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+ 155

Boreas Pass Out-and-Back

Mountain Biking Trail

Details
19.75 mi
1,914 ft
An easy out-and-back gravel ride from downtown Breck to the top of Boreas Pass.

Boreas Pass Road is a graded two-wheel-drive dirt road that travels over (you guessed it) 11,500-foot Boreas Pass to connect Breckenridge and Como, Colorado.

Beginning from Breckenridge, take Boreas Pass Road south of town until the pavement ends and a gate marks the boundary of the national forest. Beautiful aspen groves are the first major attraction, especially when the leaves change in fall. From clearings, which are plentiful, you’ll get great views over your shoulder of Breckenridge Ski Resort and of the high peaks all around. Mt. Argentine is the treed summit just across the valley to the west, and Bald Mountain is the steep-sided giant that towers directly overhead.

Boreas Pass is notable as one of the few graded and well-maintained two-wheel-drive roads in Colorado that climb up and over a major alpine pass. In general, most other high alpine passes are either gnarly 4x4 roads, or are paved. Consequently, Boreas Pass is a gravel biker’s paradise!

This pass used to be a major mining corridor with a railroad through it. Along the ride you can find remnants of the mine towns and the railroad machinery, most notably Baker’s Tank. Some of the sites are marked but others are not, so keep your eyes peeled. Also watch for wildlife like deer, elk, and mountain goats.

The top of the pass comes at about 6.5 miles from the start of the dirt road. From here, practically at the treeline, views are grand in all directions. The route mapped here returns the way it came to downtown Breckenridge. More adventurous riders have the option to drop all the down into the town of Como, or even create a loop using Georgia Pass (mapped separately).

Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Colorado 9 Climb0.33 mi489 ft28.0%
Boreas Pass Road (Corner of French to Dirt via Illinois Gulch Rd.)2.52 mi663 ft4.9%
French to Illinois1.06 mi246 ft4.1%
Push It Real Good8.85 mi1,683 ft3.6%
Firecracker 50 road climb (incl. both laps)5.33 mi1,148 ft4.1%
Pavement Climb - Ice Rink to Dirt2.25 mi627 ft5.2%
Section House suffer fest from Rink via Illinois 9.27 mi1,785 ft3.6%
Brooks Hill Dr Climb0.26 mi331 ft23.9%
Aspen Alley Loop Climb1.72 mi492 ft5.4%
Illinois Gulch Road0.73 mi318 ft8.2%
Boreas Pass - Breck Side12.97 mi-1,132 ft-0.0%
Boreas Pass: dirt road climb to top of pass (no pavement)6.28 mi1,093 ft3.3%
Boreas Pass - dirt road climb to Bakers Tank2.96 mi466 ft3.0%
Boreas Climb (Tank to Indiana)1.86 mi331 ft3.4%
Tank to Wheel0.56 mi115 ft3.8%
Boreas - Tank to Top3.32 mi627 ft3.5%
Boreas Pass Rd Climb1.68 mi295 ft3.3%
Forest Service Road 404 Climb1.43 mi315 ft4.2%
Boreas Pass-Final Push0.45 mi89 ft3.7%
Boreas - Train to Aspen Alley6.12 mi-1,043 ft-3.2%
Tank Descent3.07 mi-509 ft-3.1%
Illinois Gulch Drop0.73 mi-272 ft-7.1%
IG to French1.83 mi-525 ft-5.4%
Moonstone to town descent1.11 mi-246 ft-4.2%