Spring Creek Pass, elevation 10,898 ft (3,322 m), is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The pass is traversed by State Highway 149, and the Continental Divide Trail and Colorado Trail follow the divide and cross the highway here. Somewhat unusually for a pass on the Continental Divide, it is not the highest point on the highway in the vicinity; heading north from the pass, the road climbs over the considerably higher Slumgullion Summit before descending toward Lake City.

Spring Creek Pass
Looking north across the pass.
Elevation10,898 ft (3,322 m)[1]
Traversed bySH 149
LocationHinsdale County, Colorado, U.S.
RangeSan Juan Mountains
Coordinates37°56′27″N 107°09′33″W / 37.9408°N 107.1592°W / 37.9408; -107.1592[1]
Topo mapUSGS Slumgullion Pass
Spring Creek Pass is located in Colorado
Spring Creek Pass
Spring Creek Pass
Location in Colorado

Water Diversion

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Around 1910, the Tabor Ditch was constructed to divert water from tributaries of Cebolla Creek in the Gunnison River basin over the continental divide at Spring Creek Pass into Big Spring Creek in the Rio Grande basin. This 0.5 mile (0.8 km) ditch was originally constructed to divert water for irrigation, but it is now owned by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The ditch can carry approximately 30 cubic feet per second (0.85 m3/s), and in an average year, it diverts about 1400 acre-feet (1.7 million m3).[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Spring Creek Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  2. ^ John N. Winchester, A Historical View: Transmountain Development in Colorado, 2000; retrieved 2018-03-09.
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