Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass at White River National Forest near Dillon, Colorado is an easy 0.2-mile out-and-back walk that leads to the top of Loveland Pass along the Continental Divide, located at 11,990-feet above sea level.This is not a hike but rather a short roadside stop that features views of the surrounding high altitude mountains at Loveland Pass. Visitors will walk along the North American Continental Divide before following a series of stairs to reach a hill view at the top of Loveland Pass. Here, you'll find 360-degree panoramic views from the mountain as the, usually very-cold, wind whips by. During our visit here in early June 2024, around 10AM the temperature was at about 36 degrees with wind whipping at about 40mph or slightly more, which knocked us around a bit. We explored the top of Loveland Pass to take-in the views, but were met with an abundance of snowpack still sitting on the mountains -- in some cases, slumps of snow cliffs clung onto the mountain slopes. We got a bit snowblind and knocked around by the wind, so we walked down and followed the Continental Divide Trail for ~200-feet before heading back to parking for a short 0.2-mile roadtrip walk.
Parking
Visitors and hikers alike will find a large parking lot at the coordinates provided, located on the east side of US-6 at Loveland Pass.
Pets
Dogs are allowed if leashed.
Warning
Elevation sickness: This trail sits at about 12,000 feet above sea level. Around the 7,000-foot mark above sea level, hikers may start to experience symptoms of elevation sickness including headache, muscle aches, shortness of breath, among other warning signs. In order to avoid elevation sickness it's recommended to ascend to higher elevations and take short walks to acclimate over the course of several days before taking a long or physically-demanding hike. At any time you feel elevation sickness kicking in, that's the time to turn back and head for lower altitude.
