Loveland Pass, Colorado

After leaving Red Rocks, we wanted to explore more of the natural beauty of Colorado. As we drove further towards the Rocky Mountains, we couldn’t believe the incredible views!

Colorado has such a rugged beauty to it. The mountain peaks, rock strewn paths, and majestic trees all were so amazing to see. ⛰️

Loveland Pass was our destination for the day. The elevation there is 11,990 ft. above sea level and is part of the Continental Divide. Before the Straight Creek Constructors built the Eisenhower Tunnel, this was the primary way over the Continental Divide. It would have been a harrowing trip by horse and wagon! We decided to have a snack looking over the valley. Such a great place to enjoy the views!

Of course we wanted to hike up to the top of the mountain. There is a decent trail to follow, but it’s seriously uphill.

On the hike, the temperature was definitely getting colder. It was around 56 degrees when we started out, but when we made it back to the car it was in the 40’s. This was due to the storm that started rolling in while we were up on the mountain. It got very windy and the sky was looking a bit daunting for sure. It seemed to be a decent distance from us, so we figured we’d give it a go.

We climbed as quickly as we could, but at this elevation it was getting harder to catch our breaths. We didn’t want to give up, so we kept trekking onward and upward. I did stop every now and then to capture some pics of the mountain wildflowers that were so beautiful and resilient to grow in this somewhat harsh environment.

Luke and I made it so close to the top, and Juliana caught right up to us. The views were absolutely outstanding! Then we started hearing thunder in the distance… Not gonna lie, being almost on top of a mountain with a storm heading at us was definitely giving us cause for concern. We knew we had a bit of distance to hike back down, so we decided to stop where we were and turn around.

We were almost to the car when the rain started coming down. Thankfully we got inside before the skies let loose with a soaking shower. ⛈️ Even though we cut the climb short, we still celebrated climbing to over 12,000 ft. It was a pretty cool accomplishment! Here’s our favorite view from up high:

After taking a bit to catch our breaths and let the storm calm down, we decided to drive around and take in some more mountain views. We found this waterfall that was off the beaten path, so we had to check it out!

There were numerous waterfalls, bighorn sheep, and absolutely gorgeous sights that we passed. 🌲

We also drove by the Loveland ski area and went through the Eisenhower Tunnel. According to Wikipedia, “With a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point on the Interstate Highway System.” We thought it was pretty cool and enjoyed going through it!

We had such a great time at Loveland Pass and in the area around it. It’s definitely worth it to spend time there. We highly recommend taking the time to enjoy all the beauty. 🥰

You can find our Loveland Pass Vlog here:

Where does this journey take us next? What other adventures and escapades await? We’ll find out in the next episode of Traveling with the Trapps!

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