Colorado Color – Off the Beaten Path

 

While steady streams of gawkers admire Colorado’s fall colors from busy highways those willing to eat a little dust and dodge a few potholes discover even greater rewards. I share a few favorite, off-the-beaten path roads around the state. 

• Boreas Pass – Breckenridge to Como

  Narrow gauge trains once puffed across the Continental Divide at Boreas Pass – named after the Greek god of the north wind. Today the old railroad bed provides a gentle grade for automobile traffic.

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• Crested Butte to Gothic     

  A short but always rewarding side  trip to a Crested Butte visit. “The Butte” isn’t exactly a place you stumble upon, you get there on purpose. And, some choose to never leave. A former ghost town, Gothic is now headquarters of the Rocky Biological Laboratory, a high altitude environmental research field station.

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  Old Mining Roads Above Central City

  Prospectors rushed to the area 150 years ago when gold was discovered in Gregory Gulch. Central City soon became a supply and cultural center – nearly designated as the state capital. The remains of old mining camps and abandoned mines dot the hillsides – Nevadaville, Apex, Russell Gulch, American City.

 

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  Ohio Pass -  Gunnison to Crested Butte 

  The most colorful autumn route between Gunnison and Crested Butte is  the Ohio Pass Road. Not the most direct, fastest or smoothest but without a doubt the most vibrant.

 

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• Last Dollar Road – Dallas Divide to Telluride

  I almost hate to share this personal remote treasure. Bob first took the family down this road three decades ago in our International Scout. Rough, rutted and ungraded – 4WD is definitely advised even thought I did drive it once in a Honda Accord. I had to buy Bob a much needed….

   

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                              Image these aspen in their golden glory. 

 

More posts on Colorado Fall Color:

• Colorado Fall Color Update
• Fall Color Update – Colorado
• Colorado Fall Color – Denver Day Trips
• Colorado Scenic Railroads
• San Juan Scenic Skyway – Colorado

Ohio Pass

Gunnison to Crested Butte

The most colorful autumn route between Gunnison and Crested Butte is the Ohio Pass Road. Not the most direct, fastest or smoothest but without a doubt the most vibrant. North of Gunnison the road follows the Ohio Creek Valley – hay fields, cattle ranches and more recently built ranchette homes. Aged willows grow close to the creek. Stacks of large hay rolls promise feed for livestock during the coming winter. At approximately fifteen miles deserted, decaying structures are all that remains of Baldwin, once a company town for one of the region’s largest coal mines. Peaks of the West Elk Wilderness and The Castles –  eroded volcanic remains – rise to the west. The further along the road we travel the thicker the aspen – area has been blessed an abundance of the quaking trees. At 10,076 –ft, Ohio Pass is not above timberline; near the top, dense growths of ferns carpet the forest floor. This is also a great drive during wildflower season.

**Photography Note –Sept. 20,2009 -In the hour we spent driving Ohio Pass Road this morning we had everything from thick low-hanging clouds, bright blue sky, rain and rainbows. There are a lot of aspen yet to change along this route.

• • The Route – Drive north of Gunnison on CO135, after mile marker 3 watch for “Ohio Creek Road” signs, turn  left (Forest Road 730). The road is 23.5 miles to the intersection  with the Kebler Pass Road. the first eight miles are paved, the remainder gravel/dirt. Some sources list this as a jeep or 4WD road. I disagree, I believe it’s appropriate for automobiles except for extremely low clearance vehicles. (Drove this road 9/20/2009, saw no reason 4WD would be required.) Large RVs and boat trailers are not advised on the narrow portion near the top of the pass. At Kebler Pass Road, turn right on County Road 12 for the six mile drive into Crested Butte.      

Boreas Pass – Breckenridge to Como

Narrow gauge trains once puffed across the Continental Divide at Boreas Pass – named after the Greek god of the north wind. Today the old railroad bed provides a gentle grade for automobile traffic. Although bumpy in spots with random potholes 4WD is not required. Plenty of aspen and panorama views of the Ten Mile Range and Breckenridge to the northwest and South Park to the southeast make the drive a popular autumn destination. An interpretive site atop the pass includes  the section house, “Ken’s” cabin, stone rubble of the original engine house and a boxcar. Even on a clear sunny day you’ll probably be reminded of the Greek god – Boreas.       

                       

                                                                        

• The Route – From CO 9 on the southern edge of Breckenridge turn east on Boreas Pass Road – County Road 10. You may want to stop at Rotary Snowplow Park to examine the massive 108-ton machine once used to clear railroad tracks. Although the first few miles are are paved most of the road is graded dirt, approximately 10 miles to the summit and another 10 miles down to Como. A semi-circular stone roundhouse recalls the days when Como bustled with railroad and mining activity.