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Guanella Pass

sfarson

New member
Well, no recent posts in this forum, so two pics from last week. And FWIW, the south side of the pass is off road for four miles, so there is some "off the beaten path" as a part of this journey!

Guanella Pass. Sawtooth Ridge in the background, with 14,065ft. Mt. Bierstadt accompanying. Low and late autumn sun and lack of snow help disguise the brisk temps here! Bike almost blends in...
r1200gsadvguanella1_hdr.jpg


Six years with the bike, a real workhorse for the book, haven't had a single issue. Even the fuel strip and all the lights are original...
r1200gsadvguanella2_hdr.jpg
 
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Thanks Steve for sharing.

I find it interesting how many good rides in Colorado either start or end from 285.

And a ride along 285, in and of itself, is always a treat.
 
That looks like that would be a spectacular ridge walk, Steve.

...
:D

rinty... I once made a Sawtooth transit... November 17, 1999. I remember the date because it was on my birthday! Treated myself to a vacation day from work and climbed Mt. Evans (unseen, behind the Sawtooth Ridge) and Mt. Bierstadt, with the Sawtooth in between. Kinda weird sitting at the top of popular Mt. Evans (highest paved road in North America), having the mountain all to myself (road to top closed annually following the Labor Day weekend) with the empty parking lot 150ft. below the summit.

Yes Bud... all kinds of fine two wheeled journeys launched from U.S. 285... for most of its entire length in the state, including the San Lius Valley in southern CO, like the ride to the ghost town of Bonanza.

John... Have never been to the Guanella Pass summit in February though there is an annual group attempt each year called the Elephant Run! Did have fun going to the top in early April about ten years ago...

gsguanella.jpg
 
Steve,

A few days late, but happy birthday!

You hiked to the top of Mt.Evans? I thought it was tough enough (and scary) when we rode up there this past summer. Is it a hike or are parts of it a technical climb?
 
Hey Dan, Good to hear from you! When climbing Mt. Evans there are two "approaches". The big majority ascend the final 150 feet from the Mt. Evans parking lot and count it as a "climb" :). Then there are some who park at the Summit Lake area (12,850ft), alongside the Mt. Evans road to the top, and make the climb from there.. about a 1,400ft ascent.

BUT... purists, and I think as written in the Colorado Mountain Club guidelines, a climb must ascend 3,000 feet to be counted as an official climb, so those bagging all the state's 54 peaks over 14,000ft (The Fourteeners) typically park at the 11,600ft summit of Guanella Pass (the pics above) and make the climb from there. Nothing technical... one doesn't need to make the Sawtooth journey between Evans and Bierstadt. The route to Evans goes up the grassy slopes to the north/left of the Sawtooth.

Ahhh! But note the elevation gap between the summits of Evans (14,265ft) and Guanella (11,670ft) is about 2595ft! The very, very true purists will park about 400 feet below Guanella and begin the climb from there!
 
Hi Steve ,
Happy Birthday !
I was talking about the Elephant Ride . There has been a GS on the pass the last couple of years . My 76 XT-500 has made it up 6 out of 7 tries . The XT is not licenced at this point but I have a friend that might let me use her R-80 GS for the up coming ride .
 
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