Hoosier Pass

Hoosier Pass
View south from Hoosier Pass, towards Alma
Elevation11,542 ft (3,518 m)[1]
Traversed by SH 9
LocationPark / Summit counties, Colorado, U.S.
RangeMosquito Range
Coordinates39°21′42″N 106°03′45″W / 39.36167°N 106.06250°W / 39.36167; -106.06250
Topo mapUSGS Alma
Interactive map of Hoosier Pass

Hoosier Pass (elevation 11,542 ft (3,518 m)) is a high mountain pass in central Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. The name derives from the Hoosier Gulch, which was worked by men from Indiana, nicknamed the "Hoosier State".[2][3]

The pass is located on the Continental Divide at the northern end of the Mosquito Range, in a gap between Mount Lincoln (west) and Hoosier Ridge (east). It sits on the boundary between Park (south) and Summit (north) counties.

The pass provides a route between the headwaters of the Blue River (tributary of the Colorado River) to the north and the headwaters of the South Platte River in South Park to the south. It is traversed by State Highway 9 between the towns of Breckenridge (north) and Fairplay (south).

The highway over the pass provides an alternative route from Denver to the ski areas near Breckenridge and Keystone. It is generally open all year round, is traversable by all vehicles in good weather, but is occasionally closed during winter storms. The road over the pass has a smooth approach on the south side but has several switchbacks on the north side with a grade of 8%.

This pass is the highest point on the TransAmerica Trail, a transcontinental bicycle route that stretches from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon.

Water diversion

Hoosier Pass is the location of the oldest known transbasin diversion project in Colorado, a ditch diverting water from a tributary of the Blue River to the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. This water was used for placer mining near Fairplay.[4][5]

By 1929, the 1.8 mile (2.9 km) East Hoosier Ditch and the 1.3 mile (2 km) West Hoosier Ditch were in operation, able to divert an aggregate 77 cubic feet per second (2.2 m3/s) of water across the continental divide.[4]

The City of Colorado Springs obtained the water rights to these ditches and constructed the Hoosier Pass Tunnel to replace them as part of the Continental-Hoosier Diversion System. The 10 foot (3 m) diameter 1.5 mile (2.4 km) water tunnel was completed in 1951 and delivers up to 500 cubic feet per second (14.2m3/s) to Montgomery Reservoir about a mile southwest of the pass, from which the water is piped 70 miles (113 km) to Colorado Springs. Average annual diversions through the tunnel have been on the order of 9000 acre feet (11 million m3).[4]

Another pass

There is another Hoosier Pass in Colorado (elevation 10,313 ft (3,143 m)) located in Teller County, near Cripple Creek.

Climate

Hoosier Pass has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc).

