Cordova Pass (Colorado)
Encyclopedia
Cordova Pass lies on the western shoulder of the West Spanish Peak
, east of the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
in southern Colorado
. Cordova Pass lies just outside the Spanish Peaks Wilderness
, a designated National Wilderness Area on the San Isabel National Forest
. Cordova Pass is reached via the Apishapa Road, a leg of the Scenic Highway of Legends (a designated Colorado and National Forest Service scenic byway). As the National Forest Service does not normally plow the snow, Cordova Pass is normally not accessible from mid November to late May. Most of the time, the pass may be traversed by passenger vehicles.
There are vault toilets, several picnic tables and a couple of primitive campsites in the summit area. This is a "Fee Area."
The trailhead for the West Spanish Peak Trail, the Vista Point Trail (handicapped accessible), western terminus of the Wahatoya Trail and the upper end of the Apishapa Trail is on the north/east side of the road at the summit of the pass. About .25 miles (.4 km) down the main trail is a plaque signifying the West Spanish Peak is a designated National Historic Landmark
.
West Spanish Peak
West Spanish Peak is a high mountain peak in the US state of Colorado. It is the higher of the two Spanish Peaks, two large igneous stocks which form an eastern outlier of the Culebra Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains...
, east of the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
in southern 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...
. Cordova Pass lies just outside the Spanish Peaks Wilderness
Spanish Peaks Wilderness
The Spanish Peaks Wilderness is a 17,855 acre wilderness area in Huerfano County and Las Animas County, Colorado, USA, located 20 miles southwest of Walsenburg. All of the wilderness area is located on U.S...
, a designated National Wilderness Area on the San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 54 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado....
. Cordova Pass is reached via the Apishapa Road, a leg of the Scenic Highway of Legends (a designated Colorado and National Forest Service scenic byway). As the National Forest Service does not normally plow the snow, Cordova Pass is normally not accessible from mid November to late May. Most of the time, the pass may be traversed by passenger vehicles.
There are vault toilets, several picnic tables and a couple of primitive campsites in the summit area. This is a "Fee Area."
The trailhead for the West Spanish Peak Trail, the Vista Point Trail (handicapped accessible), western terminus of the Wahatoya Trail and the upper end of the Apishapa Trail is on the north/east side of the road at the summit of the pass. About .25 miles (.4 km) down the main trail is a plaque signifying the West Spanish Peak is a designated National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.