Is Schofield Pass Open Yet?
What the infamous snow plug looked like in July of 2005. It's much smaller this year.
It’s always fun this time of year to guess whether Schofield Pass is open or not. But it’s even more fun to go up there and find out. Some years, the huge piles of avalanche debris snow don’t melt off the road until late July. Other years it’s navigable in a 4×4 by sometime in June. Beyond that, walking over the snow blockage is easy, just don’t wander out over the river where a thin bridge of snow could collapse and result in your demise.
ATV and motorcycle? Usually not a problem by now.
If you do choose to challenge the snow with your 4×4, it’s best to travel with at least one other jeeper, and best if you both have winches. You never know what could happen once your wheeling over slippery snow.
So, we’ll head up there this weekend and check it out! And do a “recon” of Woody’s barbecue while we’re at it (he he he).
Well, when i arrive up in Crystal every summer the lovely snow plug topic comes up. Last summer we were told it was not yet safe to drive acros; my dad sighed sadly. We love the Schofield Pass, drive it every summer (along with Lead KIng Loop)My friend’s family hated it, they were terrified.
I would never have realized how dangerous this place is supposed to be if i hadn’t been researching it on the internet. Ladeda, i thought it was just a nice, semi-dangerous pass, and then i find out it’s supposed to be quite fatal.
Ah well, live and learn.
Hi Annika, thanks for dropping by!
Schofield road is funny in that way. If you drive it with care in a good vehical, I don’t think it’s that dangerous. But the consequences of a mistake are severe, and most deaths up there were caused by simple mistakes. If in doubt, get your passengers to walk the sections where folks have been killed. The most dangerous part in a historical sense is actually down lower on the Marble side of the pass, where the two small creek crossings are, just a short distance before the actual Punchbowl Canyon portion begins.
All of us here love that we’ve still got a road that requires one to be self reliant and pay attention. One purpose of this website is to keep it that way.
So what did you find out? Is the pass open yet? I’m thinking of going over it with my wife on June 19 (weather permitting) in my Jeep Wrangler. It’s stock, but sounds like I won’t have any problems. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated as my wife will kill me if we get stuck.
Steve in Denver
Hi Steve,
Weather over here on the Western Slope has been amazingly wet and now wet/cold, for several weeks. I’ve not heard of Schofield being open, and have not checked in person because we prefer driving up there in normal weather. Stock Wrangler shouldn’t have any problems unless there is a washout or rockfall blockage… you never know for sure, that’s part of the fun and we hope it stays that way.
Yes it’s open.
There is a sign at the intersection of Highway 133 and County Road 3 (the Marble Road) that says whether it’s open or not.