Climate data for Hoosier Pass, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals: 11400ft (3475m)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 26.5
(−3.1) 		28.8
(−1.8) 		36.4
(2.4) 		42.0
(5.6) 		50.4
(10.2) 		60.7
(15.9) 		65.7
(18.7) 		62.8
(17.1) 		57.0
(13.9) 		45.3
(7.4) 		33.9
(1.1) 		26.1
(−3.3) 		44.6
(7.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 17.0
(−8.3) 		18.5
(−7.5) 		25.0
(−3.9) 		30.4
(−0.9) 		39.1
(3.9) 		48.5
(9.2) 		53.8
(12.1) 		51.7
(10.9) 		45.8
(7.7) 		35.0
(1.7) 		24.4
(−4.2) 		17.0
(−8.3) 		33.9
(1.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 7.5
(−13.6) 		8.1
(−13.3) 		13.4
(−10.3) 		18.7
(−7.4) 		27.8
(−2.3) 		36.2
(2.3) 		41.8
(5.4) 		40.6
(4.8) 		34.5
(1.4) 		24.8
(−4.0) 		14.9
(−9.5) 		7.9
(−13.4) 		23.0
(−5.0)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.32
(59) 		2.58
(66) 		3.08
(78) 		3.97
(101) 		2.85
(72) 		1.18
(30) 		2.38
(60) 		2.40
(61) 		1.78
(45) 		2.32
(59) 		2.41
(61) 		2.28
(58) 		29.55
(750)
Source 1: XMACIS2[6]
Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hoosier Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  2. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 27. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  3. ^ Memorial at the Hoosier Pass on the Continental Divide, United States Forest Service, 1929, retrieved August 11, 2024, Named for Hoosier Gulch, discovered and worked as a placer camp by Indiana men 1860
  4. ^ a b c Winchester, John N. (June 2001). "A Historical View: Transmountain Diversion Development in Colorado". Transbasin Water Transfers: Proceedings of the 2001 USCID Water Management Conference. USCID water management conference, Transbasin water transfers. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. pp. 486–487. Archived from the original on December 13, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Mountain Scholar. East Hoosier and West Hoosier Ditches: The Hoosier Ditches were the first recorded transmountain diversion constructed in Colorado, and were used to provide supplemental water for hydro-mining near Fairplay. The ditches divert water from the headwaters of the Blue River into the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. The east East Hoosier Ditch is 1.8 miles long, while the west East Hoosier Ditch is 1.3 miles long. Hoosier Pass, the lowest point on the diversions, is at an elevation of 11,540 feet. The East Hoosier Ditch is decreed for a total of 60 cubic feet per second, and the West Hoosier Ditch is decreed for 17 cubic feet per second, both with an appropriation date of August 5, 1929. The City of Colorado Springs obtained the rights to the Hoosier ditches and now diverts the water through the Hoosier Pass Tunnel as part of the Continental-Hoosier Diversion System. Hoosier Pass Tunnel: The Continental-Hoosier Diversion System (a.k.a. the Blue River Project) is located southwest of Breckenridge, Colorado, and is owned by the City of Colorado Springs which developed the project as a source of municipal water. Water is diverted from the Blue River and its tributaries on the west slope to the Middle Fork of the South Platte River on the east slope. Water taken through the Hoosier Tunnel is delivered to Montgomery Reservoir, which is located in the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River above Fairplay. The Hoosier Pass Tunnel is an unlined tunnel, approximately 10 feet in diameter and 1.5 miles long. The tunnel was completed in 1951 and has a capacity of approximately 500 cubic feet per second. Montgomery Reservoir has a capacity of 4900 acre-feet, a spillway elevation of 10,861 feet and was completed in 1957. The reservoir is also decreed to store water from the South Platte basin. Water from both the Blue River and the Middle Fork of the South Platte River is conveyed 70 miles across South Park to Colorado Springs via the 30-inch Montgomery Pipeline. The 1990-1999 average annual yield from the Blue River portion of the project was 9939 acre-feet, while diversions from the South Platte were 1401 acre-feet. The 2000 diversions for the Blue River and South Platte are 1401 and 386 acre-feet respectively.
  5. ^ "Hoosier Pass". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026. Hoosier Pass, on Route 9 south of Breckenridge, was the site of the Hoosier Ditch, which was the first recorded trans-divide water diversion in the state. It consisted of two ditches, collecting water from the west side of the Divide, and converging on the pass, where it drained into the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. The ditch was first recorded in 1860, to supply water for the placer mining operations downriver, and was further enhanced in 1929. The city of Colorado Springs has since purchased the water appropriation, and diverts the water through the Hoosier Tunnel. Hoosier Pass marks a transition for urban trans-divide watershed extensions, from Denver and its extensive suburbs and northern cities, to the urban trans-divide watershed extensions of Colorado Springs, and the eastern slope's southern cities. While Denver captured some of the Blue River and took it over the Divide through the Roberts Tunnel, Colorado Springs takes some of the Blue River and takes it over the Divide in the Hoosier Tunnel. The tunnel is located a mile or so west of the pass.
  6. ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Hoosier Pass, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
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