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CR12 (Mosquito Pass)

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CR12 (Mosquito Pass) Empty CR12 (Mosquito Pass)

Post  Admin Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:04 pm

Where is It:
This road can be accessed from 9 just south of Alma, CO; 4.5 miles north of Fairplay, CO / US285.

From Leadville, CO it can be accessed from E. 7th St, which turns into CR3. The road will then turn into CR12 at the top of the pass.

GPX File:
Mosquito Pass Rd

Video I took 8-29-2010:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMvd6HCcJMI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QViYkOdh9Cw

Length of Road:
10 Miles from 9 to the Top of the pass
7.5 Miles from Leadville, CO to the Top of the pass

How Challenging:
I would rank this a 6.
Large rocks, ledges, and narrow sections, not to mention the drop off on one side which could make for a very bad day.

My Take:
From East to West you will start off on a normal dirt road where the locals of Park City, CO will want you to keep it slow to keep the dust down. After a bit you will see London mine which requires you to split off to the left which will require you to do a river cross. The crossing is nothing special, and once across there is really no where to go, but it lets you go see the buildings.

Once back on CR12 you will come to a spot where you can go straight (CR783) which will take up up to a mine that lets you to get a good pictures. Please see the review for CR783.

As you go up CR12 to the Pass, you will come to the upper Mine (actual mine) which is another good area to take a picture. There are many forks that you can go and explorer all along CR12.

After the upper mine this is where it turns into more of a challenge. You will have to battle the large rocks while staying to your left so you do not happen to go over the cliff. There are a few large dips that require you to pick a line and go for it. Once you get to the top that is a good area to stop and rest and take photos. There is a road that will go to the very top (radio tower) and one that goes off to the south.

Going down to Leadville, CO from the top of Mosquito Pass you will now be on CR3. There will be some switch backs and ledges to drop off of. Again it can be narrow in sections so watch for oncoming Jeeps. Once past the switch backs the road gets a bit easier to ride. You can then either go into Leadville, CO for food, drink, and fuel..or continue to explorer the many mines in the area off to your left. (Fortune Mine, Ibex Mines, Banker Mine, Helena Mine to name a few, the landscape is dotted with mines and roads...please see my LeadvilleCOArea review).

We trailered our bikes from Colorado Springs, CO, you can drive a car and park, in the wide sections of the road. Saturdays it can get pretty busy.

Overview of the area:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) Map_001

From 9 to the top:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) Map_002

Leadville, CO to the top:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) Map_003

Here is the road just west of Park City, CO:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5528

London lower Mine Processing:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5529

Looking back towards the water crossing:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5530

Another Shot of the London Mine:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5531

Another building, and the view:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5532

This is where I would say the rough part of the road starts (I took these June 2009 as you can see I had to park the car and hike up)
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_001

During June the water flows really good:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_002

June the road can be wet still, this shows what the road is like:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_003

The Upper Mine:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_006

CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_004

This shows why the road in June is still closed. It was about 10 feet high of snow:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) MosquitoPass_005

Here is the top of Mosquito Pass:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5539

To give you an idea of the road conditions, sorry I did not have my camera handy for picture while going up. I'll update this at some point to show more of the challenging sections.

CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5540

View:
CR12 (Mosquito Pass) DSCF5541
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