Skip to main content

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 29; US Route 6 over Loveland Pass

By
Upon leaving Leadville I took a turn on Colorado State Route 91 towards Fremont Pass and the Climax Mine.  From the terminus of CO 91 I took Interstate 70/US Route 6 east to Dillon to spend the night.  The next morning my planned route back to Denver included crossing Loveland Pass via US 6.


This article serves as the 29th entry in the 2016 Summer Mountain Part Trip.  Part 28 covers the history of US Route 24 through the Town of Leadville.

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 28; US Route 24 through Leadville

Loveland Pass crests the Continental Divide of the Colorado Rockies Front Range at an elevation of 11,990 feet above sea level.  Loveland Pass is one of the oldest transportation corridors through the Rockies.  Loveland Pass traces it's origins back to a wagon road constructed through Clear Creek Canyon by William A.H. Loveland in 1863-1864.  The Loveland wagon road up Clear Creek Canyon to Loveland Pass was built to take advantage of the numerous mining stamp mills that popped up during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush.

During the Auto Trail era in Colorado the road over Loveland Pass appeared not to be a major corridor of travel.  No signed highways appear over Loveland Pass on the 1924 Rand McNally Regional Highway Map.  The Midland-Roosevlt Midland Trail is shown to climb out of Clear Creek Canyon via Berthoud Pass (future US 40) via Empire.


Loveland Pass appears on the route of CO 91 on the 1927 Rand McNally Highway Map of Colorado.  CO 91 in it's original form began at US 40S in Leadville.  CO 91 from Leadville headed northeast via Fremont Pass and Loveland Pass to US 40/CO 2 in Empire. 


During 1936 the Loveland Ski Area opened operations and brought additional tourism to Loveland Pass.  By 1937 US 6 was extended from Greeley, CO to Long Beach, CA according to USends.  US 6 absorbed the entire route of CO 91 over Loveland Pass and Fremont Pass which can be seen on the 1939 State Farm Insurance Map of Colorado.  By 1940 US 6 would be rerouted from Fremont Pass to Vail Pass but Loveland Pass would remain as part of the highway.


During March 1973 Loveland Pass was bypassed by I-70 by way of the Eisenhower Tunnel.  Notably hazardous cargo and trucks over 13 feet, 11 inches cannot enter the Eisenhower Tunnel.  Given the heavy truck restrictions through the Eisenhower Tunnel US 6 over Loveland Pass has remained an important trucking corridor despite it's heavy 6.7% grades.

Upon my arrival to Loveland Pass on eastbound US 6 I was greeted with a Department of Agriculture sign announcing the height of the pass along the Continental Divide.  Notably US 6 over Loveland Pass is the second highest US Route only behind US 34 on the Trail Ridge Road.


A look southwest from Loveland Pass towards the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.


A progressive look northeast from Loveland Pass into Clear Creek Canyon.  The heavy road grades of US 6 become immediately apparent.





A panoramic view of Loveland Pass.


Upon reaching I-70 I stayed eastbound through Clear Creek Canyon towards Denver.  I would make several additional stops in Clear Canyon on my way to the Denver Area.

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 30; former US Route 6 and Colorado State 91 in Silver Plume


Labels:

Comments

Stephanie said…
Very nice blog you have herre
8:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more