Cottonwood Pass (Continental Divide): Difference between revisions

The [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Continental Divide]] is marked at the summit of Cottonwood Pass. The pass is closed seasonally due to heavy snowfall, typically from around October until sometime in May. When open, the pass can be accessed from [[Buena Vista, Colorado|Buena Vista]] to the east by following Chaffee County Road 306. Near the summit, the road name changes to Gunnison County Road 209 as it continues to the west, passing near [[Taylor Park Reservoir]] and continuing down into the town of [[Almont, Colorado|Almont]]. The majority of this road is paved, with the exception being the section linking the summit of Cottonwood Pass with Taylor Park Reservoir, which is gravel. When open, the pass is one of the few routes through the Sawatch Range accessible in a standard two-wheel drive passenger vehicle.<ref>[http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XFA110-020 "Cottonwood Pass Scenic Drive"] Trails.com. Retrieved 13 November 2009.</ref> [[Independence Pass (Colorado)|Independence Pass]] is another such seasonal route through this mountain range, while efforts are made to ensure that [[U.S. Route 50 in Colorado|U.S. 50]] at [[Monarch Pass]] remains open year-round for all vehicles, barring extreme weather conditions.