Pike and San Isabel National Forests · Colorado

Independence Pass

0.2 mi of trail, end to end · asphalt surface · trail No. 1494 · trail class 5 · typical grade 8-10% · tread 36-48 inches wide · hiking, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.1070, -106.5640 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Independence Pass the Forest Service's write-up

season Memorial Day (weather depending) to Late fall (weather depending)

At 12,095 feet, Independence Pass is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the United States. Independece Pass is the summit of the Top of the Rockies National Scenic & Historic Byway and is located between Twin Lakes Village and Aspen.

Independence Pass serves as the eastern gateway to the Roaring Fork Valley, as well as a historic link between the Western Slope and communities on the Front Range. Thousands of people—from Colorado "locals" to international visitors—travel over the pass from its opening in May to its closing in the fall.

Facilities at the summit include vault toilets and a paved trail that provides pedestrian access to a scenic viewing platform, which offers breathtaking panoramic views of the glacier-sculpted peaks and ridges of the Continental Divide. Don't forget your camera in the car!

Nearby spots of interest are the Independence Pass Trail , The Interlaken Historic Resort , Twin Lakes Historical District and Interlaken Trail .

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Pike and San Isabel National Forests

All 592 trails in Pike and San Isabel National ForestsFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.