2011-08-11 to 15-Aspen & Snowmass, CO at Bill's by...

Independence Pass

When the pass is open in warmer weather, it is a popular destination. A scenic overlook near the pass allows visitors to take in the alpine tundra environment above treeline, and offers excellent views to the east of Mount Elbert, Colorado's highest peak and the second-highest mountain in the contiguous United States. Rock climbers are drawn to nearby bouldering opportunities, and informal paths lead to nearby mountain summits of even higher elevation. Backcountry skiers make use of the slopes during the late spring and early summer. Since 2011 the pass has been on the route of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Capture Date: Aug 14, 2011 04:16 PM•Views: 12

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Mount Elbert, viewed from Independence Pass

Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America. At 14,440 feet (4,401 m), it is the second-highest mountain in the contiguous United States (after Mount Whitney in California), the highest of the fourteeners of Colorado, the fourteenth-highest mountain in the United States, and the highest point of the Sawatch Range. Situated in Lake County approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Leadville, it lies within the San Isabel National Forest, near Twin Lakes, in the center of the state of Colorado.

Capture Date: Aug 14, 2011 04:17 PM•Views: 12

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Independence Pass Overlook

The pass was formed by glacial action and erosion in the region, and its first recorded sighting was by Zebulon Pike in 1806. Ferdinand Hayden surveyed it in 1873. As part of the Continental Divide, it was the limit of European settlement in the region at the time, with the land to the west reserved for the Ute people. Prospectors who defied governor Frederick Walker Pitkin's order crossed the pass on July 4, 1879, giving it its current name and setting up a similarly named village (now a ghost town) to its west. A toll road built across the pass was abandoned and neglected after a railroad connection was made to Aspen. A new road replaced it in the 1920s; portions of the old route can still be seen along the western approach.

Capture Date: Aug 14, 2011 04:17 PM•Views: 12

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