Berthoud Pass Backcountry
Front Range, CO
Elevation Profile
Current Conditions
Bottom Line
No snow on the ground yet — this is a pre-season scouting window at best, not a ski tour. A storm cycle is building Sunday night through Monday with snow showers likely, but SNOTEL shows zero depth at all nearby stations right now. Come back after this storm settles and the snowpack builds.
40°/18°F · Chance Rain And Snow Showers
Low (1/5)
0" depth
Elevated flows · 5 gauges
No active fires within 50 miles
10h 30m daylight · Sunrise 6:33 AM · Sunset 5:02 PM
Full Briefing
The snowpack simply doesn't exist yet. SNOTEL at Annie Springs (6,021 ft) shows 0 inches of snow depth and 0.3 inches SWE — that's trace moisture, not a skiable base. The other nearby stations are the same or lower. Berthoud Pass typically needs a few solid early-season cycles before there's anything worth skinning on, and this isn't it yet. Avalanche danger is Low with no identified problems, which would normally be a green light, but the bulletin is academic when there's no snow to avalanche.
A storm system is moving through today through Monday that could start building something. Today's mix of rain and snow showers (40°F high, 66% precip chance) is borderline for accumulation at pass elevation — the freezing level is marginal and rain-mixed precip won't consolidate into a usable base. Tonight drops to 24°F with snow showers likely (81%), and Monday looks more committed: snow showers all day, high of 27°F, winds 16–20 mph WNW, 89% precip chance. That WNW wind will load east and north aspects above treeline, but with no existing base underneath new snow, any loading is sitting on dirt and rocks, not a bonded snowpack.
Tuesday clears out nicely — mostly sunny, low precip chance, winds backing off to 8–21 mph W — which would be a fine day to get eyes on the terrain if you want to assess what the storm deposited. But realistically, a two-day storm cycle in early November isn't going to produce enough base for a meaningful ski tour at Berthoud. You'd be skiing rocks with a thin frosting on top.
Monitor SNOTEL at Berthoud Summit and Jones Pass through November. When you're seeing 24+ inches of depth and a second storm cycle has bonded the snowpack, it's worth the drive. The stream flow data in this briefing is from California gauges and is not relevant to your trip — disregard it.
Waypoints
Berthoud Pass Summit Lot
Park at the summit of Berthoud Pass. Plowed lot on the west side.
11,319 ft
Continental Divide Ridge
Ridgeline along the Continental Divide. Choose your descent line from here.
12,500 ft
Current Creek Drainage
Mid-slope in the Current Creek drainage. Gladed terrain with excellent tree skiing.
11,483 ft
Highway Return
Reach US-40 below the pass. Short hitchhike or car shuttle back to summit.
11,319 ft
Route Details
Distance
3.5 mi
Elevation Gain
2,100 ft
Elevation Loss
2,100 ft
Max Elevation
12,500 ft
Estimated Days
0.5
Trailhead
Berthoud Pass Summit
Best Season
Season runs November through May. Best stability mid-winter.
About This Route
Berthoud Pass on US-40 west of Denver is Colorado's most accessible backcountry skiing destination. At 11,315 feet, the pass sits at treeline, offering both gladed tree skiing and open alpine terrain. The east side features steep chutes and exposed alpine bowls, while the west side has more moderate tree skiing. Current Creek, First Creek, and Second Creek are all popular drainages. The standard circuit skins up from the pass, tours along the Continental Divide, and descends back to the highway. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center covers this zone extensively. Snow quality can be variable due to Colorado's shallow snowpack, but when conditions align, Berthoud delivers world-class skiing just 60 miles from Denver.
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