Guanella Pass
Twenty-two miles over the divide between the Clear Creek and South Platte watersheds, from Georgetown up to 11,700 feet and down to Grant on US 285. It is one of the few Front Range roads where you drive from wet spruce forest to open tundra in under an hour — and one of the few with a published closing date.
When does Guanella Pass close?
Gated for the winter
The road reopens on Memorial Day weekend. Snow lingers up top well after that: the Forest Service says the pass area is not generally snow-free until late June or early July.
Guanella Pass Road closes for the winter on or about November 26. The gates go down at Naylor Lake on the Clear Creek County side and at Burning Bear Campground on the Park County side.
Conditions change by the hour at 11,700 feet on Guanella Pass — check CDOT's status page before you drive. This page is trip-planning history, not road status.
The road itself
A state designation, not one of the 184 roads in the federal collection.
The drive
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Georgetown
The north end, off I-70, with Silver Plume next door — two of the best-preserved Victorian towns in Colorado.
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Naylor Lake
The winter closure point on the Clear Creek County side.
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Guanella Pass 11,700 ft
Well above timberline, flanked by Mount Bierstadt and Mount Blue Sky.
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Burning Bear Campground
The winter closure point on the Park County side.
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Grant
The south end, on US 285.
What's on the road
- The road crests well above timberline, where the tundra thaws and flowers every spring and the meadows below hold beaver, nesting birds and grazing mammals.
- Georgetown and Silver Plume sit at the bottom of the climb, along with the Georgetown Loop historic mining and railroad park.
- This is the standard approach to Mount Bierstadt — the trailhead is on the pass, and the Forest Service warns the area is not generally snow-free until late June or early July.
Nearby: Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway · Peak to Peak Scenic Byway
Guanella Pass is one of the roads on our scenic byway and seasonal road index — every road here, with its designation, length and winter in one table.
Where these facts come from
- CDOT Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways: Guanella Pass
- USDA Forest Service, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests: Guanella Pass Scenic Byway
- USDA Forest Service: Guanella Pass Trailhead
Last checked August 25, 2026.
Guanella Pass: closing and opening questions
- When does Guanella Pass close for the winter?
- The road reopens on Memorial Day weekend. Snow lingers up top well after that: the Forest Service says the pass area is not generally snow-free until late June or early July.
- What closes Guanella Pass?
- Guanella Pass Road closes for the winter on or about November 26. The gates go down at Naylor Lake on the Clear Creek County side and at Burning Bear Campground on the Park County side.
- Is Guanella Pass open right now?
- This page is the road, not its condition this morning. Colorado Department of Transportation publishes the current state of Guanella Pass, and that is the one to check before you drive.
Watching a spring trip? The opening watch board follows every road we keep a record for at once.