Hagerman Pass - Leadville, CO - Offroad Trails on Waymarking.com

Hagerman Pass was once a road used to ship over the mountain passes from Leadville to Aspen and Vail. By 1880, Leadville was the second largest town in Colorado, being the center of the gold and silver rushes. There were at least five narrow gauge railroads that crossed the Continental Divide and brought supplies to Leadville. The narrow gauge was less expensive to run, as the rails were lighter and smaller, making construction through the rugged passes easier. The disadvantage of the narrow gauge was its smaller load capacity.

In 1887, James John Hagerman, then president of the Colorado Midland Railroad, decided to build a line from Leadville to Aspen and beyond to Grand Junction. This was the first standard gauge rail to cross the Continental Divide. Along this route, the line ran through the Hagerman Tunnel which bored through the mountain at 11,530 feet.

Maintenance and operation of this tunnel cost more than the Colorado Midland could afford. In 1893, the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel, later renamed the Carlton Tunnel, was built 600 feet lower, making the line less expensive to keep running.

The Colorado Midland dissolved in 1922, and the Carlton Tunnel became a part of Highway 104 and was opened to automobile traffic. As the tunnel was wide enough for only one vehicle, the tunnel was never repaired after a collapse in 1943. Now the tunnel is used as part of a water diversion project.

The Hagerman Pass, here, crosses the Continental Divide, where the water drainage for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans seperate. It is heavily traveled today visitors, as the views and historical sites laong the way are incredibly beautiful and easy to access.

This starts as is an easy trail, with graded, wide roads and fantastic views of Turquoise Reservior. Towards the top of the pass, the road becomes more narrow with some rock ledges. We took the 11.8 mile trail from the Turquoise Reservoir area towards FS 527 towards Aspen. To get there, take 6th Street from Leadville to County Road 4. In 3.5 miles, bear left at the fork ont he south side of the lake. In another 3.5 miles, take the left onto FS 105. The trail could easily be completed in 1 hour, but the side trips and views could take you all day to absorb.

The Colorado hiking trail crisscrosses through this area, and there are many camping spots dispersed throughout the trail. Side trips include the Carlton Tunnel and a hike to the Hagerman Tunnel (both closed to the public).

Fresh snow covered the ground, but patches of lingering snow still hugged the edge of the trail. While on top of the pass, we encountered a hail storm...on July 31, 2009!

Overall Trail Difficulty: Walk in the park Land Ownership: Public Popularity: Crowded Highest Altitude: 11,925 feet Trail Length (approx): 11.8 miles Parking availble?: Yes Room for Trailers: Yes Permit required to access area?: No Camping sites nearby: Yes Are OHVs permitted: No Additional Trailhead: Not Listed

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