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| Rock embedded Hagerman Pass Road |
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| 4 ft. of snow blocking road at summit |
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| Hagerman Railroad Tunnel |
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| Turquoise Reservoir outside of Leadville |
Overview: Hagerman Pass which connects Leadville to Basalt is approximately 55 miles in length and passes several outstanding features. We started in Leadville, crossing over the dam and around the south side of the beautiful Turquoise Reservoir. It serves as a focal point for many recreational activities, especially fishing. Soon we came upon the historically significant Hagerman Railroad Tunnel. Completed in 1886 it connected Colorado Springs to Aspen. The railroad was the first standard gauge railroad to cross the Continental Divide. From here the road leads to the summit and was embedded with rock making the ride slow & bumpy. Along this stretch a four-wheeler descending the pass told us that the road was blocked by snow at the top, making passage impossible. We decided to continue and see for ourselves as there had been very little snow covering the trail thus far.
The road began to narrow and 100 ft. from the summit a huge dip in the road had filled with about 4 ft. of snow. 15 miles into our journey we turned around and retraced our route back to Leadville.
Rating: Easy. Some embedded rock on each side of the pass but most of the road is wide and graded.
Stats: From Leadville - 15 miles to summit ( 30 miles total). 2 1/2 hrs.
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