Schofield Pass (Colorado)
Encyclopedia
Schofield Pass is a high mountain pass
located near Crested Butte
CO and is one of the most popular ways to get to Snowmass Mountain
. It is the high point on Gothic Road, which connects the towns of Marble and Crested Butte. The road to the summit is suitable for a passenger car if traveling from the east; however, after this it is rated 4WD only. Unless Gothic Road has been improved within the last several years [doubtful] there are some treacherous sections, not for the faint-of-heart nor for long-wheelbase vehicles. Do not be lulled into complacency by "casual" and beautiful sections that ultimately lead you into the upper reaches of the Crystal River gorge. Avoid committing your vehicle to what is in front of you until you are sure of what you are getting into because things could get worse.
It is closed except for 1–2 months in late summer due to snow or mud. Parking is available in the town of Crystal, and 4WD high-clearance trucks can continue 2 miles (with a left at the fork) to the hiking trailhead at 9,700 feet. The road is accessible only by high-clearance 4-wheel-drive trucks from this side. Two miles from the trailhead, you reach spectacular Geneva Lake. The pass has claimed 12 lives to date.
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...
located near Crested Butte
Crested Butte
Crested Butte is a mountain peak butte of the Elk Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is also a town with a population of about 2000 people. The greater area includes Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte, Riverland, Riverbend, and Crested Butte South....
CO and is one of the most popular ways to get to Snowmass Mountain
Snowmass Mountain
Snowmass Mountain is a fourteen thousand foot mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is the thirty-fourth highest mountain peak in the state. It is located in the Elk Mountains, within the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of the White River National Forest...
. It is the high point on Gothic Road, which connects the towns of Marble and Crested Butte. The road to the summit is suitable for a passenger car if traveling from the east; however, after this it is rated 4WD only. Unless Gothic Road has been improved within the last several years [doubtful] there are some treacherous sections, not for the faint-of-heart nor for long-wheelbase vehicles. Do not be lulled into complacency by "casual" and beautiful sections that ultimately lead you into the upper reaches of the Crystal River gorge. Avoid committing your vehicle to what is in front of you until you are sure of what you are getting into because things could get worse.
It is closed except for 1–2 months in late summer due to snow or mud. Parking is available in the town of Crystal, and 4WD high-clearance trucks can continue 2 miles (with a left at the fork) to the hiking trailhead at 9,700 feet. The road is accessible only by high-clearance 4-wheel-drive trucks from this side. Two miles from the trailhead, you reach spectacular Geneva Lake. The pass has claimed 12 lives to date.