A memorable road trip to Yvonne Pass in CO
Yvonne Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.893m (12,772ft) above the sea level located on the boundary between Hinsdale and San Juan counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. It’s one of the highest roads of Colorado.
Set high in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, the road to the summit, also known as South Engineer Pass, is totally unpaved. High clearance four wheel drive vehicles with short wheel base required. This road is usually impassable from late October through late June or early July (depending on snow). It is not generally snow-free until late June or even July in some years.
The road to the summit is very steep, hitting a 16% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at County Road 21, the ascent is 2.25km (1.4 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 288 meters. The average gradient is 12.8%. View from summit is amazing.