Muddy Pass (el. 8772 ft.) is a high
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
in the
Rocky Mountains of northern
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
.
The pass straddles the
continental divide along the boundary between
Jackson and
Grand counties. The pass separates
North Park and the headwaters of the
North Platte River with
Middle Park near the headwaters of the
Colorado River. It is named for
Muddy Creek, a tributary of the Colorado that descends southward from the pass to join the Colorado at Kremmling.
The pass is one of the lower crossings of the continental divide in Colorado, in a gap between the
Park Range to the north and the
Rabbit Ears Range
The Rabbit Ears Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado in the United States. The range stretches east–west along the continental divide, forming the border between Grand and Jackson counties, and separating ...
to the east. It is rarely closed in winter and has a mild approach on both sides, with no switchbacks or tight spots. It provides the route of
U.S. Highway 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
between
Kremmling and
Steamboat Springs. The road briefly enters the watershed of the North Platte (see
North Park).
Rabbit Ears Pass
Rabbit Ears Pass (el. 9426 ft, 2873 m) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States, where US highway 40 crosses the Continental Divide. North of the summit is Rabbit Ears Peak which has the sh ...
, which is just to the west of the pass, provides a third crossing of the continental divide along the U.S. Highway (
Berthoud Pass being the other).
State Highway 14 from
Walden, Colorado has its western terminus at the pass, where it intersects U.S. Highway 40.
Mountain passes of Colorado
Landforms of Jackson County, Colorado
Landforms of Grand County, Colorado
U.S. Route 40
Transportation in Grand County, Colorado
Transportation in Jackson County, Colorado
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