Backcountry Skiing: Cameron Pass, Colorado Guidebook

Backcountry Skiing: Cameron Pass, Colorado
by Rodney Ley
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Beacon Guidebooks:
California: Tahoe Light Tours Colorado: Berthoud Pass | Buffalo | CO Light Tours | Crested Butte | Loveland | Marble | RMNP | Silverton Oregon: Hood Washington: Baker | Crystal | ONP | Snoqualmie | Stevens

Cameron Pass provides a unique Colorado backcountry skiing experience. Remote and undeveloped, “Cam Pass” also receives a generous amount of snow each winter; good skiing often extends into May. Colorado State Hwy.14, a well-maintained all-weather road over the pass, provides access from east and west. Although Cameron Pass does not cross the Continental Divide, it is the only year-round highway north of Berthoud Pass accessing the western slope. Just 65 miles from Fort Collins and 90 miles from Steamboat Springs, Cameron Pass is a straightforward day trip from many areas in Colorado. During the winter, facilities such as lodging, gas stations, and restaurants are scarce. Cell service on Cameron Pass is spotty to non-existent: only on higher ridges with good line of sight is cell service possible. The Moose Visitor Center, located 9 miles west of Cameron Pass, remains open year-round, providing restrooms and visitor services. At the time of publication, no wifi or cell service exists at this location. Administratively, the area is managed by Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest east of Cameron Pass and by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) on the west side of the pass. Parking and access on the west side of the pass require a CPW Parks Permit. Currently, the National Forest does not require a daily use fee for the eastern side. The author and publisher acknowledge that the land described in this atlas is the ancestral home of the Hinono’eiteen (Arapaho) and Núutsi-u (Ute) peoples, who lived on these lands for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.