Guanella Pass (elevation ) is a high
mountain pass in central
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 ...
, in the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
of the
western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...
.
The pass is located in southwestern
Clear Creek County, in the
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered ...
west of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
and south of
Georgetown. The pass was named in 1953 for Byron Guanella, a road supervisor and commissioner in Clear Creek County for nearly 50 years.
The pass provides a route between Georgetown in the valley of
Clear Creek to the north and
Grant
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
*Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
* Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
* Grant, Inyo County, ...
in the valley of
Geneva Creek, a tributary of the
North Fork South Platte River, to the south. The pass is traversed by the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway. The road provides a link between
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...
to the north and
U.S. Highway 285 to the south.
The entire route from Georgetown to U.S. Highway 285 is paved. The road is no longer maintained in the winter and expect closure after the first heavy snow in the winter. There is a parking area at the closure gate on the Georgetown side of the pass to allow access to the pass by foot or snowmobile during the winter.
At the summit of the pass, hiking trails lead east to
Mount Bierstadt
Mount Bierstadt is a mountain summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The fourteener is located in the Mount Evans Wilderness of Pike National Forest, south by east ( bearing 171°) of the Town of Geo ...
(elevation ) among other places.
The
Geneva Basin Ski Area which existed from 1963 to 1984 was located just a few miles south of the pass.
Colorado Ski History: ''Geneva Basin Ski Area
/ref>
References
External links
USGS TopoZone listing
CDOT
{{Authority control
Mountain passes of Colorado
Landforms of Clear Creek County, Colorado
Transportation in Clear Creek County, Colorado
Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways