Mc Lure Pass
Cycling over Mc Lure Pass means experiencing the
transition between two distinct geographic regions, the
central Rockies to the north east, and the Colorado
Plateau canyons to the south west. It's a aesthetic
divide. But it's never been a vital artery between east
and west. This is good news to cyclists. Maybe history
here is short. But traffic is limited.
Mc Lure
Pass picture page
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1.(6166ft,mile00) START-END NORTH:
Carbondale
2.(7150ft,mile15) northern turnoff to Redstone
3.(7196ft,mile16) START-END NORTH ALTERNATE:
southern turnoff to Redstone
4.(7545ft,mile23) turnoff to Marble and Schofield
Pass on left
5. (8763ft,mile26) TOP: Mc Lure Pass
6. (6896ft,mile32) Henderson Creek dirt road is on
left
7. (6416ft,mile43) turnoff to Kebler Pass road is on
left
8. (5738ft,mile58) turn off to left to reach Paonia
9.(5676ft,mile59) START-END SOUTH Paonia |
Approaches
From North. The northern approach to Mc Lure Pass is
in the shadow of Mount Scopris. The apparently cone shaped
mountain shows off one of the largest vertical panoramas in
Colorado, a drop of about 7000 feet from its summit to the
town of Carbondale. In spite of that the peak is
"only" 12953 feet tall. From the air ( or on a map )
the perspective changes. Mount Scopris is really the northwest
facing end of the Elk Mountains. Higher 14000 foot peaks are
hidden from view.
At the turnoff to the town of Marble, leading onwards to Schofield
Pass, the gradual, steady climb transitions to a ramp
climbing a ridge. At this point you are already within 3 miles
of the summit. The best view from the top waits fifty yards
off the road, on a dirt road heading south along the ridge. It
affords views in the upper Crystal River Valley and Elk
Mountains that are not visible form any other part of the pass
road.
From South. Between Paonia and the turnoff to Kebler
Pass, the scenery consists of layer cake sedimentary hills,
sprinkled with knotty needle trees and other vegetation
specializing in semi dessert environment. Interspersed with
that are glimpses of industrial scenery, some of it in a
pleasant state of decay, the coal mines of Sumerset and Bowie,
along with company planned villages and picturesque junk
filled backyards.
Past the Kebler Pass turnoff,
nature returns to the screen of this movie. The Ragged
Mountains make a grand appearance on the east side. With 12541
feet altitude, they may be surprisingly low, given the
straight comblike cliff they present on this side. The road
makes its way to the top with a series of traversing inclines,
level areas and even a rare downhill.
Tours
Two Day ride: (dirt+pavement). An overnight loop
from a parking lot 7 miles east of the Kebler
Pass turnoff on the McLure Pass road was as follows: day
1: > Buzzard Pass > New
Castle, 57 miles and much less than the 8000ft that my
altimeter managed to measure in 6.4 hours (m3:05.10.25). Day
2: New Castle > McLure Pass > back to the parking lot,
77 miles with 4100ft of climbing in 5.5 hours.
Two Day ride: (dirt+pavement) The Colorado
Mountain Club and Heartcycle have organized the following ride
during fall color weekends. Day 1: Marble > Schofield
Pass > Crested Butte (m1:87.10.03). Day 2: Crested
Butte > Kebler Pass
> Mc Lure Pass > Marble (m1:87.10.04). The two days
measured 42 and 61 miles using an onboard mechanical odometer.
Extended Road Tour: A ride over this pass during a
grand tour of Colorado passes can lead from Paonia to Aspen.
Such a ride measured 95 miles with a mechanical odometer. But
shorter overnight options exist in Carbondale and other towns
between Carbondale and Aspen. If this day is split into two
sections, one of them would be the only day on this extended
tour, that does not cross at least one pass or summit each
day. The suggested route connects with the unofficial Black
Mesa summit(u) to the west and south, to Independence
Pass to the east and north.
History
An existing road was improved in the 1940s, even though it
was still one way. The road was not paved until 1966.
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