Selected US Mountain West pass and road elevations I’ve driven, including personal automobile highpoints and whimsy.
List of highest roads and passes:
| Elevation (ft) | Name | State | Road | Trail / Notes |
| 14,127 | Mount Blue Sky (nee Evans) summit parking | CO | CO 5 | Highest paved road in North America / CO Jamie’s highpoint (my ’99 Outback) |
| 14,115 | Pikes Peak summit parking | CO | FR 334 (Pikes Peak Highway) | Jamie’s close 2nd |
| 13,776 | Mauna Kea summit parking | HI | Mauna Kea access road | with mom in 4WD rental truck |
| *12,183 | Trail Ridge Road | CO | US 34 | highest point within Rocky Mountain National Park |
| *12,095 | Independence Pass | CO | CO 82 | east of Aspen; seasonal |
| 11,990 | Loveland Pass | CO | US 6 | highest year-round pass in CO backcountry skiing and access to 13ers Loveland; A-basin Ski Area |
| 11,669 | Guanella Pass | CO | FR 381, FR 62 | gravel / summer only; access to Mount Bierstadt (14er) – Katt’s highest pass? |
| 11,307 | Berthoud Pass | CO | US 40 | backcountry skiing area; highway to Winter Park, Granby, etc. |
| 11,245 | Gray’s/Torrey’s Peak trailhead | CO | FR 321 | crowded 14er trailhead; mine was only Subaru in the lot (all else were high-clearance 4WDs) |
| 11,158 | Eisenhower Tunnel | CO | I-70 | Highest point on I-70 Highest vehicle tunnels in the world Sue Ann’s (Katt’s ’91 Subaru) highpoint August 2015 |
| *10,974 | Beartooth Highway | MT | US 212 | Highest paved road in MT |
| 9,666 | Powder River Pass | WY | US16 | Matt and I in 1995 with my Mazda 626 and 1984 Honda Rebel 450 during our first trip in the American west |
| 9,945 | Tioga Pass | CA | CA 120 | Highest pass in CA Yosemite National Park entrance station Sierra’s (my ’98 4Runner) highpoint Oct 2016 |
| 9,301 | Tendoy Range | MT | FR 956 | SKIburban (my ’98 Suburban) highpoint Drove across the top of the range with Brian after visiting Sourdough “Cave” |
| 8,454 | Lassen Peak parking | CA | CA 89 | Lassen Volcanic National Park parking lot |
| 8,400 | Olson Mountain area | MT | FR 5176 | Garrity Cave ’78 GMC Jimmy Highpoint Jamie’s MT highpoint? |
| 8,200 | Storm Lake | MT | FR 675 | GMC Jimmy camping with Amy / hike Rainbow mountain; access to Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness |
| 8,163 | Tenaya Lake | CA | CA 120 | Cloud’s Rest 9900 trailhead |
| 7,800 | Castle Pass parking | CA | FR 80 50 | PCT Castle Peak 9,103 |
| *7,420 | Slate Peak radar site | WA | FR-5400 | Above Hart’s Pass WA at end of road. |
| 7,400 | Big Hole Pass | MT | MT 278 | Betsey’s (’24 Subaru) highpoint Feb 2023 |
| 7,400 | Borah Peak trailhead | ID | FR 279 | whatever Mike and I drove there |
| 7,329 | Donner Summit | CA | I-80 | rental car, nameless Subaru, Sierra |
| 7,251 | Chief Joseph Pass | MT | MT 43 | Betsey, Jamie, between Lost Trail and Wisdom |
| 7,056 | Donner Pass | CA | US 40 | rental car |
| *7,055 | Big Hole Pass | MT/ID | FR 624, FR 079 | CDT between Gibbonsville, ID and Wisdom MT in Beaverhead Mountains *not driven |
| 7,014 | Lost Trail Pass | MT/ID | US 93 | Lost Trail Powder Mountain with all my vehicles! |
| 6,870 | Monida Pass | MT | I-15 | Betsey, Jamie |
| 6,646 | Logan Pass | MT | Going-to-the-Sun Road | Glacier National Park Jamie, SKIburban |
| *6,453 | Pipestone Pass | MT | MT 2 (US 10) | *not driven Previously part of US 10 |
| 6,390 | Sunrise | WA | Sunrise Park Way | In Mount Rainier National Park at Sunrise Ranger Station |
| 6,329 | Homestake Pass | MT | I-90 | Highest point on I-90 |
| 6,312 | MacDonald Pass | MT | US 12 | Sierra to ~6,440 at vista to south |
| *6,198 | Hart’s Pass | WA | *bucketlist “Highest road in WA” (when continuing on to Slate Peak TH, see above) | |
| 5,702 | Bozeman Pass | MT | I-90 | ’78 GMC Jimmy in ’99, SKIburban in ~2013 |
| 5,610 | Rogers Pass | MT | MT 200 | drive annually for Scapegoat trip; Great Falls MT; -70 F lowest temp recorded in 48 states 1954 |
| 5,476 | Washington Pass | WA | WA 20 | Betsey, Sierra; backcountry skiing |
| 5,440 | Chinook Pass | WA | WA 410 | backcountry skiing in sight of Rainier |
| 5,325 | McKenzie Pass | OR | OR 242 | Jamie in 2004, incredible view of the Cascade volcanoes |
| 5,233 | Lolo Pass | MT/ID | US 12 | backcountry skiing, access to ID hot springs |
| 5,213 | Marias Pass | MT | US 2 | Continental Divide; southern edge of Glacier National Park |
| 4,833 | Cayuse Pass | WA | WA 123 WA 410 | Mount Rainier National Park |
| 4,817 | Santiam Pass | OR | US 20 | Hoodoo Ski Area; PCT, 3-Fingered Jack |
| 4,711 | Lookout Pass | MT/ID | I-90 | Lookout Pass Ski Area |
| 4,674 | Bennett Pass | OR | OR 35 | Entrance to Mt. Hood Meadows ski area |
| 4,501 | White Pass | WA | US 12 | PCT; White Pass ski area |
| 4,310 | Siskiyou Summit | OR | I-5 | highest point on I-5 Jamie on the way home from CA |
| 4,124 | Blewett Pass | WA | US 97 | backcountry skiing with family and PUPS |
| 4,061 | Stevens Pass | WA | US 2 | PCT; Stevens Pass ski area |
| 4.022 | Loup Loup Pass | WA | WA 20 | Sierra in 3 feet of pow; Loup Loup ski area |
| 3,130 | Satus Pass | WA | US 97 | Sierra between Meadows and Loup Loup |
| 3081 | 4th of July Pass | ID | I-90 | forgettable; no services or attractions |
| 3,022 | Snoqualmie Pass | WA | I-90 | PCT; Snoqualmie/Alpental ski areas; Cave Ridge |
My Automobile highpoints list
- 14,130 Mount Evans, CO – Jamie’s highpoint (’99 Subaru Outback)
- 11,158 Eisenhower Tunnel, CO – Sue Ann’s highpoint (’91 Subaru Legacy with 300k miles)
- 9,945 Tioga Pass, CA – Sierra’s highpoint (’98 Toyota 4Runner; highest in the Sierras)
- 9,301 Tendoy Range, MT – SKIburban’s highpoint (’98 GMC Suburban)
- 8,400 Olson Mountain area – ’78 GMC Jimmy’s highpoint outside of Garrity Cave
