The Course / Course map
Course map
The candidate course on the map
Seven candidate stages on the passes and valley roads around Leadville, with Google terrain maps, elevation profiles from USGS data and the full route as a KML file.
Indicative candidate route, not a final course. Lines follow real public roads, but the final course depends on land-manager permits, the safety plan and the landowner. Distances and climbing are approximate.
Terrain view of the course area, from Mosquito Pass and Alma in the north to Buena Vista and Tincup in the south. Stage-by-stage maps are below. The KML and GPX files are an indicative candidate route, not for race-day navigation.
Stages
| Stage | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prologue | ≈ 22 mi | ≈ 1,700 ft |
| 2. Queen stage · Mosquito | ≈ 35 mi | ≈ 5,800 ft |
| 3. Divide day · Cottonwood | ≈ 75 mi | ≈ 7,300 ft |
| 4. Rail-grade day · Hagerman | ≈ 38 mi | ≈ 3,500 ft |
| 5. Weston Pass | ≈ 56 mi | ≈ 5,500 ft |
| 6. Ranch day | TBD | TBD |
| 7. Finish · Leadville | ≈ 22 mi | ≈ 1,700 ft |
Colors match the lines in the KML file.
Passes and towns
| Place | Elevation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mosquito Pass | 13,185 ft | Highest through-road in North America; Stage 2 |
| Cottonwood Pass | 12,126 ft | Continental Divide, paved since 2019; Stage 3 |
| Independence Pass | 12,095 ft | Continental Divide, paved; candidate, not in the current stage set |
| Hagerman Pass | 11,925 ft | Continental Divide, four-wheel-drive road; Stage 4 |
| Weston Pass | 11,921 ft | Old Leadville–Fairplay wagon road; Stage 5 |
| Leadville | 10,152 ft | Basecamp: start and finish |
| Alma | 10,578 ft | Stage 2 turnaround nearby |
| Buena Vista | 7,965 ft | Stage 3 start and finish |
| Tincup | ≈ 10,160 ft | Historic mining town; Stage 3 |
| Taylor Park | ≈ 9,370 ft | Stage 3 aid |
| Twin Lakes | ≈ 9,230 ft | Stage 7 start |
| Turquoise Lake (Sugar Loaf Dam) | ≈ 9,890 ft | Stages 1, 4 and 6 |
Pass elevations are the published figures used across this site. Values marked ≈ are sampled from USGS elevation data.
Stage 1
Prologue: Turquoise Lake
From Harrison Avenue the route drops west out of town on Turquoise Lake Road, passes Sugar Loaf Dam, rounds the west end of the lake near May Queen Campground and returns along the north shore road to Leadville. ≈ 22 mi, ≈ 1,700 ft climbing.
Google's driving route through the stage waypoints. It follows the same lake loop as the candidate line.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Stage 2
Queen stage: Mosquito Pass
The stage leaves Leadville on 7th Street, which becomes Mosquito Pass Road, and climbs up Evans Gulch to the pass. It descends the Park County side through Mosquito Gulch on County Road 12 to Colorado 9 below Alma, turns, and climbs back over the pass to Leadville. ≈ 35 mi, ≈ 5,800 ft climbing.
Terrain view centered on Mosquito Pass. Google's driving directions will not route over this four-wheel-drive road and detour by way of Breckenridge, so no route is drawn here. Use the elevation profile and the KML for the candidate line.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Stage 3
Divide day: Cottonwood Pass
From Buena Vista the stage climbs west on County Road 306 to Cottonwood Pass, drops toward Taylor Park, then takes gravel roads south to the old mining town of Tincup. It returns north on Cumberland Pass Road to Taylor Park and climbs back over the Divide to finish in Buena Vista. ≈ 75 mi, ≈ 7,300 ft climbing.
Google's driving route for the outbound half: Buena Vista, Cottonwood Pass, Tincup and Taylor Park. The return over the pass to Buena Vista is the same road in reverse.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Stage 4
Rail-grade day: Hagerman Pass
The route follows Turquoise Lake Road west past Sugar Loaf Dam and turns onto Hagerman Pass Road, which climbs along Busk Creek to the pass on the Continental Divide. It returns down the same road, rounds the west end of the lake and comes home along the north shore. ≈ 38 mi, ≈ 3,500 ft climbing.
Google's driving route for the outbound leg: Leadville, Sugar Loaf Dam and Hagerman Pass Road to the summit (about 15.8 miles). The candidate line returns the same way and comes home along the north shore.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Stage 5
Weston Pass
The stage leaves Leadville on gravel county roads, crosses the valley near the National Fish Hatchery road, runs south through Lodgepole Flats and picks up Weston Pass Road. It crosses the pass, descends the South Fork of the South Platte to Weston Pass Campground, turns, and returns the same way. ≈ 56 mi, ≈ 5,500 ft climbing.
Google's driving route for the outbound leg: Leadville, Lodgepole Flats, Weston Pass and the campground on the Park County side. The return is the same road in reverse.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Stage 6
Ranch day: Sugarloaf
Riders roll out of Leadville along Turquoise Lake Road for about 4.6 miles under neutral control. The race itself runs on the private ranch of Sugarloaf Mountain Ranch, about 1,000 acres above the lake. The ranch route is not published and is not drawn on the map. TBD, TBD climbing.
Terrain view of Turquoise Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain. The ranch route is on private land and is not drawn; the Google link below covers only the public approach from Leadville.
No profile: the ranch route is on private land and is set with the landowner.
Stage 7
Finish: Twin Lakes to Leadville
The stage starts in Twin Lakes, heads north on County Road 24 along the west side of the valley, crosses to County Road 10 and the Lodgepole Flats roads, and joins County Road 11 near Halfmoon Road. It crosses Colorado 300 below the National Fish Hatchery and climbs into Leadville on gravel County Road 36, finishing on Harrison Avenue. ≈ 22 mi, ≈ 1,700 ft climbing.
Google's driving route through the stage waypoints, Twin Lakes to Leadville on the west side of the valley.
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
Route lines are computed on OpenStreetMap road data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and sampled against the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Google's driving directions are shown only where they follow the same roads as the candidate line.