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.
MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller (Founder & Admin). As the Founder, main contributor, and doer-of-all-things for MyHikes, I share my trips with over-detailed write-ups for fun on a volunteer basis and I believe that public trail information should be available to everyone.
It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality content... along with building new features, moderating, site maintainance, and app development for iOS and Android . I simply ask that if you find MyHikes' trail guides helpful to please consider becoming a Supporter to help keep the site, iOS, and Android apps available to everyone.
Supporters unlock website and in-app perks with a one-time payment of $25 (you renew) 😎👍. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing - both quick and free 🎉
Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike!️