Weston Pass

Gravel Route from Leadville to Fairplay

Weston Pass is a 27 mile gravel road that cuts through the San Isabel and Pike National Forests, bridging Leadville to Fairplay over the Mosquito mountain range. The pass is rich with history- it was built upon a former Ute trail and was heavily traversed during the Leadville mining boom of the late nineteenth century. Today, the road is in relatively good shape and generous on wider, gravel tires. We gained about 3000 ft. of elevation, but no climb was too daunting or long to not be enjoyable. 

The route is a 20 mile out and back beginning from the west side in Lake County, five miles south of Leadville.  The pass begins off Hwy - 24 as an asphalt road. It winds through the Mt. Massive lakes area, eventually turning to gravel right before you enter into the canyon. For ten miles you’ll ride through areas dominated by sagebrush and granite rock, shuttle through tunnels of aspen groves and pedal up into deep pine forest that surround big Union Creek. vistas from the 11,921 ft. summit cap the ride with Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert dominating your western view on top of the alpine tundra. 

As with any high elevation adventure, an early start is key to avoiding bad weather. The pass is closed seasonally to cars and is generally not ride-able until June. For a bigger ride you could always extend the route over the pass to Fairplay. For those looking to bikepack you may also find that there are some decent (i.e. incredible) spots to lay your head along the pass.