wildernet

Aspen Ranger District

Quick Facts

Taylor Pass Road

Beginning Elevation:	10,000 Feet (3117.2 Meters)
Difficulty:	Most Difficult
Elevation Gain:	1,000 Feet (311.7 Meters)
Ending Elevation:	11,000 Feet (3428.9 Meters)
Length:	4 Miles (6.67 Kilometers)
Recommended Season:	Summer to Fall
Road Number:	761
Usage:	Heavy
USGS Maps:	Hayden Peak, New York Peak, Italian Creek

		Satellite and Topo Map

General Description

This road climbs from the Taylor River Valley in the Crested Butte region, over Taylor Pass, to the Castle Creek Valley, near Ashcroft and Aspen. The road climbs steadily through Aspen groves after leaving the Taylor River Road. After following a stream for 3 miles, you will reach Taylor Lake. Taylor Pass is reached after a short climb above the lake. This road can be very rough at times, check at District Office before using.

Directions from Aspen: Drive west on Highway 82 from Aspen 1/2 mile. At the roundabout, turn onto Castle Creek Road. Drive about 11 miles, just past Elk Mountain Lodge and before the ghost town of Ashcroft, on your left will be Express Creek Road. Take Express Creek Road for approximately six miles. Pass the first road on your right and take the next one. This is Taylor Pass Road #761.

Seasonal Information:
Normal Summer Season: June through September (NOTE: Open but not maintained for off-road vehicle, mountain bike, horse and foot travel during the Summer months.) . Normal Winter Season: November through May (NOTE: Open but not maintained for recreational purposes.) .

Current Conditions & Trip Reports

Winter Conditions. Beware of avalanche conditions and hypothermia. Updated: 2002-12-23 14:46:00.0

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Filed By: bob whitmire
Difficulty: Moderate
Number of People Encountered: 11-25 ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: from taylor over to aspen cool trail,i little rough from taylor road to the lake ,there were alot of trails converging here so check yoour map if your not sure ,cool view at the top

Filed By: Steve Green (Littleton, CO)
Time of Day: 3 PM
Length of Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Hard
Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: Again this is a great one for the KLR 650. If you like to do it with style, start out directly under the gondolas in Aspen zig zagging up beneath the rich folk riding 100' overhead. Then it becomes a great road through the forest mostly, along the ridge tops. Emerge above treeline keep going for about 20 total miles to the top of Taylor Pass. You can descend to Ashcroft here, or keep going to Taylor Park. The descent to Taylor park is the rougher side of the pass. It is for experienced riders, with loose grapefruit size rock. Some bigger in the riverbed down below. Not too bad though. A good long ride with wonderful high altitude roads.

Recreation Opportunities

Activity		Remarks	On Site
	Backcountry Traveling	Taylor Pass Road is a popular route to ski from Crested Butte to Aspen. It passes through areas of high avalanche risk.	Yes
	Four-Wheel Driving	Taylor Pass Four-Wheel Drive Road	Yes
	Horseback Riding	Taylor Pass Road	Yes
	Mountain Biking	Taylor Pass Road	Yes
	Motorcycle Riding	Taylor Pass Road	Yes
	Snowmobiling	Taylor Pass Road is a popular route from Crested Butte to Aspen. It passes through areas of high avalanche risk.	Yes
	Snowshoeing	Taylor Pass Road is a popular route to ski from Crested Butte to Aspen. It passes through areas of high avalanche risk.	Yes