Colter Pass
Colter Pass is on the Beartooth Highway between Red Lodge
and Yellowstone National Park. Compared with its big
neighbor Beartooth Pass,
Colter Pass is just a little hill in the forest. It is
still a superb bikeride with little traffic and unusual
scenery on its eastern side.
|
01.(mile00,7120ft)
START-END EAST: jct Mo296-Beartooth Highway)
02.(mile01,6890ft) START-END EAST ALTERNATE: low
point when crossing Gilbert Creek
03.(mile09+1/2,8100ft) point of highest altitude
04.(mile12,8066ft) Colter Pass
05.(mile14,7640ft) START-END WEST: Cooke City |
Approaches
From East. The approach starts at the junction of
three passes, Beartooth Pass,
Dead Indian Pass and
Colter Pass. The strinking image of Pilot Peak ( first picture
) guides up this aproach.
From West. The ride from West Yellowstone is a short
climb in the forest. Cooke City ( second picture ) may look
like a regular little town. However, unlike a regular town, it
does not have a "regular grocery". Residents drive
to the next state, to Cody, to buy their potatoes. Cooke City
does of course have a gas station. It sells drinking water at
a price that is generally charged for gasoline, and the price
of gasoline - well - luckily that is a matter of passing
interest for cyclists. But if Cooke City residents want
potatoes they must have gasoline, and lots of it (Aug/2004).
Two or Three Day road Tour. The pass can be
cycled in a circle combined with Chief Joseph Highway over Dead
Indian Pass and Beartooth
Pass, completing the circle over Wy120 between Cody and
Red Lodge. In order to sleep somewhere halfways civilized on a
three day tour it is necessary to add on an out and back
section to Cody. The other overnight stop is Red Lodge. A two
day version of this ride, starting in Silver Gate ( located
between Cooke City and West Yellowstone ) and skipping the
detour to Cody, measured 112 miles over Colter Pass, Dead
Indian Pass and Wy120, between Silver Gate and Red Lodge, 70
miles between the same endpoints over Beartooth Pass and
Colter Pass again (no measured altitude data available).
It is also described on this
page under the heading "my first Rocky Mountain
Pass".
Extended Tour. Around here it seems that all tourist
trails lead to Yellowstone. And Colter Pass, sandwiched
between Yellowstone and the prime bicycle touring destination
of the area, Beartooth Pass,
is in the midst of it.
|
