The Guanella Pass Scenic Byway is a

National Forest Scenic Byway The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987. __TOC__ List The following roadways were listed by t ...

and

Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways are highway and backroad routes in the U.S. state of Colorado designated by the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission for their scenic and historic values. These byways follow existing roads or highwa ...

located in Clear Creek and Park counties,

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 ...

, USA. The byway traverses

Guanella Pass Guanella Pass (elevation ) is a high mountain pass in central Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. The pass is located in southwestern Clear Creek County, in the Front Range west of Denver and south of Georgetown. T ...

at elevation in

Arapaho The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho ba ...

and Pike national forests. The pass lies above timberline surrounded by

Grays Peak Grays Peak is the tenth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent fourteener is the highest summit of the Front Range and the highest point on the Continental Divide and the Conti ...

at elevation ,

Torreys Peak Torreys Peak is a mountain in the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is one of 53 fourteeners in Colorado. Its nearest major city is Denver. Torreys Peak is located along the Continental Divide, as well as the division b ...

Mount Evans Mount Evans is the highest peak in the Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,271-foot (4,350 m) fourteener is located southwest by south ( bearing 214°) of Idaho Springs in Clear C ...

, and

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 ...

. The byway passes through the Georgetown–Silver Plume Historic District, and provides access to the

Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge United States heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, adjacent to Interstate 70 in Colorado. This tourist train runs between the communities of Georgetown and S ...

and the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The byway is renowned for its spectacular

autumn colors Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( ...

during

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

color change from September 10 through October 10 each year.

Route

Gallery

File:6th and Taos, Georgetown, CO 9-24-13zc (10632284065).jpg,

Georgetown, Colorado The historic Town of Georgetown is the territorial charter municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,118 at the 2020 United States Census. The former silver mining camp along ...

File:Loop Railroad, Georgetown, CO 9-24-13h (10632218864).jpg, The Georgetown Loop Railroad File:Georgetown co.jpg, Georgetown from the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway File:The Sawtooth and Mount Bierstadt - panoramio (1).jpg,

The Sawtooth The Sawtooth is a jagged arête joining Mount Bierstadt to (eventually) Mount Evans in the Front Range of central Colorado.Randy Jacobs and Robert M. OrmesGuide to the Colorado Mountains Colorado Mountain Club Press, 2000; page 74. The three poin ...

and

from

Notes

References

External links

America's Scenic Byways: ColoradoColorado Department of Transportation

Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways Commission
*
Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways

Colorado Travel MapColorado Tourism OfficeHistory ColoradoNational Forest Scenic Byways
Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways National Forest Scenic Byways National Forest Scenic Byways in Colorado Arapaho National Forest Pike National Forest Transportation in Colorado Transportation in Clear Creek County, Colorado Transportation in Park County, Colorado Tourist attractions in Colorado Tourist attractions in Clear Creek County, Colorado Tourist attractions in Park County, Colorado Interstate 70 U.S. Route 285 {{Colorado-road-stub

Route

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links