I have had a burning desire to bike this particular Colorado pass all winter, and so it was so gratifying to finally peddle up there!

Coming from the east, Independence Pass has an imposing presence with its really steep grade at the switchback area and its frightening cliff edges. Yet the 14 mile ride from Twin Lakes to the lowest switchback at Lake Creek (with that grand view of Mt. Champion) is a relatively gentle uphill throughout. From what I'm told and can gather, the ride west to the pass from Aspen is even more gruesome than the ride I did. ;)

Ah, but I would rate the absolute toughest pass to be Cottonwood Pass, which has "little mercy" and great stretches of tough uphill riding for the 19 miles from the Buena Vista traffic light to the summit.

Here are some other pass rides, by the way: Monarch Pass, Poncha Pass, Cottonwood Pass, Wolf Creek Pass.

Thank you so much for reading this and enjoy my pictures below. The next major bicycling goal is to ride a century (i.e. 100 miles) in a day, and the plan is to do that on Monday, June 18. Wish me luck!

All the best,
-Steve :)

Photo Gallery - Bicycling To Independence Pass

	I began my ride at Twin Lakes and decided not to take any photos until I reached the final closing gate west of the La Plata Peak trailhead. A few weeks ago, I biked much of this early portion and you can see those photos here: Twin Lakes Bike Ride.
	Two photos of the mountain scenery in the area.
	The long approach to the first major switchback on the highway. By the way, I'd like to note that I have made efforts to move my Adopt A Highway sign to this particular stretch of road. I moved from Manitou Springs to Buena Vista in October 2005, and since then I have requested repeatedly to C-DOT that the sign be moved. As of this writing, the "Friends of ColoradoGuy.com" signs are still standing on Highway 24 in Manitou Springs. Oh well!
	The view of Mt. Champion just below the first switchback.
	Like I said, the 14 mile ride from Twin Lakes to the first switchback at Lake Creek is a relatively gentle and gradual uphill for much of the way. Then, "all hell breaks loose" with a final four to five mile grunt to summit at this lowest switchback. The bottom photo shows the cliff edge beside the road, which can be a harrowing experience for first-time visitors. ;)
	Near milemarker 65 along that stretch above, I pulled over to photograph this pretty roadside waterfall.
	Switchback #2! The road makes a hairpin turn inside Mountain Boy Gulch, an area quite popular for skiing this time of year. This spot was a good excuse to rest and talk with the skiers, who were either awaiting rides from partners back to Independence Pass or were hitchhiking to get back up.
	Upward I went and I stopped to snap this photo of Mountain Boy Gulch and the second switchback hidden behind trees to the right. Skiers go down the snow-covered ridge to the right.
	I think this is my favorite photo as I approached the final and highest switchback. Note the "10 miles per hour" sign on the top left. ;)
	I rested briefly at the final switchback and at that point Toni (left), another bicyclist from Buena Vista, passed me up. She and I had some enjoyable and encouraging conversations way down in the canyon. Regretably, I did not get a better photo of her! The right photo is the view looking back down at Independence Pass Road into the canyon.
	The final snowy approach to the summit.
	I was so happy to be up there! :)
	I spent maybe 15 minutes up there before riding back down. Here are three scenery photos at the top. Note the skiers in the top photo. Also, the pond north of the road (bottom photo) is still frozen over, but there are signs it is slowly thawing out. Here are my other Independence Pass area pages: Snowshoeing at the Pass Hike to Snowdrift Ridge Independence Lake Autumn Foliage and Snow Sunset at the Pass Snow at the Pass Drive to Aspen with Friends Twin Lakes by Bike Town of Twin Lakes, CO
	On the way down, I whizzed at great speeds, and I only stopped once to snap this great mountain shot. What a great ride!