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Kebler Pass
Kebler Pass is a very scenic dirt road through the West Elk
Mountains. In the summer it is meticulously maintained for
passenger car traffic, since it is a vital connection between
Crested Butte and points north, such as the I70 corridor. In
the winter it's closed. Depending on maintenance, the road can
have some washboard characteristics, but as a whole is
extremely rideable in an aerobic style. I don't know any
Colorado Pass that has more colorful Aspen than the western
approach to Kebler Pass.
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1.(mile00,8914ft) START-FINISH EAST :
Crested Butte
2.(mile06,8938ft) jeep trail turnoff to Ruby Lake is
on right
3.(mile07,9906ft) dirt road turnoff to Ohio Pass is
on left, stay right
4.(mile07,10000ft) TOP: Kebler Pass, Irwin town site
cemetary is near here on right
5.(mile25,6767ft) road crosses Anthracite Creek,
dark Canyon trail begins here, road is paved for a
short distance
6.(mile31,6311ft) START-FINISH WEST : Kebler Pass
road joins Mc Lure Pass road |
Approaches
From West. Between points 5 and 6 the road follows
Anthracite Creek. After a short paved section, the first real
climb begins. You are rewarded with a magnificent view of the
Raggeds. The scenic variety along the rest of the climb is
unsurpassed. Sometimes it's the cirques of the Ruby Range
ahead, at others it's the peaks of the West Elks to the west.
The curve below Marcellina Mountains is the most popular
stopping point for views to west and south. The route flattens
for several miles, even goes downhill, and then buries itself
in the aspen forest. It remains in the trees while crossing
the top.
From East. The climb is short, as steady as they
come and in the trees. As of at least July/05 the initial
miles leaving Crested Butte are paved. The rest of the
approach is a hard medalled surface that is also suitable to a
degree for road bikes. The same route serves as approach to Ohio
Pass. The turnoff is almost at the top of Kebler
Pass.
Tours
Two Day Tour consisting of jeep trails, dirt road and
pavement. A circle over one pass in the Elk mountains and
two passes in the West Elks is as follows: Begin in Marble.
Day 1 is spent riding from Marble over Schofield
Pass to Crested Butte (m1:87.10.03). The second day is
longer but much smoother. The return leads over Kebler
Pass and an abbreviated version of the paved McLure
Pass (m1:87.10.04). This route has been lead in the past,
in very irregular intervals, by the Denver Bicycle Touring
Club and the Colorado Mountain Club. The two days measured 42
and 61 miles using an onboard mechanical odometer.
History
Kebler Pass and Ohio Pass were
part of the Ute Trail network. The trail connected the area of
the present town of Gunnison to the White River Valley near
Rangely. If you would follow this trail today, you would start
in Gunnison and cross Ohio and Kebler Passes. You would turn
onto Rte 133 towards McLure Pass. Ride a little more than
halfways up the pass and then head up East Muddy Creek to
cross the 10 to 11 thousand foot high plateau, eparating
the valley of the North Gunnison from the valley of the
Colorado. From Silt you follow the Colorado downstream to de
Beque. The route goes up Roan Creek and connects to Douglas
Pass. From there it decends along Rte 139 to Rangely and
the White River.
Later both Kebler and Ohio passes served as a supply route
for a short lived gold and silver boom near their summits,
lasting till 1885. Back then Ohio Pass
was the more important supply route. It had a stage line as
well as a railroad partly up the valley.
This brings us to today, when Kebler pass eclipses Ohio
Pass in importance and also in traffic. Kebler Pass is
possibly the most important dirt road connection in Colorado.
In the summer it connects Crested Butte with the world to the
northwest, Aspen, Glenwood, finally I70. Ohio Pass, on the
other hand, is of no importance from a traffic standpoint. The
only town of any size, Crested Butte, is more easily reached
via the valley route from Gunnison. Kebler Pass traffic can be
ecspecially heavy during late September and early October,
when the pass becomes one of the prime aspen leaf viewing
routes. Sadly motorists outnumber cyclists by a large margin,
not only during that special time.
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