Colorado Mtn Passes

• This Page is of mostly about unpaved High Mountain Passes in the Arkansas, South Platte and Northern Rio Grande Watersheds Negotiable by an Adventure motorcycle or a Plated Dirt Bike.
• This is Not a comprehensive list of every Mountain Pass in Colorado.
• This Page contains a List of Passes in the Heart of the Rockies.

Why is this area called the Heart of the Rockies ?

• The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad called Salida and the Arkansas River Valley the Heart of the Rockies from the 1920’s to the 1990’s.
• 4 Major American Rivers Headwaters are in the “Heart of the Rockies”
  

Scroll down for a List of 18 Specific Passes in the Heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Marshall Pass Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Map late 1800’s

(Click to view)

• All of the passes in the Heart of the Rockies could be negotiated by any competent rider on a properly set up ADV Motorcycle.

• The Passes in the Heart of the Rocky Mountains are in the headwaters and watersheds of 4 Major American Rivers:

1. The Arkansas
2. Rio Grande
3. South Platte
4. Colorado

• The quickest route from one town to the other in the Rocky Mountains is often up and over a mountain
• Which explains why Colorado has so many high mountain passes.
• It’s passes like these that offer incredible rewards for those daring enough to traverse them.

Mountain Passes (A-M)

• Chaffee County has more ‘Fourteener’s than any other County in the United States.
• Mountain Passes—trade routes during the mining era—offer long rides with stunning scenery.
• History buffs can travel along the old Railroad lines and imagine them as they were in the early mining and Railroad days.

Mountain Passes (N-Z)

• The plentiful Passes of the region, open spaces and majestic views offer endless opportunities for exploring.
• With all the widespread OHV closures, knowing where to go and how to get the best out of your riding day is now more valuable than ever before.
• We have scouted out the best routes, and eliminated the U-turns and dead-ends on all of our routes.

The Crossroads of the Rockies are in Chaffee County. Hwy’s 285 and Hwy 50.