Driving Scenic Guanella Pass

Guanella Pass is a mountain pass that connects US 285 (Grant/Bailey Area) to I-70 (Georgetown). This scenic and beautiful mountain pass is one of the easiest mountain passes to take from Denver. The road passes Mount. Bierstadt and the road is 11,600 feet at it’s highest (watch out for altitude symptoms).

The trip can be done nicely in a day even with stops. It’s about an hour without stops – we usually take 3 hours with stops. My preference is to start on 285 and make our way to Georgetown but it can be just as nice to go the other direction.

The Weather and Travel Conditions of Guanella Pass

Always check road conditions before you drive a mountain pass. Try the Guanella Pass Road Information Line at (303) 679-2300, extension 2.

Guanella Pass has recently been closed at times for construction and is closed during the winter. Because of the amount of snow this mountain road gets during the winter, it is too expensive (and dangerous) to keep open year round.

Compared to many other mountain passes in the area, Guanella Pass does not have the scary cliff-like drops that many local passes have. The road is paved and does not need four wheel drive vehicle. The pass will have more snow than lower elevations but I do feel it’s a safer road than many passes. If you are driving when there is snow then you will need an appropriate vehicle with the right tires for snow.

Summer is a popular to drive the pass but has different weather hazars.  Watch out for thunderstorms. Storms like to get the mountains after noon and lightening tends to hit the highest thing around and if you’re on the top of a mountain – the highest thing around is you.

The Best time of year to Drive Guanella Pass

My favorite time to drive the pass is after the first sprinkling of snow in the fall – usually around October. I just absolutely love the look of brightly colored trees dusted by snow …. it’s so pretty

Guanella Pass is beautiful in the fall and is my go-to fall drive from Denver (especially if we don’t have the time for a weekend trip). This colorful and scenic drive is almost a yearly experience for us. Peak leaf colors vary yearly due to weather patterns with the best color being somewhere between mid September and mid October. Generally there are pretty good predictions starting end of August and September but sometimes an early snow or especially windy storm can drop leaves earlier than expected.

Early Fall Photos on Guanella Pass

Late Fall on Guanella Pass – after a Snow Dusting

Summer Camping on Guanella Pass

We also like going in the summer but we go early in the day to avoid storms. In the summer camping is also an option. Some official sites take reservations and other marked sites are first come, first serve. If you’re planning on camping please read all of the rules before going. On summer weekends (especially Labor Day) sites can fill up very quickly.

How to Drive Guanella Pass Road

If you’re starting in Grant – use GPS and look for signs marking the entrance to the road. You’ll pass some areas of private land before the better areas to explore. A creek will be on your left. There will be several areas with small amounts of parking on your left with scenic bridges and a nice little hikes. This area is combination of spruce and aspen groves. These small hikes are really enjoyable.

One or two of these parking areas have vault toilets, others do not. If you see a toilet, then stop – I would not expect to see another one soon. I hate rushing through things because a kid has to pee and we can’t find a place.

I love these creekside areas for the trees, the water and the bridges.  It’s all so relaxing and are wonderful areas to take photos.

Guanella Pass – Tundra

You will eventually start heading up above the tree line. The top of Guanella pass is beautiful. We usually spend a little time walking around but most of the time it’s to chilly to stay long. This is tundra and very fragile. Always walk on marked paths only. The plants in the tundra are very sturdy with the harsh weather but can take hundreds of years to grow only a small amount – don’t step on them. Always back extra layers of clothes and jackets when exploring these passes. Even a nice and sunny day in Denver can be cold above the tree line.

The top does have parking spots but can get really crowded especially in the fall and summer weekends. Just have patience and take your time.

Wildlife

Tundra wildlife can include big horn sheep, pika, and mountain goats. Lower elevations have chipmunks, moose, bears, bobcats, fox, deer and many more. Eagles and falcons can be flying overhead. Always keep your distance from wildlife. Never feed the animals and clean up all food areas. When camping be sure to be bear away and follow camping standards for bear safety.

Down Guanella Pass to Georgetown

The road back in to Georgetown has several photogenic stops with a few water views along the way. My favorite view is the drive down in to Georgetown. I just love how the city comes in to view as you drive the switchback down the mountain.

Georgetown

Georgetown is an adorable mountain town founded in 1859 that started out as a mining camp. Today is has a wonderful “old Colorado” feeling downtown. There are several festivals and events that are fun to enjoy. Definitely take some time to explore the local shops and restaurants. This is a great place to grab some lunch. There are also some local museums .

Georgetown Railroad

The Georgetown Railroad is an adventure in it’s own. This small route railroad (with super photogenic bridge) is a fun experience all times of the year. The railroad has Polar Expressed themed routes in December (with Santa of course) and specific scenic routes and themes for all of the year.

Georgetown Lake

Georgetown Lake is another lovely little stop to get out and explore. In the summer you can fish. In the winter ice fishing and ice driving seem to be the popular thing. The lake is located east of town near I-70.

Georgetown Visitors Center

We love this little visitor center. It’s our go-to potty break location rather we’re driving Guanella pass and heading home of driving I-70 to go skiing. It also has a fun little shop to explore. After this last break we usually head back home to Denver if having a day trip or we head west if we have a few days.

We’re a family of 5 (Physician Assistant mom, IT project manager dad and 3 kids ages 3,6,10) taking a gap year from normal life to travel.  For blog posts, locations, and more information on how we did it and how you can to click here.