spanish Peaks and leads to La Veta Pass for crossing into the San Luis Valley. N37°19.22’-W105°4.42’.
CUMBRES AND LA MANGA PASS
Route: Alamosa to Durango. Road and track elevations - Cumbres 10,022’ MSL, La Manga 10,230’ MSL. These passes are located on the Colorado/New Mexico state line and are visible from weather reporting station at Alamosa. Cumbres: N37°1.24’-W106°27’, La Manga: N37°4.65’-W106°23.17’.
DOUGLAS PASS
Route: Grand Junction to Northwestern Colorado (Rangely). Road elevation 8,268’ MSL. The vicinity of the pass is partially visible to weather reporting station at Grand Junction. N39°35.85’-W108°48.19’.
FREMONT PASS
Route: Silverthorne/Dillon to Leadville. Road elevation 11,320’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. Copper Mountain AWOS 118.075 (CCU). This pass is in an open valley identified by the large Climax Molybdenum Mine N39°21.98’-W106°11.2’.
HAGERMAN PASS
Route: Leadville to Aspen. Approximate trail elevation 11,960’ MSL. This pass is visible to the weather reporting station at Leadville. Elevation, terrain features, and weather often favor this pass over Independence Pass. N39°15.9’-W106°29.03’.
HAYDEN PASS
Route: East-west pass across the northern Sangre de Cristo Range (Denver to Alamosa). Trail elevation 10,709’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. Watch for glider and hang-glider activity on the west side of the pass. N38°17.58’- W105°51.04’.
HOOSIER PASS
Route: South Park to Breckenridge. Road elevation is 11,539’ MSL. This pass is not visible from any airports or weather reporting stations. This pass provides access from the north to South Park. N39° 21.7’-W106° 3.75’.
INDEPENDENCE PASS
Route: Leadville to Aspen. Road elevation 12,094’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. This pass is narrow with blind turns. Light to moderate winds aloft can make this pass very turbulent. Highway below is open and passable during summer months only. N39°6.53’-W106°33.83’.
KENOSHA PASS
Route: Southwest Denver to South Park and Arkansas Valley. Road elevation 10,001’ MSL. This pass follows Hwy 285 from Denver to Buena Vista. N39°6.53’-W106°33.83’.
LA VETA PASS
Route: Southwest Colorado and Walsenburg to San Luis Valley and Alamosa. Road elevation 9,380’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. La Veta AWOS 119.925(VTP). Expect turbulence and up/down drafts during this pass crossing with light to moderate winds aloft. N37°35.59’-W105°12.2’.
LIZARD HEAD PASS
Route: Durango/Cortez to Telluride. Road elevation is 10,222’ MSL. Telluride Airport has limited vision of the pass.
LOVELAND PASS
Route: Denver west to Silverthorne/Dillon (central mountains). Road elevation 11,990’ MSL. This pass is not visible to any weather reporting stations. When flying from the east extreme caution should be taken to not continue past HWY 6 when following I-70 due to a box canyon above Eisenhower Tunnel (I-70). Expect strong downdrafts and limited climb capability when light to moderate winds aloft exist. N39°39.82’-W105° 52.75’.
MARSHALL PASS
Route: San Luis Valley and Salida to Gunnison. Track elevation 10,845’ MSL. The vicinity of this pass is partially visible to weather observation in Salida. Weather and terrain often favor this pass over Monarch. N38°23.48’-W106°14.83’.
MCCLURE PASS
Route: Aspen/ Glenwood Springs to Montrose area. Road elevation 8,755’ MSL. N39°7.73’-W107°17.03’
MILNDER PASS
Route: North Denver via Estes Park to Granby. Road elevation 10,758’ MSL. This pass crosses Rocky Mountain National Park. Moderate winds aloft will produce turbulence on the east side of the pass. N40°25.20’-W105°43.72’.
MONARCH PASS
Route: Salida to Gunnison. Road elevation 11,312’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS Program. Monarch Pass 124.175 (MYP). Expect strong downdrafts and limited climb capability when
light to moderate winds aloft exist. Caution: This pass has had a historically high number of crashes. N38°29.8’, W106°19.54’.
MOSCA PASS
Route: Pueblo to Alamosa over the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Trail elevation 9,740’ MSL. Le Veta Pass AWOS 119.925 is located approximately 20 miles to the south. This pass can be used as an alternative to Le Veta Pass when winds are moderate. N37°43.97’-W105°27.26’.
MOSQUITO PASS
Route: Fairplay to Leadville. Trail elevation 13,186’ MSL. This pass is not visible to weather reporting stations. High winds aloft will produce turbulence and strong downdrafts. N39°16.88’-W106°11.17’.
NORTH PASS
An alternative to Monarch Pass that is lower with better options for emergency landing sites. N38°13’-W106°34.54’.
PONCHA PASS
Route: Salida to Alamosa. Road elevation 9,015’ MSL. The pass is visible to Salida weather observations. During moderate winds aloft turbulence can be expected. N38°25.33’-W106° 5.22’.
RABBIT EARS PASS
Route: Kremmling to Steamboat Springs. Road elevation 9,426’ MSL. This pass is visible from Steamboat Springs Airport. Use caution when trying to climb over the pass from Steamboat Springs Airport without first gaining sufficient altitude. Expect turbulence and up/down drafts during moderate winds aloft. N40°23.08’-W106°36.7’.
RED MOUNTAIN PASS
Route: Montrose to Durango. Road elevation 11,120’ MSL. This pass is not visible from any weather reporting stations. Use extreme caution when crossing this pass due to long periods of rugged terrain. During light to moderate winds aloft turbulence and up/down drafts can be expected. N37°53.93’-W107°42.72’.
TENNESSEE PASS
Route: Leadville to Vail/Eagle. Road elevation 10,424’ MSL. This pass is visible to Leadville weather observations. This pass is used for a north/ south route through the central mountains of Colorado. N39°19.28’-W106°18.67’.
TROUT CREEK PASS
Route: South Park to Buena Vista. Road elevation 9,346’ MSL. This pass is visible to Buena Vista weather observations. This is one of the lowest routes into the central mountains. N38°54.6’-W105°58.5’.
VAIL PASS
Route: Silverthorne/Dillon to Vail/Eagle. Road elevation 10,606’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. Copper Mountain AWOS 118.075 (CCU). This pass follows Interstate 70. N39°31.83’-W106°13.03’.
WESTON PASS
Route: Fairplay to Leadville. Road elevation 11,960’ MSL. This pass is visible to Leadville weather observations. During moderate winds aloft expect turbulence and up/down drafts. This pass has blind turns at both ends. N39°7.88’-W106°10.93’.
WILKERSON PASS
Route: Colorado Springs/South Denver to South Park and central mountains. Road elevation 9,507’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. Wilkerson Pass AWOS 132.3 (4BM). Wilkerson pass is the main route into the central mountains from the east. N39°2.28’-W105°31.54’.
WOLF CREEK
Route: Alamosa to Pagosa Springs/Durango. Road elevation 10,857’ MSL. This pass is part of the Mountain AWOS program. Wolf Creek Pass AWOS 121.125 (CPW). Wolf Creek Pass has a blind turn from north to south. N37°28.95’-W106°47.93’.