Monarch Pass

Mindblowing ,the majestic Colorado Rockies folks!!!

Great spot to hangout! Awesome store. Lots to do. Bring your bicycle, and or motorcycle and hit the crest.

Did not know this place existed so we stopped and rode the tram and had a great lunch. Loved it even though we were in the clouds and could not see the views.

Amazing view from the top of continental divide. You can see a lot of 14ers from up there. The cable car ride was well worth the 15 dollars. Do visit this place.

Traveling from the Royal Gorge Bridge to Montrose on Highway 50 we crossed Monarch Pass. When we left the Bridge, it was 84 degrees. When we stopped at the visitors center about 1 p.m. it was 58 degrees and windy. Keep in mind you are over 11,000 feet high, and the weather can change quickly. There is a large parking area with plenty of room for the largest motor home, tractor-trailer, as well as cars. The main attraction of the pass is the views of the snow-capped peaks. There is also a restaurant/gift shop/hiking store on top of the pass. The restaurant serves hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, soft drinks, coffee, and other snacks. Monarch Pass is a popular stop for hikers on the Continental Divide Trail and the store is well stocked with food and equipment hikers need. During my brief visit there were two CDT Thru Hikers hanging out trying get a ride into town where they were going to take a couple of days off before continuing their hike toward Canada. Myself and a couple of others in my group treated them to some real “food and drinks.” They were most appreciative. There is a gondola ride here but on the day that we were there it was not operating. Our group enjoyed the stop and ended up spending just about an hour here at Monarch Pass before continuing our journey toward Montrose.

If you're in this area of Colorado, it's a great place to visit the Continental Divide. Spectacular views of the Rockies.

They have a nice little gift shop. Beautiful views all around while driving towards it. We got to see the beautiful view of snow capped mountain in September at the monarch pass.

Coming in at 11,312 feet Monarch Pass came as a surprise to us. The engine was laboring a little, but I didn't realize how high we were climbing. We stopped at the top to rest and walk around a bit, admiring the scenery. Not very many people were up there and everything was closed. The drive down was a slow descent and I tried to avoid overheating the brakes. About half way down, the engine light came on, but everything else was fine. The next day somewhere near Castle Rock, CO, we had the car checked out at the dealership. Turns out that the slow climb up Monarch Pass blew out the catalytic converter. We will not soon forget this place.