Monarch Pass
US Highway 50
Salida, CO
The moment the highway tops the Continental Divide at over eleven thousand feet, with the whole spine of Colorado falling away on either side.
Monarch Pass is one of those places where a highway does something grand: it climbs to 11,312 feet and crosses the Continental Divide, the great watershed line that splits North America down the middle. Stand at the summit and the rain that falls on one side of you drains eventually to the Atlantic, while the rain on the other side runs off toward the Pacific. The trees give out below you, the wind picks up, and the peaks of the Sawatch Range stack up in every direction. It is the kind of view most people only get by hiking for days, delivered here at the end of a paved road.
The pass has been a way across the divide for a long time. A toll road opened over the original crossing back in 1880, in the silver-boom years, and the present highway on US 50 was finished in the late 1930s. Today it is an easy, dramatic stop between Salida and Gunnison, with a summit gift shop, a scenic tramway that lifts you even higher, and trailheads that put the roof of the Rockies within a few steps of your car.
What Guests Love
- Standing on the Continental Divide itself, where rain to the east reaches the Atlantic and rain to the west reaches the Pacific
- The huge, treeless summit views across the Sawatch peaks and central Colorado
- The scenic tramway that lifts you higher still, to over twelve thousand feet on the ridge
- Easy access to the Monarch Crest and Continental Divide Trail right from the parking lot
Worth Knowing
- At over eleven thousand feet the air is thin, so go slow, drink water, and expect it to be cooler and windier than the valley below
- Mountain weather turns fast, and afternoon thunderstorms and sudden snow are possible even in summer, so check conditions before you drive up
- The pass is kept plowed and open year-round, but winter driving here means real snow, so carry chains or good tires in the cold months
- There are restrooms, a gift shop, and food at the summit, but fill your tank in Salida or Gunnison since it is a long way between towns
Details
Salida, CO
Learn about Monarch Pass
Crossing the backbone of the continent
The Continental Divide is not a wall or a single mountain, but a wandering line that follows the highest ground across the country, deciding which ocean every drop of water is bound for. Monarch Pass is one of the more spectacular places to meet it by car. As US 50 switchbacks up from the Arkansas River valley, the forest thins to stubby pines and then to open alpine tundra, and the highway tops out on a bare, wind-scoured saddle with the sign that marks the divide and the elevation, 11,312 feet.
From the summit the land drops away on both sides into deep, green mountain country, the Sawatch peaks to the north and the San Juan and Sawatch high country rolling off to the west toward Gunnison. On a clear day the views run for many miles, and even the parking lot feels like a lookout. It is a genuine high place, cold and bright, where the scale of the Colorado Rockies is right in front of you rather than off on the horizon.
The scenic tramway and the summit stop
The story of the summit stop begins in 1954, when a Salida businessman named Elmo Bevington and a former sheriff, George Cope, opened a small gift shop and restaurant on the pass and called it the Monarch Crest. In 1966 the Bevington brothers, Elmo and Mac, built a scenic tramway beside it, a gondola that carries visitors up from the pass at 11,312 feet to a lookout on the ridge at roughly 12,000 feet, where the view opens even wider across the Continental Divide.
The tramway still runs in the warm season, and the summit building has a gift shop and food, so it makes an easy family stop: ride up, take in the enormous view from the top, and come back down without a long hike. It is a rare chance to gain a thousand feet of alpine elevation the lazy way and stand somewhere that feels like the very top of Colorado.
Walking the roof of the Rockies
For anyone who wants to stretch their legs, Monarch Pass is a doorway onto some of the best high-country hiking in Colorado. The Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail both run right through here, and the celebrated Monarch Crest section wanders for miles above treeline along the spine of the divide, with sweeping 360-degree views the whole way. You can walk out for ten minutes or ten miles and turn back whenever you like.
This is true alpine tundra, a fragile world of low cushiony plants, summer wildflowers, and hardy animals. In the short warm season the meadows fill with color, and you may spot yellow-bellied marmots sunning on the rocks or an eagle riding the wind. Keep to the trail so the tundra can survive, and remember that at this height the sun is fierce and the weather can change in minutes, so a hat, water, and a warm layer go a long way.
Visiting Monarch Pass
Monarch Pass sits on US 50 about 20 miles west of Salida, an easy and beautiful drive up the Arkansas valley and into the mountains. The road is a plowed, year-round highway, so the pass is reachable in every season, but the summit is far higher and colder than the towns below, and winter storms can drop real snow, so watch the forecast and carry chains or capable tires in the cold months.
Give yourself time to actually stop rather than just drive over the top. Park at the summit, read the divide sign, feel how thin and bright the air is, and either ride the tramway higher or walk a little way out on the crest. It is one of the simplest ways in Colorado to stand on the Continental Divide, catch the view, and understand why people call these mountains the backbone of the country, all within a short drive of Salida.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Salida
Salida
About 20 miles
A lively arts and river town on the Arkansas, the closest place to stay and eat, with a historic downtown and hot-springs pools.
Old Monarch Pass
About 2 miles
A dirt road that climbs to the original divide crossing at 11,375 feet, a quiet spot for a picnic and even bigger views.
Monarch Lake and the Arkansas Valley
About 5 miles
Small alpine lakes and picnic areas on the way up the pass, good for a stretch and a look at the high country.
Gunnison
About 45 miles
The mountain town on the west side of the divide, gateway to the Black Canyon and Blue Mesa Reservoir.