Independence Pass: Aspen to Twin Lakes
36 miles of Colorado Highway 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes, crossing the Continental Divide at 12,095 ft — the highest paved state highway in Colorado. Narrow, with sections that have no centerline and no guardrail.
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Closed every winter — typically mid-to-late November through late May — with gates at Lincoln Creek Road on the west side and Graham Gulch on the east. CDOT also bans any vehicle (or vehicle-plus-trailer combination) over 35 ft at any time, year-round, due to the narrow, winding road. Both are firm rules, not general caution. Check current access · Reviewed 2026-09-17
Planning the drive
The pass climbs 84 counted bends and 7 switchbacks over 36 miles to the Continental Divide at 12,095 ft — our own measured high point came back at 12,097 ft, essentially exact. The west side hairpins are the tightest part: well under two lanes wide in places, with a rock wall on one side and a drop on the other, and little sightline to see oncoming traffic before you're committed to the turn. CDOT: Independence Pass travel information
Two firm rules, not general caution: CDOT bans any vehicle or vehicle-plus-trailer combination over 35 ft at any time, year-round, and the pass closes completely every winter — typically mid-to-late November through late May, with the exact dates set by snowpack each year rather than a fixed calendar. Check current status before planning a trip near either end of the season.
Roads to connect
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 36.1 mi
- Bends
- 84
- Switchbacks
- 7
- Bends per mile
- 2.3
- Turning per mile
- 270°
- Curviest rank
- 105of 145
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 7,269ft
- Climb per mile
- 201ft
- Highest point
- 12,097ft
- Steepest grade
- 6.7%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
Varies
Unverified
Check posted signs along the road.
OpenStreetMap tags this route between 25 and 55 mph depending on the section (town streets in Aspen vs. open highway), but this project does not treat OSM tags alone as a verified source. Follow posted signs.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 3/3 (Demanding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Technical” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- Wikipedia: Colorado State Highway 82
- Aspen Chamber: Everything you need to know about Independence Pass
- OpenStreetMap road data (67 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-17. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.