Vail Pass, Colorado

Vail Pass has an elevation of 10,666 feet. It's a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains, located in central Colorado. Sitting on the boundary between Eagle and Summit counties, the pass is a good way to get around the area.

Black Gore Creek is a tributary of Gore Creek, in the watershed of Eagle River. It descends from the north side of Vail Pass towards the town of Vail. West Ten Mile Creek (located in the watershed of the Blue River) drops down from the south.

Most people don't even know that Vail Pass was not traditionally a route through the Rocky Mountains. Before 1940, the most common route taken by locals traveling west was located near Shrine Pass, which is to the south. This pass leads to the town of Red Cliff in the upper Eagle Valley. However, in 1940 the building of U.S. Highway 6 bypassed Shrine Pass, favoring the route people use today to the valley of Gore Creek. Vail Pass was named after Charles Vail, who was a highway engineer.