State Highway 149 (SH 149) is a
state highway in southwestern
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, United States. SH 149's southern terminus is at
U.S. Highway 160
U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...
(US 160) in
South Fork, and the northern terminus is at
US 50 west of
Gunnison. The entire route is also known as the
Silver Thread Colorado Scenic & Historic Byway.
Route description
![Baldy Cinco](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Baldy_Cinco.JPG)
SH 149 begins in the south at its junction with
US 160
U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...
at
South Fork. From there the road winds its way generally northward through the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
. The first portion of the road parallels the upper
Rio Grande as it passes through
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...
. SH 149 winds through the mountains for before coming to the historic mining town of
Creede. From there the road continues its climb into the mountains and eventually turns away from the Rio Grande to cross the
Continental Divide at
Spring Creek Pass
Spring Creek Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The pass is traversed by State Highway 149, and the Continental Divide Trail and Colorado Trail follow the divide and cross the hig ...
at an elevation of . At this point the road passes into
Gunnison National Forest
The Gunnison National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 1,672,136 acres (2,612.71 sq mi, or 6,766.89 km²) Slumgullion Pass
Slumgullion Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in southwestern Colorado traversed by State Highway 149 east of Lake City. The north side has the steepest grade of any continuously paved road in Colorado (9%), but the pass does not close often ...
elevated . From there, the highway descends and crosses the
Slumgullion Earthflow
The Slumgullion Earthflow in the San Juan Mountains in Hinsdale County, Colorado has been a National Natural Landmark since 1983. It is also a Colorado Natural Area and an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
The earthflow, a slow-moving la ...
before it drops to the town of
Lake City, where it begins to parallel
Lake Fork, a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River.
Description
The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...
. SH 149 follows Lake Fork down out of the mountains and eventually turns away to the east passing just north of
Powderhorn where the road again turns northward. After skirting the southern edge of
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Curecanti National Recreation Area(Pronounced (locally) or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing r ...
, the highway crosses the Gunnison River and finally reaches its northern terminus at
US 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
approximately nine miles west of
Gunnison. There are no major junctions along its entire length.
History
The route was established in the 1920s and was completely paved by 1977.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML
149
Transportation in Rio Grande County, Colorado
Transportation in Hinsdale County, Colorado
Transportation in Gunnison County, Colorado