Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway

When we first started planning our camping trip, we figured we’d drive to Carbondale via I-70 and return home via Independence Pass. Further research into the return route, however, uncovered restrictions … no vehicles over 35 feet in length on the 45-mile section of CO-82 that runs through the pass. While the Cruiser is only 28 feet, we didn’t want to drive two vehicles on what promised to be a scenic drive.

So we decided to do the drive as a day trip instead. The plan … drive CO-82 up to and through Independence Pass and return via US-24 and I-70. It turned out to be an 11-hour outing that we made longer mile-wise because of our decision to make a loop back to Carbondale. But doing an in-out on CO-82 would not have saved us any time as the road is narrow and winding, and has steep grades that require slower speeds.

There was an upside to doing the full loop. Not only did we drive the section recently added to the "Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway" — CO-82 through the pass — but also the original 82-mile byway — US-24 through Twin Lakes, Leadville, and Minturn to I-70. A nice bonus.

CO-82 is not the highest road in Colorado. That honor goes to three others. What makes this road special is that it climbs steadily towards the Sawatch Range, located in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. At its peak is Independence Pass — at 12,095 feet … the highest paved mountain pass in Colorado. From this point, the road descends steadily into the valley of Lake Creek and then connects to US-24.

The views along CO-82 are fantastic … especially when the road reaches above the tree-line to the alpine tundra zone. There are lakes and rivers, valleys rimmed with high mountains still sporting snow on their peaks, forests of fir and groves of aspen. And then there are the “WOW views” of the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. I have since read that it is recommended to do the road east-to-west as the views are better. We might try that another time. In the meantime, we have no complaints about how the views unfolded on our west-to-east route.

Needless to say, we made stops along the way … a number of them, in fact. Luckily, there are plenty of turnoffs … some just big enough for a car … others larger. In most instances, however, we were the only ones pulling over.

When we got to the Weller Lake trailhead, we decided to stretch our legs a bit and check out the alpine lake. The trail suited us perfectly … just .6 miles each way, and with an elevation gain of only 500 feet (starting at 9,300 feet). That the trail was categorized as easy meant that I didn’t have to worry about my bruised toe.

Once we crossed the bridge over the Roaring Fork River, we found ourselves on a narrow, dirt path. Except for the rocks we had to negotiate, the trail lived up to its designation as being easy. We encountered a number of people along the way, but everyone was courteous. As we often do when hiking — especially in the age of COVID-19 — we stepped off the path for added distancing to let others pass us.

The trail took us through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of the White River National Forest to Weller Lake. The view at the end of the trail was fantastic. Rimmed as the water is with huge basalt boulders, at first, it seemed that we’d have to limit ourselves to a single viewpoint. But scrambling over some of the rocks, we found a better vantage point.

With no winds to ripple the water, the mountains on the far side were reflected on the calm lake ... a delightful scene that we stuck around to enjoy for a bit. Paddle-boarders who came ashore nearby suggested that we take a spur trail to a waterfall that runs down into the lake. As it turns out, the spur had a closed sign … which we obeyed.

Our next stop was at the Grottos Day Use Area, also in the White River Forest. I had read about another short trail that starts from the parking lot, but the trailhead was a zoo. So, instead of walking, we collected our portable picnic table and went looking for a place to have lunch.

I had my eye on a patch of gravel beach on the far side of the bridge spanning the Roaring Fork River. Alas, a family with several young kids beat us to the spot. Since they did not look like they would be leaving anytime soon, we followed a small trail through the trees to another patch of gravel on the riverfront. Unfortunately, there was another couple camped out there already. So, we set up our table in the forested area. A lucky turn of events for us as it started sprinkling rain even as we were setting the table. The trees provided the necessary cover so that we did not have to rush through our meal.

After lunch, we continued our drive. Spotting the remnants of what used to be the Farwell Mill #2 at the edge of CO-82, we made our next stop at the ghost town of Independence. The place was once the first mining site in the Roaring Fork Valley. According to legend, prospectors discovered the Independence Gold Lode on 4 July 1879 … hence the name of the town in which 300 people were living by 1880. The town didn’t survive long. The population was down to 100 eight years later. In 1899, when the worst storm in Colorado’s history cut off supply routes, the miners dismantled their homes to make skis and escaped en masse to Aspen.

Our next stop was the highlight of our day — the Continental Divide at Independence Pass — and the highest point of our day at 12,095 feet.

I already mentioned that the views here were awe-inspiring. The sun was out again by the time we arrived at Independence Pass, adding to our pleasure in the day. That there were a couple of small tundra ponds to reflect some of the mountains and the sky was an added bonus. Though the place was crowded with parked cars, we ventured out on the trail to the overlook, donning masks as a precaution.

By the time we began the descent from the pass, it was already 4:30p. We made a few stops on the way down but didn’t dally long. At the junction with US-24, we turned north towards Leadville. The murals we spied as we drove through the historic downtown area invited us to dally, but we promised ourselves that we’d return to the area and pressed on.

US-24 proved to be another curvy road … two-way … narrow. The landscape was beautiful, but with the sun blocked by the high mountains, the scenery didn’t inspire photography. Nonetheless, we enjoyed what we saw as we made our way to I-70.

I-70W was a cinch. No traffic to speak of … which I thought was surprising for the 4th of July long weekend. But mine is not to question why … rather, to appreciate it. Even the short section that narrows down to a single lane due to construction was easy to navigate.

A quick stop to top-off the CR-V’s tank in Glenwood Springs added a 5-minute delay to the Garmin’s estimated arrival time at the KOA. By 8:30p, we were parked at our site. Time for some R&R.

I was horrified to see an inflatable movie screen set up by our neighbor on the hook-ups side. The screen was intended to keep the kids entertained as the adults had their own group party. Luckily, these campers seem to be courteous enough to consider those not part of their group. They kept the volume low. Low enough, in fact, that Mui and I, sitting on the patio, could barely hear the sound.

Since we had a long day today, we plan to do something easy tomorrow. Still debating what that will be.Read more