Milner Pass, Road mountain pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, US
Milner Pass is a mountain pass at 10,759 ft (3,279 m) on the Continental Divide, on the Larimer–Grand county line within Rocky Mountain National Park. US 34, known here as Trail Ridge Road, crosses the divide through the pass between Estes Park and Grand Lake. The pass is not the road's high point, which reaches 12,183 ft east of it. The road near the pass looks west over the Never Summer Mountains.
The pass is named for T.J. Milner, an engineer who surveyed a potential railroad route over it; the railroad was never built. Trail Ridge Road, carrying US 34 between Estes Park and Grand Lake, later crossed the Continental Divide here, and the pass is generally closed from the first heavy snowfall, usually in October, until the road reopens around Memorial Day.
The pass links two mountain communities and forms part of one of North America's highest paved routes. Visitors experience the journey across the Continental Divide through alpine terrain that separates two different watersheds.
Trail Ridge Road over the pass is generally closed from the first heavy snowfall, usually in October, until it reopens around Memorial Day. Snow can shut the road without warning even in the open season, so check conditions before setting out. The road near the pass looks west over the Never Summer Mountains.
At the eastern edge of the pass sits Poudre Lake, where Cache la Poudre River begins its journey. This river flows eastward toward the plains, showing how the pass separates two different water systems.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,587 contributors worldwide.