Tomichi Dome - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Quartz Creek is a stream in Gunnison County, Colorado. It rises in the Rocky Mountains above the town of Pitkin, Colorado. The stream rises in the Gunnison National Forest and is formed by the merger of the North, Middle, and South Quartz creeks. It flows through the Quartz Creek Valley and through the towns of Pitkin and Ohio City. Ironically, most of the land along Quartz Creek in the valley is privately held, so there is little public fishing there.

Monarch Mountain is one of the oldest Colorado ski areas, which opened in 1939. It’s located in the central Rocky Mountains near Salida and receives over 350 inches of snow each year. The resort is situated on Monarch Pass at the continental divide. It has 54 trails, two terrain parks, and an extreme terrain area called Mirkwood. The Monarch Mountain Lodge is located three miles (5 km) east of the ski area in the town of Garfield, Colorado.

Monarch Pass is one of the most breathtaking and fun to visit high elevation mountain passes in Colorado. The pass carries U.S. Highway 50 over the Sawatch Range, providing a route between Tomichi Creek in the upper basin of the Gunnison River on the west and the South Arkansas River, a tributary of the Arkansas River, on the east. The pass is widely considered one of the most scenic in Colorado, offering a panoramic view of the southern end of the Sawatch Range from the summit.

Tomichi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is located in Gunnison County and in the Gunnison National Forest. The pass divides the watersheds of Middle Quartz Creek to the north and Tomichi Creek to the south.The pass was originally traversed by a pack trail connecting the mines and mining camps to the north with those to the south in the 1870s.

Hancock Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.702m, located on the boundary between Chaffee and Gunnison counties, in western Colorado. The pass is on the border between Chaffee and Gunnison counties and between the Gunnison and San Isabel national forests. The road to the summit is totally unpaved. It's called Forest Road 839 and Forest Road 299. It’s moderate difficulty and is very rocky and slow going.

Hunt Lake Trail is a short hike below the Continental Divide north of the summit of Monarch Pass and east of Salida, Colorado. The trail is fairly steep in places and moves over rocky, rough terrain. Hiking poles are a good idea to provide yourself with extra stability. Ensure that you have proper footwear that offer good stability for this rough granite trail with has lots of ups and downs.