2011 Map of Independence Pass

About this map

Independence Pass serves as the high-altitude centerpiece of this landscape, where the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River and South Fork Lake Creek diverge at the Continental Divide. This 2011 survey documents a terrain defined by 19th-century resource extraction and modern water management. The legacy of high-country mining is evident in the numerous shafts scattered across the slopes, including the Champion Mine and the Lincoln Mining District Mine. These sites sit alongside the complex infrastructure of the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company Tunnel Number 1 and the New York Collection Canal, which divert water through the mountains. Near the eastern edge, the settlement of Everett marks a historic point of habitation below Star Mountain, while the Grizzly Reservoir Dam regulates flow in the western drainages near the Portal Campground.