Schofield Pass
Schofield Pass (Marble, CO)
Schofield Pass is one of Colorado’s most famous trails, and another one of those trails that all four-wheelers eventually want to run. Unfortunately, this trails fame is because it was the site of Colorado’s deadliest 4×4 accidents. In July of 1970, nine tourists died when their vehicle slid off of the ledge above the Devil’s Punchbowl. While this trail is certainly narrow and a bit technical above the Devil’s Punchbowl, it is not very difficult or scary for an experienced driver.
The trail starts out in Crystal and follows the Crystal River all the way up to the pass. Shortly after leaving Crystal, the trail gets narrow and rocky until you climb up past the Devil’s Punchbowl where it levels off and gets wider and easier. While in this narrow section of trail, keep an eye out for oncoming traffic and for places that you can pass other vehicles, because there are very few places to pass.
Once you cross the bridge over the Crystal River you will head up above the Devil’s Punchbowl. This is the narrowest and most technical section of the trail. There is a place to park right before the bridge if you would like to walk up ahead and check out the trail.
While this trail has a bad reputation, the scenery is well worth the trip. I highly recommend this trail if you are in the area.
Please feel free to leave your comments and post your pictures from Schofield Pass below.
Schofield Pass KML Track
(Right click and ‘Save Target As’)
Open file above in Google Earth.
