Smiles and Miles on Our Trips : OUR WAY BACK HOME FROM BLUE MESA THOUSAND TRAILS IN GUNNISON, COLORADO - (HIT A MILESTONE OF 100 DAYS IN THOUSAND TRAILS CAMPGROUNDS THIS YEAR; MONARCH PASS SUMMIT; US HIGHWAY 50 ALONG THE ARKANSAS RIVER; AND BACK TO MATHESON)

At around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 1, 2024, we checked out of the Blue Mesa Thousand Trail Campground in Gunnison, Colorado after spending 14 nights there. This was also a milestone -- as we have stayed 100 nights in Thousand Trails campgrounds this year-to-date (see receipt below).

After driving for about one hour (9:30 a.m.), we drove through the Gunnison National Forest. Encompassing over 2 million acres of land, the Gunnison National Forest is arguably the best natural resouce in the valley.

Soon we were only seven miles away from the Monarch Pass Summit.

Monarch Pass is at an elevation of 11,312 feet. It is a high mountain pass in central Colorado within the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. The pass is located on the Continental Divide at the southern end of the Sawatch Range along the border between Gunnison and Chaffee counties, approximately 25 miles west of the town of Salida. The pass carries US Highway 50 over the Sawatch Range, providing a route between Tomichi Creek in the upper basin of the Gunnison River on the west and the South Arkansas River, a tributary of the Arkansas River, on the east.

The pass is widely considered one of the most scenic in Colorado, offering a panoramic view of the southern end of the Sawatch Range from the summit. During the summer, an aerial tram from the parking lot at the summit carries visitors to the top of Monarch Ridge above the pass (at approximately 12,000 feet above sea level), allowing a wider view of the surrounding peaks. During the winter, visitors enjoy skiing at Monarch ski area. Monarch Mountain Lodge is located about 5 miles from the summit of the pass.

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HISTORY

The current Monarch Pass is the third location on the Continental Divide to carry that name. The Original Monarch Pass is just 1.6 miles northwest of the present pass. A road traversing this first Monarch Pass was constructed in 1880 and served as an important wagon and stage road connecting the town of South Arkansas City (later Salida) on the east side with booming mining camps and the city of Gunnison on the west side. In 1922, the road was improved and rerouted to better accommodate motor vehicles. The new road crossed the divide 0.6 miles northwest of the present pass. This second Monarch Pass is what is now known as Old Monarch Pass. It remained an important unpaved crossing of the divide until 1939 when yet another highway realignment was necessary.

During the 1930s, efforts were underway to complete the newly designated US Route 50 across America. In Colorado, one of the more difficult challenges was the routing of the new highway over the Continental Divide. It was clear new road would need to be constructed, but there were three competing options for where to cross the divide. Marshall Pass and Cochetopa Pass, both to the south and at lower elevations, were under consideration as was Monarch Pass, the more direct route between Salida and Gunnison. In September 1938, state engineer Charles Vail decided to utilize the Monarch Pass route, but with significant reconstruction and rerouting to reduce grades, minimize tight curves, and keep the roadbed up on sunny slopes where winter snow would be easier to manage. To achieve these objectives, the road was rerouted over what was then called Agate Pass or Agate-Monarch Pass, which now serves as the third Monarch Pass.

The new US Route 50 over the divide was completed, except for paving, in November 1939, and the new pass was initially designated ‘’Vail Pass’’. Area residents objected to the name, and in December 1939, Governor Ralph Carr officially designated the new pass as ‘’Monarch Pass.’’ Soon thereafter, a newly constructed pass on US Route 6 crossing Colorado farther to the north was named Vail Pass.

So at approximately 9:45 a.m., we were at the top of the Monarch Pass Summit and getting ready to head back down the other side.

And back down we go . . .

Monarch Park is nestled at the base of Monarch Ridge, a short drive north of Monarch Pass on US Highway 50.

Then we drove by what looks like a large strip mining area (see above and below).

Next, we drove by the runaway truck ramp (see below) for truckers whose brakes are hot and not working.

Then we entered the San Isabel National Forest. It is enormous. It stretches all the way from the New Mexico-Colorado border on the south to Leadville on the north, a distance of 250 miles. On its eastern side, the forest borders the industrial city of Pueblo and smaller towns such as Walsenburg and Trinidad.

San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53 fourteeners, peaks over 14,000 feet high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado.