Bottle Pass
- 7.3 mi
- round trip
- 917 ft
- climb
- 10,999 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun, Sep
- best months
Is Bottle Pass open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
Permanent Recreational Shooting Order
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · Order 02-10-00-25-02 · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Bottle Pass is a hard hike of about 7.3 miles in the Byers Peak Wilderness, part of the Sulphur Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced. Horses are allowed, but bikes are not. The pass is an out-and-back route that climbs from about 10,000 feet to about 11,000 feet, with a total gain of 917 feet. The most comfortable stretch for a visit is typically July and August, when typical averages from the nearby Cabin Creek weather station run from the upper 60s to about 69°F for highs, though that station sits roughly 1,000 feet below the pass, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. Lake Evelyn lies just 0.1 mile away, and Bottle Peak is 0.4 mile off. Byers Creek Campground is about 3.4 miles away, and St. Louis Creek Campground is about 5.5 miles away.
- Lake EvelynHiking0.1 mi
- Bottle PeakHiking0.4 mi
- Byers Creek CampgroundCamping3.4 mi
Saint Louis CreekCanoeingPhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.8 mi- St. Louis Creek CampgroundCamping5.5 mi
Williams ForkCanoeingPhoto: US Geological Survey, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)6.4 mi- Equinox GardensRock climbing6.5 mi
- Vasquez RoadRock climbing7.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Waterfall TrailHiking · ~9 min drivePhoto: denverkid, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Mount NystromHiking · ~11 min drive
ZoomHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Upper Elk Creek TrailHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- ELK CREEK LOOPHiking · ~11 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Bottle PeakHiking · Next door
Upper IkoHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- CDNST - Prospector Gulch - ColoradoHiking · ~2 min drive
- BackscratchHiking · ~6 min drive
- Elk Creek Loop TrailHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Also worth it near here
Byers PeakSummit · ~4 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Byers Creek CampgroundCamping · ~6 min drive
- Saint Louis CreekCanoeing · ~7 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Blue Ridge RoadCross-country skiing · ~7 min drivePhoto: Allison Jaeger, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
CreeksideMountain biking · ~9 min drivePhoto: Missvain, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Bottle Pass
Best months: June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
32° / 12°
8 wet
Feb
31° / 11°
8 wet
Mar
38° / 17°
9 wet
Apr
43° / 23°
10 wet
May
53° / 31°
9 wet
Jun
64° / 40°
9 wet
Jul
69° / 46°
13 wet
Aug
67° / 44°
14 wet
Sep
61° / 38°
10 wet
Oct
50° / 29°
7 wet
Nov
39° / 19°
7 wet
Dec
32° / 12°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cabin Creek, CO, 21.1 mi away at 10,020 ft. The station sits about 1,000 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
