Berthoud Pass (South side)

Berthoud Pass (South side)

Berthoud Pass (elevation 11,307 ft (3,446 m)) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. The pass traverses the continental divide at the Front Range, on the border between Clear Creek County and Grand County. The pass provides the fastest road access to the ski resort of Winter Park and a secondary route to Steamboat Springs from Denver and the Colorado Front Range. However, the pass is one of the most notoriously difficult passes in Colorado for motorists, based on its height as well as the steep grades on both sides (6.3%) and the large number of switchbacks on the southern side of the pass. At least 55 avalanche paths have been mapped on Berthoud Pass; with some of them intersecting U.S. Highway 40, and a smaller subset of paths intersecting the roadway at multiple points on the pass. Berthoud Pass has an extreme alpine subarctic climate, with short summers featuring comfortable days and cold nights, and long, extremely snowy winters. The average annual snowfall is 391.2 inches or 9.94 metres. In the year from July 1983 to June 1984 snowfall reached 523.4 inches or 13.29 metres, including 123 inches or 3.12 metres in December 1983.