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Mosquito Pass
From Dirtopia, The Off-Road Encyclopedia
 Photo: CAPTION | |
| Off-Road Information | |
| Other Names: | |
|---|---|
| Terrain: | 4x4/atv/dirtbike |
| Off-Road Use: | |
| Difficulty: | Moderate(5) |
| Camping: | {{{camping}}} |
| Geography | |
| County: | Park |
| Nearest Cities: | Alma, CO Leadville, CO |
| Map Links: | Google Map |
| Satellite Map: | {{{satlinks}}} |
| Special Map: | |
| GPS Coords: | 39.2825/-106.064 |
| Google Earth: | Mosquito_Pass.kmz |
| Climate: | |
| Area Size: | |
| Elevation: | |
| Last Visited: | {{{lastvisited}}} |
| Open/Closed/Date: | |
| Season(s): | {{{seasons}}} |
Trail description needed.
This trail is a very historic trail running from the town of Fairplay to Alma. Some people may have heard of it from the famous "World Championship Pack Burro Race". Racers line up their burros on one side of the pass, race to well over 13,000 feet, then race down to the other side. After some dispute over who gets the finish line, and the party, in recent years both towns hold their very own race to the top of the pass, and then back to their respective town.
From the Fairplay side, travel down highway 9, towards Alma, until you reach county road 12 on your left. Please keep your speed down on this road, as it gets very dusty for those of us who take up residence along there. Not to mention the dogs, children, and bicyclists that are often in the road. You will pass Park City, which is really only a cluster of cabins. From there, it's about 6 miles to the base of the pass, through a slightly bumpy road. This section is possible with a passenger car, however going muuch further than the base is seriously not recommended.
From the base of the pass, you have a fork in the road that goes straight, and fork that cuts to your left. To your left is the pass. To your right is some mining roads that can offer some entertainment. The pass starts with a wide hairpin, with loose rock. Going up the hill, you will enconter serveral large rocks, that most offroad vehicles shouldn't have any problem with. Winding up more you cross a stream more than once.
Eventually you reach an area where the scenery seems to change. The trail is now marked by a ledge over jagged rocks down below, rather than grass You have the reminants of a large mine, a couple trails branching off, and an entire hillside covered in jagged rocks that the rest of the trail is cut into. This area is known as "half-way house", referring to the building that burned down that used to serve as a rest stop before moving higher.
Continuing up the hill further, you will come between two hillsides, and have a trail branching off to your left. This trail has no outlet, but you can go down and check out some cool mines in the valley,
Just beyond that is probably the most difficult section of the trail with large rocks and big swallowing holes will make you chose your line carefully. Even still, it's not that difficult for any kind of offroad vehicle. This section is also often covered in snow until late July. Many attempts are made to pass through the small drift before it's quite cleared. Many have gone through successfully....and some have either rolled or slid off the trail, almost down into the valley. So think about your consequences.
Not too far from that is the top of the pass, where you come to a 4-way intersection. You have a road to your left that goes nowhere...and a service road for the weather station to your right, that also goes nowhere, because there's a gate blocking it further down. Your last option is to go down towards Leadville. This side of the pass is more of your typical pass, with many switchbacks. Remember to yield to vehicles traveling uphill. You will find many large loose rocks, but none that could be considered an obstacle. This side is shorter and easier, as long as you have the neccesary turning radius for the tight switchbacks. Soon, you are down on almost level ground again, and have your final option. Go right for Bird's Eye Gulch for more offroad fun, and greater challenge. Go left to the town of Leadville.
Maps and GPS Coordinates
A comprehensive list of GPS waypoints and tracks in Google Earth format can be found here: Mosquito_Pass.kmz
Mosquito Pass Coordinates: 39.2825° -106.064°
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Find nearby Geocaching locations
- Find this location with Google Earth
