Things to do nearCumberland Pass

Cumberland Pass has roots in Colorado's silver-mining heyday of the late 1800s, when ore wagons and pack mules crossed the divide linking the Gunnison region to camps near Pitkin. The route later carried early automobiles and remains one of the more historically evocative backcountry roads in the central Rockies, with weathered mining structures still visible along the approach.

Today the pass draws photographers, four-wheel-drive enthusiasts, and hikers drawn to the high-alpine environment. The tundra plateau at the summit offers unobstructed panoramas across the Sawatch Range, with peaks stacking up on the horizon in every direction. The surrounding terrain connects to a web of trails and jeep roads, and guided hikes operate in the broader Gunnison area for those who prefer an expert along.

The drive up from Almont along Taylor Canyon sets the mood, threading through a narrow granite gorge before the landscape opens into alpine meadows. Cumberland Pass is worth the journey for anyone who wants Colorado's high country on its own unhurried terms.