Unaweep Divide
Located in extreme western Colorado, the Unaweep Divide is
a unique, paved cycling climb that is often overlooked.
The pass never crests a ridgeline with far reaching views.
It stays in a canyon, a mysterious canyon in which rivers
seem to change direction. Of course they really don't.
Instead one water way exits through a narrow red rock
canyon, while another tumbles down from a high snowy
plateau. This togographical puzzle has its origins in the
geology of the Colorado Plateau. The canyon was carved by
an ancestral river. Through uplift and stream capture it
was relocated to today's Gunnison River, leaving this
canyon high and dry except for runoff that took advantage
of the already existing valley. This is one case where the
canyon is much older than the course of the stream
occupying it these days.
click on profile for more detail
|
1.(4680ft,mile00) START-END EAST:
Whitewater, junction of US50 and Co141
2.(6060ft,mile09) dirt road to Cactus Park and
Gibbler Gulch leaves on left
3.(6610ft,mile15) Divide Road (unpaved) leaves on
left
4.(7048ft,mile20) TOP: Unaweep Divide
5.(7000ft,mile20) trail to Gill Creek Divide leaves
on left
6.(4590ft,mile44) START-END WEST: Gateway
|
 Approaches
From North. The climb starts at the junction of
Co141 and US50 south east of Grand Junction. The thin flaky
rock layers flanking the lower climb resemble a baked cherry
turnover, while across the wide dessert valley carved by the
Gunnsion River, puffy cream clouds billow over the giant bread
loaf of Grand Mesa. The climb levels out after 8 miles. While
the dirt surfaced "Divide Road" continues to climb
further up the Uncompahgre Plateau, the road to the Unaweep
Divide seeks out the canyon of West Creek. The straight high
cliffs stand in contrast to the small meandering creek at its
bottom. Thimble Rock near the summit is one of the rock
formations deemed worthy as being labeled by a roadside sign.
The divide itself is somewhat anticlimactic, hardly noticeable
if it wasn't for a sign, and even that is only noticeable if
traveling at a slow pace, like a bicycle. Private residences
with large parcels of land are near the summit.
From South. The canyon leading to the Unaweep Divide
begins where Co141 enters the Uncompahgre Plateau in Uravan.
But the climb begins many miles later in Gateway. The section
between Uravan and Gateway is actually downhill on the
average, even though a rolling valley bottom would describe
the road better. The canyon follows the Dolores River
downstream to Gateway, located inside the deepest part of a
dark red canyon with sheer cliffs. Here the Dolores pulls an
escape trick and exits the scene by escaping to terrain of
further topographic confusion in Utah. Meanwhile the road,
still inside the main canyon, now follows a tributary of the
Dolores upstream, West Creek. As the road leaves climbs above
Gateway, you can catch a glimpse of the La Sal Mountains, a
contrast of often snow capped rounded mountains, behind sun
baked vertical cliffs. Immediately thereafter, the road enters
its own vertical canyon landscape, not nearly as red as the
Gateway area. Still it is easy to forget that this not the
state bordering Colorado to the west. The summit levels out
very gradually amidst more moderate landscape.
Tours
Dayrides. (paved) out and back ride from the East
Creek dayuse area near Westwater to Gateway and back, going
over the Unaweep divide twice, measured 85 miles with 5550ft
of climbing in 6.5 hours (m2:06.04.29)
| Unaweep Divide (Summary)
Elevation/Highest Point: 7048ft
|
| Eastern Approach: |
climb |
distance |
drop |
| from Whitewater (4680ft) |
2368ft |
20miles |
|
| from junction with Cactus Park dirt
road (6060ft) |
988ft |
11miles |
|
| from junction with Divide Road
(unpaved) (6610ft) |
438ft |
5+1/2miles |
|
| Western Approach: |
|
|
|
| from Gateway (4590ft) |
2458ft |
23+1/2miles |
~100ft |
|
---------
View
Larger Map
---------
|
|