Coal Bank Pass is a mountain pass

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

 in the San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...

 of western Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The pass is in the San Juan National Forest

San Juan National Forest

The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta, Conjeos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties in western Colorado. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande...

. The pass is traversed by the Million Dollar Highway, U.S. Highway 550 south of Silverton

Silverton, Colorado

The town of Silverton is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, San Juan County, Colorado, United States. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District,...

, which is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway

San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway

The San Juan Skyway is one of an All-American Road and a component in the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway System. It forms a loop in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Colorado traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains.- U.S. Highway 160 :...

. While the north side is fairly gentle, the descent on the south side is very steep (6.5%), and has a runaway truck ramp for trucks that lose control. It is basically downhill the entire way to Durango

Durango, Colorado

The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...

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