Old Monarch Pass - Altitude 11,375 Feet (Near Monarch Mountain)
Click any image to view it at a larger size. A new window will open.
September 17, 2006 - This morning I took a drive to Old Monarch Pass,
which you guessed it, isn't very far from
Monarch Pass and Highway 50. The entrance
on the Chaffee County side is approximately one mile east of the real Monarch Pass where
this sign can be clearly seen.
A 4-wheel drive may be preferable, but I made it to
the top with my 1993 Honda Accord.
At one point, I pulled over and snapped this scenic
photo of the mountains behind Monarch Mountain, our local ski area. The road runs along the
boundary to the ski slopes.
This was probably the only rough spot on the entire drive.
I drove around it to the left, which you can't see in the photo. ;)
There it is! ... Old Monarch Pass.
Two pictures of the views looking out on the Gunnison County side of Old Monarch Pass.
There is a small parking area at Old Monarch Pass
and the Continental Divide Trail has a path that travels along the south ridge.
A happy photo of myself.
For whatever reason, I seem to have a growing hobby of visiting and photographing
high mountain passes in Colorado! :)
-Photos by Steve Garufi in Buena Vista, Colorado.
His web site is www.ColoradoGuy.com.
