Cottonwood Pass, Colorado - Safe for RV? We think so 

Glad it was helpful. I try to post the content that would help us before our trip.

Be sure this is the right Cottonwood pass you are looking for. There’s another one near Aspen.

We just had that big snowfall a few days ago so I bet it will be a few weeks still. Have fun. It’s a beautiful area. I hope you see moose.

@@RVHomeschool Thanks for the heads up, we are currently over at Hartman rocks near Gunnison so I'm hoping by the time we need to cross the pass it will be back open

Absolutely! And a beautiful drive too.

The Taylor Reservoir down into Crested Butte is fully paved, but I do feel like there is a dirt road elsewhere from Taylor Reservoir. So you might want to check the one you mention. I don’t know the area real well and it’s been a few years since we were up there.

​ @eljeffe8806 @RVHomeschool The dirt road you are thinking of is CR 765 at Taylor Park to Tincup then turning onto to CR 267 to go up to Tincup Pass. This route can be taken from Taylor Park up an over the pass and down to St Elmo in Chaffee cty and eventually out to Nathrop and Buena Vista in mid summer snowpack dependant. Definitely NOT an RV / Trailer route . Narrow at times and rough dirt all the way.

Absolutely. We avoid the stretch of Hwy 550 between Silverton and Ouray. (See our Million Dollar Highway video). We’ve also avoided Berthoud - mainly because we just haven’t needed to take that pass. And although you can, I wouldn’t want to drive Trail Ridge (the stretch of Hwy 34 through Rocky Mountain NP from Estes Park to Grand Lake.

@@RVHomeschool Thank you, I'll watch those videos and bookmark them.

Correct. I list that in the notes, and mention in the video, but some people (especially from out of town) would think it’s the same one. How silly for Colorado to give two passes the exact same name.

No, the Cottonwood pass by Glenwood is NOT for Rvs. It’s a small dirt road. In terms of Hwy 50, that is a nice paved highway that is fine to take. They had construction on it this summer that closed it during the day but they had to stop the construction to open the highway for all of the trafficker diverted from the I-70 closure.

I replied above as well by Hwy 50 is fine to take. We’ve driven with our 38’ motorhome and towing a Jeep many times.

Highway 50 is open for 18 wheelers, so any size RV is fine on 50.

Yes hwy 50 is real good

There’s two Cottonwood Passes in Colorado. One by Glenwood Canyon (dirt road not suitable for RVs or semis) and this pass which is between Crested Butte and Buena Vista as I mention in the video, the notes, and the thumbnail picture.

There is also another section of Cottonwood pass between Granby and hot Sulphur Springs. Good road but is dirt

There’s two Cottonwood passes. One by Glenwood Canyon (that’s the dirt road) and this one is between Crested Butte and Buena Vista.

@@RVHomeschool ahh

@@RVHomeschool Is the one by Glenwood Canyon ok to drive with a 45 foot 5th wheel? Is that one safe?

I sped up the video so it wouldn’t feel so slow. We did let some people pass us that really wanted to fly.

Growing up in Colorado in the 60's - 80s it was always pronounced like Bwena Vista (as in the video), as in Spanish for "Good View". THIS is how you know that a person has lived in Colorado a LONG time (as this creator obviously has). Somewhere through the years people forgot how to speak Spanish and started calling it Bewna Vista, which sounds ridiculous to Colorado natives and make no sense in Spanish. True Colorado natives also remember Casa Bonita, long before South Park memorialized it :) 😀