The Secret But Treacherous Shortcut Around The I-70 Shutdown
Let's face it: these mudslides that have been rolling down the Glenwood Canyon and have wreaked havoc on I-70 and the commuters that use it sucks. After this past weekend and inspecting the damage himself, Governor Polis has asked for federal help in the cleanup and has stated that the road could be closed not just for days, but weeks.
The detour route(s) are adding HOURS to drives because there just aren't many options when traveling in and over the mountains. There IS, however, a secret shortcut through the Rockies that many don't even know about but the kicker here is that the road is treacherous and can be deadly.
According to the Denver Channel, Cottonwood Pass carves hours off the detour from Glenwood Springs to Gypsum but the route itself is filled with danger with several stretches that are extremely narrow with barely enough room for two cars to pass by each other. The road also features steep drop-offs and some very steep sections with not much room for error.
YouTube/Denver Channel
According to Google Maps, this "shortcut" between Glenwood Springs to Gypsum is about 64 miles. To ME, it looks a little sketchy, but certainly doable. That being said, because I'm not familiar with this road, I'm not sure if I would take it unless I absolutely had no other choice. The weather can change so quickly up in that elevation and the last thing you want to do is get stuck in a storm on that road...but that's just me.
What are your thoughts? Will YOU be trying out Cottonwood Pass the next time you're rolling through I-70 and it's closed?
If you do...be safe.