Gunsight Pass (Sawatch Range, Colorado)

Gunsight Pass is a high mountain pass in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is located in Gunnison County and in the Fossil Ridge Wilderness, which is managed by the Gunnison National Forest. The pass is at an elevation of 12,185 feet (3,714 m)) on a ridge connecting Square Top Mountain to the west and Broncho Mountain to the east. It divides the watersheds of Brush Creek to the north and Lamphier Creek to the south.[1][2]

Gunsight Pass
Gunsight Pass viewed from the south.
Elevation12,185 ft (3,714 m)[1]
Traversed byForest Trail 428
LocationGunnison County, Colorado, U.S.
RangeSawatch Range
Coordinates38°41′00″N 106°35′59″W[1]
Topo mapFairview Peak

The pass is traversed by Forest Trail 428, the South Lottis Creek Trail, which is 10.5 miles (16.9 km) long. The trail is accessed from the north at the Lottis Creek Trailhead on Gunnison County Road 742. From the south, the trail is accessed at the Gold Creek Trailhead located on Gunnison County Road 771. The trail lies within the Fossil Ridge Wilderness, and only foot and horse travel are allowed. No permits are required to enter this wilderness area. [3][4]

Gunsight Pass showing the small gap that gives the pass its name.

Evidence of Pleistocene glaciation dominates the area around Gunsight Pass. The pass is the low point on an arête that separates two glacial cirques. Moraines are found in the valleys below and the glacial cobble can make hiking along Forest Trail 428 difficult in spots. The ridge itself is composed of Proterozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks.[5][6]

In about 1900, area resident John Gardiner blasted a hole in the ridge to allow passage of his pack trains. The resulting notch gives the pass its name.[2]


References
  1. "Gunsight Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. Helmuth, Ed; Helmuth, Gloria (1994). The Passes of Colorado: An Encyclopedia of Watershed Divides. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87108-841-X.
  3. "South Lottis Trail". trails.colorado.gov. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. "South Lottis #428". fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. Zech, Robert S. (1988). Geologic map of the Fossil Ridge area, Gunnison County, Colorado. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey.
  6. Prather, Thomas (1999). Geology of the Gunnison Country (2nd ed.). Gunnison, Colorado: B&B Printers. LCCN 82-177244.
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