The Park Range, elevation approximately 12,000 feet (3,700
m), is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the
United States. The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental
divide, extending north-to-south for approximately 40 miles (64 km) along the
boundary between Jackson (east) and Routt counties. It separates North Park in
the upper basin of the North Platte River on the east from the Elk River basin
in the watershed of the Yampa River the west.
It rises steeply out of the Yampa River basin, forming a
climatic barrier that receives much snowfall in winter. Steamboat Springs, a
popular ski resort community, sits on the southwestern flank of the range, at
the base of Mount Werner. Much of the range is located within the Routt
National Forest, with the summit of the ridge located within the Mount Zirkel
Wilderness, named for Mount Zirkel, elevation 12,182 ft (3,713 m). The range is
prominently visible from both sides and forms a picturesque skyline from much
of North Park. It is traversed at its southern end by Rabbit Ears Pass which
carries US 40.
It is also traversed
by Buffalo Pass which carries a gravel road between Steamboat Springs and
Walden, and which is traversable by most vehicles in good weather in summer.