Here are waypoints to 99 passes in Colorado. Some are easy and close to Denver, some hard and far away. The hard ones are really hard, and probably shouldn't be attempted unless you are REALLY GOOD on a big bike (bigger than a 640 adventure). I rode many of the street ones on an 1150RT, and most of the dirt ones on my 640 Adv. If you want to add more to the file, I'll try to keep the file updated with more waypoints that people send me. We can use this a repository for all the Colorado passes over time. Be careful, research them so you know what you are getting into, and have fun! Here's a pic to wet your whistle
Guess not since it's not in the file. I can add it to the file if you like. I haven't ridden the pass yet. (I've ridden about 65 of the ones in the file.) Do you not have that waypoint?
Since I looked over your list I've found numerous others. Unfortunately, I haven't recorded them with GPS. Let me look over a couple of rides some friends did. They did Tincup, Medano, Imogene and others. You may also want to refer to "The Colorado Pass Book" by Don Koch. A worthwhile paper map is "Recreational Map of Colorado", ISBN 1-881262-10-3 by GTR Mapping, Canon City CO 719-275-8948. Among the ugliest are Pearl Pass and Schofield Pass.
I did Pearl and Taylor on the 640. Haven't had the 525 on the high passes yet, Webster was snowed shut when we were there in June. I own that book and map, another good book for passes is called Colorado Watershed Divides (or something like that.) Don't worry about finding the waypoints for me. I can find them through the books and my GPS software. I put these up there to give other people more incentive to get out and ride them. The local BMW club sponsors an unlimited time ride to bag 50 passes. I was the 3rd person to get the pin. Got about half on road on the RT, the rest on the 640.
Pearl and Taylor on a 640! Two real devils. Pearl oftentime never opens. Did Taylor 20 years ago on a 200. Thought I was gonna die! I'm too old to do that crap anymore. The 525 will laugh at it all! I just realized 2 good books that will probably have coordinates "Colorado Backroads & 4WD Trails Vol 1 & 2 by Wells. Don't depend on Garmin Roads & Recreation to have the passes correctly located. I'm about 99% sure Medano for example is wrong.
Yup, Pearl and are both tough, I think Pearl was worse. I'm fully stocked on books. They all have something to add. I use Garmins City Select and TOPO for coordinates. City select is surprisingly good. Many of the dirt pass roads are in it, so you can get a street looking route on a GPS V to the top of alot of them. For the most part the coordinates are easily close enough to get you there.
The "OLD" Garmin TOPO that was 100,000:1 or the newer one..24,000:1, where you have to buy all the CD's separately? I have the old US Roads & Rec...discontinued...that was the version that didn't necessarily have passes located properly.
Hello. I am a fellow 'pass bagger,' and am willing to contribute to the compilation of these passes. You can use the link in my .sig to see the majority of my passes from last season. I made it to 49 before the weather interfered. As soon as I get the passes compiled, I will attempt to post them here. I used a Garmin Quest on my R 1200 GS for all of these passes. The MapSource and CitySelect software made up the majority of my records. I do have TOPO! but the Quest is not supported with it. Looking forward to seeing how this thread develops,
someone should way point Buffalo, YellowJacket, RabbitEars, Douglas, Baxter, Gypsum Divide, Crooked, Scholfield, Paradise Valley Divide, Ptarmigan, Mosquito, Hayden, Mendo (the one that goes out of SandDunesNP), Wilkerson (one between Rand and Gramby) Hagerman, and West Cottonwood... most are not bad and can be done on road tires
Moved to Alaska in 2001 from Durango. Gave up way to much riding months. Cant wait to make the trip back with my Strom myself. Its got fantastic terrain for all kinds of bikes. I had my 87 Venture there so I wasnt able to get on any serious dirt but put many miles on The Alpine Loop (Durango,Ouray,Telluride,Rico back to Durango). Three passes on that trip, Lizard Head, Red Mountain, Molas. Man I could go on and on, theres so Much. Head east and see what I think is the best of all Wolf Creek Pass. The Ironhorse Rally was really turning into a great event too! Ill be sure to mark this and add on when the trip is made in Sept 2006. Looking closer to your thread youve enjoyed some of these. The La Plata's will dazzle you. Just west of Durango. Any road that heads north from Hesperus will not dissappoint!
I can personally testify that you are not doing Medano with "road" tires, unless you count any DOT tire as a road tire. I did Medano two-up and loaded on the R 1200 GS. I do NOT recommend that for anybody. You can do the East approach to the pass with the only obstacles being the slope and some tree roots. However, I should have turned around instead of heading West into the stream crossings and the SAND. The way-points for some of these passes are going to be submitted soon. Let me see what I can do. If anybody wants some pictures, you can use the link in my .sig.
This is what I have accessible currently from last Summer. The ones that I do not have currently available are: Vail (easy) Browns (easy) Breakneck (moderate, know when to stop) Poncha Pass (easy) Red Hill (easy) Loveland (easy) Boreas (easy) Kenosha (easy) I am not counting these two as passes: Iceberg Pass in Rocky Mountain National park Stillwater Pass Area It seems I can only add one attachment at a time. The picture is attached to this one, the .gpx will follow.
I definitely plan to get to Passes further West this Summer. However, I will be cheating. We plan to ride the off-road bikes for most of them. Everything in this file was accomplished with the R 1200 GS. These are not plotted based on the software, they were recorded when I took the pictures to document my quest for 50. Soon as the weather allows I will accomplish my goal. Anybody else out there with the Pass Bagger 50 award? You do not have to ride a BMW to be recognized by the Colorado Beemers, but you do have to be a member and register for the perpetual award. If you use this file, please PM me and let me know. This is my first post of a .gpx file. If the gurus here have any tips or criticism, please share. This will be updated when I locate the rest of the passes listed. I should have tracks for most of these passes. Would those be useful?
I was third or fourth person who got the PB50. Where ithe pin proudly on my KTM hat. I started bagging on the RT, then finished off the 50 on the 640. At the moment I have 63+ passes and plan to keep going. Sometime I will get them on smugmug.
Thanks for the pass coordinates. I'll be in Lakewood next Sat. to do the 100000 ft Rally with the Colorado Beemers. With these waypoints it will be less of a mystery tour. They loaded in my 2610 beautifully. Thanks again.
For more information about Colorado mountain passes and the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado (https://www.bmwmcc.org/) Pass Bagger 50 check https://passbagger.org/ . I put a list of good books at the bottom of that page that should help you find the passes around the state. Sometime this week I will also have a spreadsheet placed there too that combines information gathered from Helmuth's "The Passes of Colorado, An Encyclopedia of Watershed Divides" (a book I very highly recommend, available at Amazon.com), the http://www.coloradopilots.org/ web site, and personal observations. The speadsheet lists 530 passes and gaps, a surprisingly large number at first, but very understandable when considering all the mountainous terrain in the great state of Colorado.
Using these and other sources, I've made a Google Earth Map. Posted over in the Regional - Rockies forum. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191772 .