Google Earth satellite image of route

Click to enlarge (142 KB)

Rating: 3/10

5/10/04 update:
This beautiful and long stretch (38 miles) of road goes between Creede and Silverton as you follow the headwaters of the of the Rio Grande. That alone adds a special distinction to this route being next to this famous river, which is the third longest in the country (Mississippi, Missouri) as it starts its 1,885 journey south to the Gulf of Mexico. The historic value of this stretch is just as impressive. This route was used as the main way to get supplies and goods into Silverton before the railroad was built in 1882 to it from Durango, which then made this pass obsolete. This railway is now named the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

The Pole Creek crossing on the Creede side of the pass is supposedly one of the deeper ones in the region, although when I traveled this in June of 2002, it was only around a foot or so deep, though the previous winter's severe lack of snow was one of the lightest on record. It also parallels the northern border of the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado's largest wilderness area, for the entire stretch on the east side of the pass. The southern 6-mile spur to Kite Lake from Pole Creek, is well worth the trip if you have the time. The incredible color of the water and the scenery there are most excellent.