Recommended
Colorado Roads82 at 24 near Granite to Carbondale 73 miles
8n travels though Independence Pass at 12,095ft; 6% grade. Vehicles over 35 feet long are prohibited from Independence Pass since the road is very curvy and very narrow. In fact, in three places the road gets so narrow on cliff shelves that the center line disappears and the pavement is only 16-18 feet wide. Anything wider than standard passenger vehicles cannot fit side-by-side. From Aspen to the summit the speed limit is never above 35 mph. 82 spends a very long time climbing up the west side of the pass, eventually it passes above tree line and reaches the summit of the pass at 12,095 ft. The east and west side of the passes are very different in character. While the west side features several too-narrow-for-a-centerline segments and a climb of about 4200' from Aspen, the east side is always two lanes and has an elevation change of only about 1000' to the base of the valley. Northwest of Aspen 82 becomes a multi-lane highway and serves as the main artery for traffic getting from I-70 to many of the surrounds towns which serve as tourist destinations year round. The highway even has a HOV lanes. Traffic is heavy all the way from Aspen all the way to Carbondale. Although this is a pretty narrow, steep and dangerous road very heavy with tourist traffic, it's kind of neat to ride at such a high elevation. Visited 8/04.
More pictures of this road [1] * [2] * [3] * [4] * [5] * [6] * [7]
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Zoomed in section of Independence Pass