Your Official Guide to the Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™

/ ridingwithgary
At the top of the highest paved road in North America — Mount Blue Sky. (August 13, 2026)

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For the past two summers, I’ve chased the Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™, attempting to ride all 31 of Colorado’s paved passes and roadways over 10,000 feet. This week, I finally completed the challenge by conquering two 14ers — Mount Blue Sky and Pikes Peak.

Before I put Ruby to bed for the season, I want to share the full list, in case you care to follow in my footsteps.

It really isn’t that difficult. All you need is a full tank of gas, and a free day or two. Oh, and you’ll need to come to Colorado. It’s the only state with more than one paved pass over 10,000 feet — and it has 31 of them! (Even Hawaii has one — Mount Haleakala Summit Road.)

Of all the 10,000-foot passes, Independence Pass is the closest to home: 51 miles from our front door. (July 21, 2025)

Below is the entire Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™, and the dates I rode them. For the record, Clarence and Mark also earned a Pass-a-Palooza™ merit badge.

I should acknowledge the person who actually coined the phrase, “Pass-a-Palooza.” It was not me, it was my friend, John Lund, a retired attorney who may have missed his calling as a marketing whiz. He came up with the name; I trademarked it.

Oh, one more thing.

After riding Mount Blue Sky and Pikes Peak on back-to-back days in August 2026, I was so awed by those roads that I revised my all-time Top Ten rides list. Taken together, Mount Blue Sky and Pikes Peak are tied for #1 with Sonora and Ebbetts Passes in California at the top of that list, and of course, are at the top of the Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ list, as shown below.

Now, the full Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ list.

  • Mount Blue Sky: 14,130 feet (August 12, 2026)
  • Pikes Peak: 14,115 feet (August 11, 2026)
  • Trail Ridge Road: 12,183 feet (July 23, 2025; July 8, 2026)
  • Cottonwood Pass: 12,126 feet (July 16, 2025; August 10, 2026)
  • Independence Pass: 12,095 feet (July 21, 2025; July 9, 2026; August 13, 2026)
  • Loveland Pass: 11,992 feet (July 24, 2025; August 12, 2026)
  • Iceberg Pass: 11,827 feet (July 23, 2025; July 8, 2026)
  • Guanella Pass: 11,669 feet (July 21, 2025; July 9, 2026; August 12, 2026)
  • Hoosier Pass: 11,541 feet (July 25, 2025)
  • Slumgullion Pass: 11,530 feet (July 25, 2025)
  • Fremont Pass: 11,318 feet (July 24, 2025; August 13, 2026)
  • Berthoud Pass: 11,315 feet (July 21, 2025; July 22, 2025; July 9, 2026)
  • Monarch Pass: 11,312 feet (July 17, 2025; July 25, 2025)
  • Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels: 11,112 feet (July 24, 2025; August 12, 2026)
  • Juniper Pass: 11,020 feet (July 22, 2025)
  • Red Mountain Pass: 11,018 feet (July 14, 2025; July 27, 2025; June 24, 2026)
  • Molas Pass: 10,910 feet (July 14, 2025; July 27, 2025; June 24, 2026)
  • Spring Creek Pass: 10,901 feet (July 15, 2025; July 25, 2025)
  • Wolf Creek Pass: 10,857 feet (July 15, 2025; July 16, 2025; July 26, 2025; July 27, 2025)
  • Grand Mesa Summit: 10,839 feet (July 12, 2025; June 8, 2026; June 26, 2026; July 6, 2026)
  • Milner Pass: 10,759 feet (July 23, 2025)
  • Vail Pass: 10,666 feet (July 24, 2025)
  • Coal Bank Pass: 10,640 feet (July 14, 2025; July 27, 2025; June 24, 2026)
  • Tennessee Pass: 10,424 feet (July 24, 2025)
  • Cameron Pass: 10,276 feet (July 23, 2025; July 8, 2026)
  • La Manga Pass. 10,230 feet (July 26, 2025)
  • Cumbres Pass. 10,222 feet (July 26, 2025)
  • Lizard Head Pass: 10,222 feet (July 14, 2025; June 24, 2026)
  • North Pass: 10,149 feet (July 16, 2025)
  • Red Hill Pass, 10,051 feet (July 21, 2025; July 9, 2026; August 12, 2026)
  • Kenosha Pass: 10,001 feet (July 21, 2025; July 9, 2026; August 12, 2026)

Finally, a few pics along the journey to completing the Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ over the past two summers.

On the Million Dollar Highway, home to Red Hill Pass, Molas Pass, and Coal Bank Pass. (July 14, 2025)
Walter Jr, at Pikes Peak. (August 11, 2026)
On the Grand Mesa. (July 6, 2026)
High on Trail Ridge Road, with Walter Jr. (July 8, 2026)
With Gary Griffin at Milner Pass. (July 23, 2025)
Celebrating a successful ride over Wolf Creek Pass. (July 27, 2025)
Brittany, at Cottonwood Pass. (July 16, 2025)
At Milner Pass, with Walter Jr. (July 23, 2025)
On the way to Lizard Head Pass. (July 18, 2025)
North Cochetopa Pass, aka North Pass. (July 16, 2025)
At the Alpine Visitor Center, on Trail Ridge Road. (July 23, 2025)
Clarence and Walter Jr, in Silverton, after crossing Red Hill Pass. (June 24, 2026)
Highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide. (August 10, 2026)
Near Molas Pass, on US Highway 550. (July 27, 2025)
Clarence and Cliff at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center. (July 16, 2025)
Clarence captures the view from the top of Mount Blue Sky. (August 13, 2026)
In Mesa, after riding over the Grand Mesa. That’s my ski school buddy, Stephanie. (June 8, 2026)
At the Molas Pass summit, ready for rain. (June 24, 2026)
In Lake City, ready to tackle nearby Slumgullion Pass. (July 25, 2025)
This is the ride that completed my Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™. (August 12, 2026)

3 thoughts on “Your Official Guide to the Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™”

    • So glad you were part of the journey! By my recollection, you rode 11 of the 10,000-foot passes: Grand Mesa, Lizard Head Pass, Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, Red Mountain Pass, Slumgullion Pass, Spring Creek Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, North Pass, Cottonwood Pass, and Monarch Pass. That’s a great start. Only 20 more to go. You’ve got this! Maybe we can work our way down the list on future trips and eventually get you a Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ merit badge. You’re gonna love the 14ers 🙂

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