TOLLAND, GILPIN COUNTY, COLORADO, UNITED STATES

Rollins Pass from the Moffat Tunnel

Distance: 14.5 mi
Elevation gain: 2,706 ft
Max grade: 7.99 %
Elevation loss: 131 ft
Avg grade: 3.53 %

gravelhard

Fourteen miles of dirt railroad grade from the Moffat Tunnel portal up to the Needle's Eye, at 11,684 feet.

About this ride

Rollins Pass Road climbs the abandoned grade of the Moffat Road, the railway that crossed the Continental Divide here before the tunnel below replaced it. From the East Portal the road rises fourteen miles on dirt, averaging only 3.2% because it was built for locomotives, to a measured high point of 11,684 feet. The stored track ends in the Needle's Eye area rather than continuing over the pass — mapping in this area includes a bypass trail around the tunnel. Do not assume through-access. Best for gravel riders who want altitude and railway history on a road that never gets steep.

How hard is it?

Longest continuous climb: 14.5 mi
Over 8%: 0.0 mi
Highest point: 11,684 ft

Climb fingerprint

▁▁▁▂▂▃▃▃▄▄▅▅▆▆▇▇██

Grade distribution

Downhill1%

0–3%42%

3–5%47%

5–8%10%

8–10%0%

10%+0%

By distance travelled at each gradient, not by GPS point.

Offline

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Ride details

Type: gravel
Difficulty: hard
Region: Gilpin County
Activity: Open ↗

Local notes

surface

Dirt the whole way

OpenStreetMap tags Rollins Pass Road along this track as a dirt track, ranging from graded grade2 lower down to rougher grade4 higher up. Imported as 'road'; corrected to gravel.

access

The track ends near the Needle's Eye

The stored file finishes at 11,684 feet in the Needle's Eye area, where mapping shows a bypass trail rather than a through route. Whether the road continues over the pass, and on what terms, is the US Forest Service's to say — check the current position and do not plan a crossing from this record.

altitude

Above 11,000 feet for the last third

Measured from 9,196 feet at the start to 11,684 at the end. Snow lingers late at this height.

pacing

A railroad grade, so it stays gentle

3.2% average, steepest quarter-mile 9.6% at mile 12.5. It is a long ride at altitude rather than a hard climb.