· South Park

Weston Pass Road

There aren’t too many roads heading into the Mosquito Range on the western side of South Park, but the Weston Pass Road offers a good opportunity to experience the high country in the area. While the road surface is of varying quality (deteriorating towards the top), the habitat is anything but! Traversing everything from open country that characterises the valley floor to alpine tundra, this is a quality path to search for a wide variety of montane species. Look especially for Williamson’s Sapsuckers along the middle portions of the road, various finch species higher up, and Fox Sparrows in the larger willow carrs. Both White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch have been seen at the top of the pass, though neither are common. Weston Pass can also be a good place to look for bighorn sheep, and some of the rarer alpine butterfly species.

County: Park

Directions: From US 285 and C-470: go south on US Hwy 285 for 72 miles toward Fairplay. As you continue south through Fairplay, Weston Pass Rd./CR 5 is 4.5 miles south. Head west on CR 5, merge onto CR 22, and continue south. CR 22 will curve west; continue to Weston Pass.

Dates of Access: Open all year (access can be difficult during winter)
Hours: Daylight hours
Ownership: USFS/Private
Admission: Free

Restrictions: Some private property on lower portions of the road

Parking: Roadside
Lodging: Hotels in Fairplay, camping at Weston Pass Campground from May to October

Handicapped Access: Some viewing from car

Latitude: 39.131326
Longitude: -106.182127

» Visit the website for Weston Pass Road