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.



Connecting Routes
Carbondale
-   MTB  - Schofield Pass
TOP
-   MTB   - Kebler Pass
-   MTB  - Buzzard-Muddy Divide
Paonia

Also in the area
SOUTH
-PAVED- Black Mesa summit(u)


 
Copyright (C) 2003-2008 by Michael Fiebach - All Rights Reserved