Top 5 Mountain Passes around Maysville

Monarch Pass from the east is a classic road biking ascent on US Highway 50, taking you high into the Sawatch Range towards the Continental Divide. Starting around 8,100 feet, you'll climb approximately 11.3 to 11.5 miles, gaining about 3,000 feet to the 11,312-foot summit, with a moderate average gradient around 4.9-5.1% that ramps up slightly after the initial miles. You'll follow the Arkansas River valley and climb through forests, and while you're in the sun for much of this side, the panoramic views from the summit are truly spectacular. Be prepared for the altitude and moderate traffic on this well-traveled mountain highway.

The Monarch Pass climb from the west, starting in Sargents is a classic and scenic road biking ascent on US Highway 50. Over approximately 10 to 11.5 miles, you'll climb around 2,750 to 2,850 feet at a consistent average gradient between 5% and 6%, winding your way up into the Sawatch Range. As the road is often cut into the mountainside, you'll ride through forested areas with glimpses down to Agate Creek below, and the scenery becomes increasingly open with expansive mountain views as you near the 11,312-foot summit. Be aware that while the road is good, it can have moderate traffic, and you'll be dealing with significant altitude as you climb higher.

At an elevation of 11,312 feet, Monarch Pass features a gift shop, parking, restrooms, and acts as a trailhead for a number of trails. Mountain bikes frequent the trails from the pass, but they are also great trails for running and hiking.

Hiking along the Continental Divide Trail, you can either shop in the small gift shop at Monarch Pass or hitch into the town of Salida that has to offer everything a hiker could ask for.

What a great landscape! Some of the mountains have names of prominent universities like Princeton, Yale or Harvard. That's why they are called Collegiate Peaks.

Monarch Pass is a high mountain pass with an elevation of 11,312 feet. It is the starting point of the infamous IMBA Epic Mountainbike trail "Monarch Crest". Before you take off to this incredible high alpine mountainbike adventure make sure you have enough snacks and water. In case you are lacking one of these, just hit the store next to the parking lot and buy whatever is missing.

If you want to do loop rides in the region of the Monarch Crest trail this is your go-to climb. Marshall Pass Road is a former railroad that never climbs steeply. When you reach the top you are right at the Monarch Pass at the Continental Divide. Here you have a great variety of trail options like Silver Creek, Starvation Creek or Agate Creek. This gravel road is also an option if you want to get off the Crest as quickly as possible – for instance – if you need to escape a thunderstorm quickly.