Berthoud Pass (/ˈbɜːrθəd/BURTH-əd; elevation 11,307 ft (3,446 m)) is a high mountain pass in central Colorado, in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States.
The pass is located west of Denver, and provides a high route between upper Clear Creek Canyon to the upper valley of the Fraser River in Middle Park to the north. It traverses the continental divide at the Front Range, on the border between Clear Creek County and Grand County.
The pass is named for Edward L. Berthoud, the chief surveyor of the Colorado Central Railroad during the 1870s. Accompanied by Jim Bridger, Berthoud discovered the pass in July 1861 while surveying a possible route for the railroad. Berthoud concluded that the pass was suitable as a wagon road, but not as a railroad, and was then hired by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company to survey a route over the pass to Salt Lake.[1]
The route of U.S. Highway 40 currently traverses the pass north of its junction with Interstate 70 in Clear Creek Canyon. It provides primary road access to Winter Park and a secondary route to Steamboat Springs from Denver and the Colorado Front Range. However, the pass is one of the most notoriously difficult passes in Colorado for motorists, based on its height as well as the steep grades on both sides (6.3%) and the large number of switchbacks on the southern side of the pass. At least 55 avalanche paths have been mapped on Berthoud Pass, some of them intersecting U.S. Highway 40 and some of those intersecting the roadway at multiple points on the pass.[2] In 2015, CDOT installed an automated propane-fueled avalanche mitigation system consisting of five units that create concussive blasts to mitigate snow slab buildup on avalanche path #5, Stanley.[3]
^McGrath, Maria Davies (1934). The Real Pioneers of Colorado. The Denver Museum. p. 47. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
^Avalanche paths avalanchemapping.org
^"Colorado mountain passes get remote-controlled gas avalanche control — finally". 18 September 2015.
BerthoudPass (/ˈbɜːrθəd/ BURTH-əd; elevation 11,307 ft (3,446 m)) is a high mountain pass in central Colorado, in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
along with nearby Muddy Pass to the southeast and the much higher BerthoudPass closer to Denver. The climate of Rabbit Ears Pass is generally semi-arid...
needed] Examples include the Grand Ditch over La Poudre Pass, the BerthoudPass Ditch, and the Boreas Pass Ditch.[citation needed] Herbicides may be used to...
example, in Jackson Hole, Loveland Pass, BerthoudPass, and the Sierra Nevada. Ski areas of New Zealand include Arthur's Pass National Park, Central Otago,...
Berthoud may refer to: Berthoud, Colorado, US BerthoudPass, Colorado, US Burgdorf, Switzerland, (French: Berthoud) Alfred Berthoud (1874–1939), Swiss...
Ferdinand Berthoud (born 18 March 1727, in Plancemont-sur-Couvet, Principality of Neuchâtel; died 20 June 1807, in Groslay, Val d'Oise), was a scientist...
pass crosses the Continental Divide of the Americas. Cottonwood Pass is normally closed from about November 7 through about May 25. Independence Pass...
Wyoming Beaver Pass, British Columbia BerthoudPass, Colorado Big Hole Pass, Montana Big Mountain Pass, Utah Black Bear Pass, Colorado Boreas Pass, Colorado...
two mining students on August 21, 500 feet (150 m) inside a mine on BerthoudPass near Winter Park Resort. Credit card receipts placed Bundy in Golden...
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Vasquez Pass, elevation 11,693 ft (3,564 m), is a mountain pass that crosses the Continental Divide in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado...
two-story hewd-log structure" as a hotel, "at the point of intersection of the Berthoud and Rollins roads." The road began to fall out of use and into disrepair...
divided from the Central Rocky Mountains by South Pass in Wyoming and the drainage running east from the pass down the Sweetwater River and the North Platte...
carried through the Rocky Mountains, crossing the Continental Divide at BerthoudPass. Henry Marsh and mayor Ted Wilson ran with the torch in Salt Lake City...
Mountain passes on the Continental Divide of the Americas. Note Column:A=Automobile road R=Railway E=Used by early explorers *=not strictly a mountain pass on...
easy access for the general public. In the 1950s, Sam Huntington of BerthoudPass, Colorado, purchased Snow Basin from the City of Ogden and proceeded...
County, Colorado. The peak is located 8.3 miles (13.4 km) southwest of BerthoudPass. Pettingell Peak is a popular hiking and skiing destination due to its...
of mountain passes Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies Central Rocky Mountains Western Rocky Mountains Southern Rocky Mountains Mountain pass List of mountain...