We drove part of the byway from Aspen to Leadville. The road climbs through a narrow canyon where the creek rushes over large boulders, past a ghost town and up to a 12,095’ summit with spectacular scenery the entire way.
There are several primitive campgrounds along the way. We stayed at Weller Lake. One of the sites has a wide gravel path to the vault toilets but it’s not marked as accessible.
Two short trails can be accessed from the byway. The Braille Trail has signs in braille along with the text. It has a steep rocky grade at the start so it’s not wheelchair accessible. The other trail, The Discovery Trail, is accessible but most wheelchair users will needed to have some help due to hilly spots and loose gravel.
Independent Town Site and Ghost Town is not accessible because of steep trails with steps.
A wide paved path leads to overlooks on the summit. The first part climbs steeply and most wheelchair users will need to have some help.
The road is narrow with some sharp switchbacks. RVs over 35’ are prohibited. From Colorado DOT - “It is important to note that oversize and overweight vehicles are strictly prohibited from using the Pass at any time due to narrow and winding roads and steep inclines. Absolutely no vehicles over 35 feet in length (this includes a vehicle and trailer that, together, exceed 35 feet) may use the Pass at any time. These pass restrictions lie between MP 42 (Aspen side) and MP 84.2 (Leadville/Twin Lakes side, about one mile west of the junction with US 24).” There are two short sections where the road is not two full lanes. Traffic coming in the opposite direction had to stop to allow us to pass. Byway
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Great post! I am similar when it comes to trips in general. The more trips, the more flexible everything becomes even though I am more of a regimented person. Anything added and spontaneous tends to end up being some of the best parts for us.
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