Hagerman Pass - September 2014

Hagerman Pass

Starting point:  Leadville, CO.
Finishing point:  Basalt, CO.
Total Mileage:  63.3 mile
Unpaved Mileage:  22.5
Driving Time:  3 Hours
Difficulty Rating:  3

Hagerman Pass Road is the product of the golden period of railroad expansion in Colorado.  In 1885,
the Colorado Midland Railway began construction on a railway running from Aspen to Leadville.  It
opened in 1887 and faced financial difficulties right from the start - it shut down in 1893.

2013 snow drift at summit

In Leadville, the entrance to Hagerman Pass is just beyond the beautiful Turquoise Lake and it ends at Ruedi Reservoir in Basalt.  Below the timberline, it passes through pine & aspen forest and requires a high clearance vehicle because of embedded rock and road erosion.

Colorado Midland Railway Tunnel

Last year we attempted the pass but we were forced to turn around at the summit due to a

Turquoise Lake

snow drift  blocking the road .......... this time we made it!