Evans, Pikes Peak, and Mauna Kea are higher, but end at the top. A beautiful paved road leads to the summit with plenty of parking. Amazing drive from one end to the other. Colorado Birding Trail. We hiked the continental divide trail from cottonwood pass to enjoy the views from the top - just a couple of miles round trip (2-3?). Subscribe to our newsletter to received exlusive specials and travel deals! Access to several hiking trails as well. The road over Cottonwood Pass is the highest pass with an improved road in the state of Colorado, the third-highest paved road in the state, and the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the United States. It is not all paved. Several places to eat and visit in Buena Vista or Crested Butte. It is a motorcyclist dream with lots of curves and elevation. The road (redone and... Cottonwood Pass Opened August 12, 2019, Sorta, Private Tour to Pikes Peak Garden of Gods. Note... We’ve done most of the highest passes now and Cottonwood doesn’t disappoint! While most of the road is paved, the top 12 miles is well-maintained dirt. Meet the Partners! To get to the crest, construction crews had blocked one lane of traffic and an escort lead the traffic, either up or down, one lane at a time. more. World class fly fishing below Taylor Reservoir. The Birding Trail links outdoor recreation sites, both public and private, into a network through a designated driving route.

From Buena Vista, travel west on County Road 306 for 18 miles to the summit of Cottonwood Pass, the road is paved the entire way to the pass. If you are into butterflies, this pass is an excellent location for Melissa and White-veined Arctics, Magdalena Alpine, and Lustrous Copper. Trail heads are marked well and the views are stunning. Years of at least partial closures following decades of coordinated efforts to improve the road that traverses the Continental Divide between Buena Vista in Chaffee County and Taylor Park Reservoir in Gunnison County are now officially ribbon-cutting complete. Cottonwood Pass. This is one of my favorite passes and is a great shortcut and alternative to Monarch Pass going between Buena Vista and Crested Butte in the summer. See Colorado and take a different route everytime. Also, there are no bathrooms on the top, but there are rest stations at lower altitudes on both sides. If you are prepared for some strenuous high-altitude hiking, you might find White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch in summer. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Cottonwood “Pass” is the highest paved actual pass in the US at 12,126’ (Independence Pass is a close second at 12,095)’. Cottonwood Pass is not open for the winter, closing after the first big snowfall and re-opening sometime around mid-May.

Cottonwood Pass is newly paved and ready for all to travel the highest paved pass in the United States. Construction was completed last September, and the pass reopened with great fanfare, just ahead of the coming of winter. It is a motorcyclist dream with lots of curves and elevation. From Almont, take CO-742 east toward Taylor Park Reservoir. Nice hike to get a panarama view at the top. Connect with travelers planning a visit to Crested Butte Colorado. Drive through the main north south road and turn west on Main street, there is a stoplight. From Crested Butte, drive south to Almont along CO-135. Nature at its finest for sure. The road from Buena Vista is paved up to the Continental Divide at Cottonwood Pass, a stunning high-elevation pass that gets high above treeline and provides nice access to alpine tundra. It's also important to consider that this pass is the third-highest paved road in the … The road (redone and... Cottonwood Pass Summary . Cottonwood Pass is re-paved on the east side and fully paved on the west side. A number of trailheads can also be found along the way. Driving Cottonwood Pass from Crested Butte to Buena Vista is 75 miles and takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.