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Status unknown — verify before visiting

We don't have current condition data for this trail. Check with the land manager before you go.

Cottonwood Pass
ModerateOut and Back

Cottonwood Pass

Buena Vista, Colorado

3.1 mi

Distance

896 ft

Elev. Gain

1h 24m

Est. Time

Out & Back

Route Type

Moderate

Difficulty

About This Trail

Cottonwood Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in south-central Colorado in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. It is located along the border of Gunnison and Chaffee counties in Colorado, and is in the Sawatch Range. The road over Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the U.S., and the second highest pass with an improved road in the state. It is the fourth-highest paved road in the state after Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, Pikes Peak Highway, and Trail Ridge Road.

Source: Wikipedia — text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify trail conditions and seasonal closures with the managing agency before you go.

Trail Conditions

Trail Conditions

Unknown

We have no current condition data for this trail. Check with the operator before you go, and submit a report below if you've been recently.

No recent condition reports. Be the first to share what you see on the trail.

Elevation Profile

Min:3,698 ft
Max:3,832 ft
273 ft
273 ft
3,698 ft3,743 ft3,787 ft3,832 ft0.0 mi0.8 mi1.6 mi2.3 mi3.1 mi

Trail Details

Route Type
Out & Back
Surface
Dirt

Official sources & verification

Managed by United States Forest Service

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Managing agency

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  • Address:CO
We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this trail using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: May 23, 2026. Our copy is more than a month old — please reconfirm with the agency before relying on it.Spot an error in our data?

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Legacy import — verify before navigating

Path geometry came from our pre-launch legacy database. Routes have not yet been re-verified against the operator and may differ from the actual trail.

Hunt context

This trail crosses hunting units

During hunting seasons, wear blaze orange and check regulations — see the Colorado hunting page

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