Loveland Pass
| Loveland Pass | |
|---|---|
 Loveland Pass in late March 2005 | |
| Elevation | 11,990 ft (3,655 m)[1] |
| Traversed by |  US 6 |
| Location | Clear Creek / Summit counties, Colorado, U.S. |
| Range | Front Range |
| Coordinates | 39°39′49″N 105°52′45″W / 39.66361°N 105.87917°W |
| Topo map | USGS Loveland Pass |
Loveland Pass is a high mountain pass in north-central Colorado, at an elevation of 11,990 feet (3,655 m) above sea level in the Rocky Mountains of the Western United States.
Background
[edit].jpg)
It is located on the Continental Divide in the Front Range, west of Denver on U.S. Highway 6 (US 6). The twisty road is considered to be especially treacherous during the winter months. A steep, steady 6.7% grade, along with numerous hairpin turns on either side, make it difficult to snowplow the road regularly.
The pass is named for William A.H. Loveland, the president of the Colorado Central Railroad and a resident of Golden during the late 19th century. The city of Loveland, in Larimer County near Fort Collins, is also named after him.[2]
The first usable trail over the pass was completed in 1879. While W.A.H. Loveland had been instrumental in raising funds to build the road, work was largely completed by Union Pacific, a small number of Colorado Central Railroad employees, the Bakersville and Leadville Toll Road Company, and the High Line Toll Road Company. Surveying was done by E.L. Berthoud, assisted by T.J Milner (known for Berthoud Pass and Milner Pass). The pass was in disrepair by the early 1900s, but was never completely abandoned. Towards the end of 1929, a modern dirt road was nearly completed, and in 1930 the road was good enough for commercial use. Construction would continue, and in 1932 a grand opening was held. This was still a dirt road at that point. Paving would be completed in 1949-1950.[3]
Loveland is the highest mountain pass in Colorado that regularly stays open during a snowy winter season.[4] When the Eisenhower Tunnel opened in March 1973, it allowed motorists on Interstate 70 (I-70) to avoid crossing the pass directly. Trucks that cannot pass through the tunnel (those carrying hazardous materials and those over 13 feet 11 inches (4.24 m) in height) must still take US 6 across Loveland Pass, 800 vertical feet (240 m) above the tunnel. The same is true for bicyclists, pedestrians, and those drivers who wish to stop along the road to admire the scenery.
Loveland Ski Area is located north west of the pass, and Arapahoe Basin is on the south/southeast side. The pass itself is a popular destination for backcountry skiers. Occasionally during the winter, the pass road may be closed by a blizzard and all traffic must use the tunnel, even the normally forbidden vehicles carrying hazardous materials. In the event of less serious winter storms, chain restrictions are often imposed. At the Loveland Pass parking lot, visitors can access trails to the summits of Mount Sniktau and other nearby mountain peaks.[5][6]
Climate
[edit]Loveland Basin is in the Loveland Ski Area, near the summit of Loveland Pass. Loveland Pass has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc).
| Climate data for Loveland Basin, Colorado, 1994–2020 normals: 11400ft (3475m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 25.0 (−3.9) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
36.1 (2.3) |
42.2 (5.7) |
50.4 (10.2) |
59.5 (15.3) |
65.2 (18.4) |
62.6 (17.0) |
56.1 (13.4) |
44.1 (6.7) |
33.0 (0.6) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
43.8 (6.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 16.4 (−8.7) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
47.6 (8.7) |
53.1 (11.7) |
51.2 (10.7) |
45.2 (7.3) |
34.3 (1.3) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
33.2 (0.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.7 (−13.5) |
7.6 (−13.6) |
12.8 (−10.7) |
18.0 (−7.8) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
35.8 (2.1) |
41.1 (5.1) |
39.9 (4.4) |
34.2 (1.2) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
15.3 (−9.3) |
7.8 (−13.4) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.06 (78) |
2.90 (74) |
3.24 (82) |
4.20 (107) |
3.16 (80) |
1.60 (41) |
2.46 (62) |
2.36 (60) |
2.11 (54) |
2.51 (64) |
2.90 (74) |
2.76 (70) |
33.26 (846) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation 1991-2020)[8] | |||||||||||||
Incidents
[edit]
Plane crash
[edit]On a clear Friday in early October 1970, a plane crash occurred about two miles (3.2 km) north of the summit, and only nine of the 40 on board survived. The plane carried members of the Wichita State University football team, as well as coaches, administrators, and boosters. The cause was attributed to several pilot errors.
Avalanche
[edit]On April 20, 2013, an avalanche at Loveland Pass killed five snowboarders in the deadliest avalanche in Colorado since 1962.[9] A sixth snowboarder involved in the incident survived, and was extracted by a search and rescue team.[10]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Loveland Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 33.
- ^ "Loveland Pass In-Depth History & Timeline". Coloradotopia. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "CODOT: Avalanche Information Q & A". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ "Mount Sniktau". Climbing, Hiking and Mountaineering. SummitPost.org. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ "Mount Sniktau". Hiking in Colorado. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ "Loveland Basin, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ "Five Snowboarders Dead in Colorado Avalanche". Yahoo!-ABC News Network. April 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Lazar, Brian (April 24, 2013). "2013/04/20 - Colorado - Sheep Creek, north of Loveland Pass". Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
External links
[edit]
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
