Independence Pass — Local services in Four Corners States

Epic Colorado Road Trip – Nature, Views & Memories!

We were a group of 12 traveling in 3 different cars, ready to explore the natural beauty of Colorado—and what a trip it turned out to be!

Day 1: Royal Gorge

Day 2: Great Sand Dunes

Day 3: Unexpected Surprises & Unforgettable Views On the third day, we had a long drive planned to reach Maroon Bells, one of Colorado’s most iconic spots. Initially, we had hoped to include Independence Pass and Twin Lakes on the way, but the route we were on didn’t seem to include them at first.

However, after passing Buena Vista, we took a left turn (thanks to Google Maps!)—and to our surprise, we found ourselves driving right through Twin Lakes! The views were beautiful, and we were thrilled to be back on track.

Soon after, we began the climb through Independence Pass. The winding roads, breathtaking mountain views, and cool alpine air made it one of the highlights of the trip. We were surrounded by some of the most amazing landscapes Colorado has to offer—truly a scenic masterpiece.

Finally, we arrived at Maroon Bells, and it was everything we hoped for—peaceful, picture-perfect, and a fitting end to an incredible day of driving through...

One of the most gorgeous drives in the United States.

I drove it on Memorial Day, just a few days after the pass opened. It was snowing. Scenery through the trees on the way up from Aspen was absolutely stunning. At the summit there was about 4” of new snow and a lot of happy skiers.

I’m comfortable with mountain driving, and comfortable driving in the snow. I had not attempted mountain driving in the snow (or this pass in any weather) before my visit but was never nervous or even tested on the way up or the way down. There are gates, so if it’s too dangerous to drive, CDOT will close the road. If you can comply with basic driving etiquette, and the road is open (check COtrip) then go and don’t worry.

Expect other drivers to follow the speed limit (25-35 mph for much of the drive) and slow down/pay attention on the hairpins. There are two very short (maybe 1 or 2 tenths of a mile) one lane segments of highway on the Aspen side. My understanding was that these are normally controlled by temporary traffic lights, but the lights were not present when I was there. If traffic volume is low, neither of these...

Another reviewer mentioned visiting cotrip.org for road conditions. The same thing happened to us in August during the wildfires when Google Maps showed the pass was closed but it was open to passenger vehicles. I'm glad we verified the road/pass was open because the views are majestic and the road is nowhere near as scary as some of the reviews I read here. In those places where the road is only one lane, it's actually wider than you would think and there is ample room to maneuver. Although maybe if the traffic was particularly bad it might get a little annoying, but even so the day we went through the pass there were state employees there to help if traffic were to back up. I wouldn't drive an RV through here but if your rig is shorter than 30 feet I guess they'll let you do it. I strongly suggest you drive through the pass if you're in the area because...