Black Sage Pass

Black Sage Pass
Blacksage Pass
Elevation	9,722 ft (2,963 m) [1]
Traversed by	Forest Road 887
Location	Gunnison County, Colorado, U.S.
Range	Sawatch Range
Coordinates	38°29′25.98″N106°27′6.1″W / 38.4905500°N 106.451694°W / 38.4905500; -106.451694 [1]
Topo map	Sargents
Black Sage Pass Location of the pass in Colorado
Interactive map of Black Sage Pass

Black Sage Pass (elevation 9,722 feet (2,963 meters)) is a high mountain pass in the Sawatch Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is in Gunnison County and in the Gunnison National Forest. The pass divides the watersheds of Spring Creek to the west and Mountain Spring Creek to the east. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The Hayden geological survey used the pass to cross from Whitepine to Pitkin. The pass takes its name from Black Sage Peak, which is about one mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the pass. It was built around 1880, when miners needed a shorter path to the existing mines and mining camps. ^[2]

Waunita Park, a broad treeless area with hot springs, lies to the west of the pass. Stagecoaches brought visitors and supplies to Waunita Hot Springs, a resort in Waunita Park, over the pass as late as the 1890s. ^{[2] [3]}

References

1. "Black Sage Pass". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
2. Helmuth, Ed; Helmuth, Gloria (1994). The passes of Colorado: An encyclopedia of watershed divides. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company. p. 23. ISBN   0-87108-841-X.
3. "Waunita Park". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

External links

• Black Sage Pass, 4x4explore.com