Argentine Pass
Encyclopedia
Argentine Pass, elevation 13205 ft (4,024.9 m), is a high mountain pass
that crosses the Continental Divide
in the Front Range
of the Rocky Mountains
of central Colorado
in the United States
.
The highest named vehicle-accessible pass in the state, Argentine Pass is located on the crest of the Front Range
along the boundary between Clear Creek
and Summit
counties southwest of Georgetown
. The pass is flanked by Grays Peak
to the west and Argentine Peak
to the east. It is traversed by a rugged four-wheel drive
trail, part of which is the grade of the long-abandoned Argentine Central Railway
. This trail is passable only on foot or with a modified 4x4 vehicle in good weather during the summer. It is much too rough for regular passenger vehicles and even most stock SUVs.
The pass was the location of silver
discovery in 1864 that led to the growth of Georgetown as an early center of the silver mining industry in Colorado. The region on the east side of the pass became heavily mined in the following decades, with many remains of mining activity visible today.
Note: Vehicle travel is only possible on the Georgetown side, the Horseshoe Basin side may only be traversed by foot or by bicycle.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
that crosses the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
in the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
of central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The highest named vehicle-accessible pass in the state, Argentine Pass is located on the crest of the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
along the boundary between Clear Creek
Clear Creek County, Colorado
Clear Creek County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 9,322 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Georgetown...
and Summit
Summit County, Colorado
Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,538 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Breckenridge...
counties southwest of Georgetown
Georgetown, Colorado
The historic town of Georgetown is a Territorial Charter Municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
. The pass is flanked by Grays Peak
Grays Peak
Grays Peak is the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is one of 54 fourteeners in Colorado. Its nearest major city is Denver. The first man to ascend Grays Peak, botanist Charles C. Parry, named the peak for his botanist...
to the west and Argentine Peak
Argentine Peak
Argentine Peak is a mountain peak in the Front Range in central Colorado in the United States. It is located west of Georgetown along the Continental Divide and along the boundary between Clear Creek and Summit counties. The ridge of the range is traversed by Argentine Pass just to the north...
to the east. It is traversed by a rugged four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
trail, part of which is the grade of the long-abandoned Argentine Central Railway
Argentine Central Railway
The Argentine Central Railway was a narrow gauge railroad in the United States built from the Colorado and Southern Railway at Silver Plume, Colorado to Waldorf, Colorado and onward to the summit of Mount McClellan. Construction began on August 1, 1905 and the line was opened a year later on...
. This trail is passable only on foot or with a modified 4x4 vehicle in good weather during the summer. It is much too rough for regular passenger vehicles and even most stock SUVs.
The pass was the location of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
discovery in 1864 that led to the growth of Georgetown as an early center of the silver mining industry in Colorado. The region on the east side of the pass became heavily mined in the following decades, with many remains of mining activity visible today.
Note: Vehicle travel is only possible on the Georgetown side, the Horseshoe Basin side may only be traversed by foot or by bicycle.