Preserve Rollins Pass
OUR MISSION: STEWARDSHIP WITHOUT SHORTCUTS
Preserve Rollins Pass is a place-based preservation initiative dedicated to safeguarding the cultural, historical, and environmental integrity of the Rollins Pass corridor, so that decisions affecting this extraordinary and non-renewable landscape are grounded in evidence, continuity, and stewardship.
We acknowledge and honor the Indigenous peoples of the land upon which Rollins Pass stands. This landscape is considered a sacred area for both the Nuuchu (Ute) and the Nookhose’iinenno (Arapaho) tribes. Guided by a long-standing Native American principle—that every deliberation should consider its impact on the next seven generations—the initiative approaches the landscape as a living historical record shaped by more than 12,000 years of human and natural history. It treats the landscape itself as a primary historical record rather than a backdrop for recreation or development. As one of Colorado’s most endangered places, Rollins Pass requires preservation work rooted in accuracy, continuity, and consequence rather than sentiment or short-term use.
Through sustained archival research, field documentation, and collaboration with tribal representatives, land managers, scholars, and community partners, Preserve Rollins Pass builds defensible records that strengthen preservation outcomes and reduce conflict. Its work situates the pass’s archaeological, transportation, engineering, and land-use history within the physical terrain where those histories unfolded, translating complex material into clear, evidence-based narratives. By pairing disciplined negotiation and facilitation with modern documentation, visual storytelling, and public education, the initiative has helped avert significant threats to the area—including a proposed federal land exchange—while emphasizing continuity, accuracy, and stewardship, so that policy decisions affecting the pass are informed by a complete and verifiable understanding of what exists, why it matters, and what is at risk if that record is misunderstood or diminished.
To learn how to help advance historic preservation of this incredible and non-renewable landscape, please email authors@preserverollinspass.org.
You can help preserve 12,000 years of history atop Rollins Pass in Colorado.
Take action.
RECOGNITION FOR PRESERVATION LEADERSHIP
FEATURED RECOGNITION
B. Travis Wright, MPS is “an extraordinary champion of the entire Rollins Pass region.”
“East Portal Cabins—history didn’t end when the tunnel opened,” The Mountain Ear (page 17)—June 8, 2023
STATE HONOR AWARD—2022
B. Travis Wright, MPS was recognized and celebrated with a State Honor Award for excellence in historic preservation and preservation leadership for over a decade of work on Rollins Pass (Corona Pass) in Colorado. Read more.
In 1980, the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific Railway Hill Route Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and cross-listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. In 1997, a boundary increase was filed to the entry to include the Rollinsville and Middle Park Wagon Road. In 2012, Colorado Preservation Inc. listed the area as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places. As the 21st century unfolds, new challenges place the integrity of the historic district at risk.
“It was immediately apparent not just how much passion Travis had for Rollins Pass but also how much knowledge he had about its history, about its cultural importance, but also about how historic preservation worked.”
—Colorado State Archaeologist and the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer at History Colorado
PARTNER OF THE YEAR—2023
B. Travis Wright and Kate Wright were recognized and presented with the Partner of the Year award by Headwaters Trails Alliance for their work on Rollins Pass in 2023.
“The Rollins Pass project was by far, our biggest boots on the ground project of the season. We built 860-feet of buck and rail [fencing] up on Rollins and we couldn’t have done it without these two people [Travis and Kate Wright]. We partnered with them to do all the planning, get all the logistics for where we were going to place the fence, and Travis [delivered the keynote address] at our Trails Symposium in September.”
ARCHAEOLOGY & HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD—2018
For their 2018 publication, Rollins Pass, both Kate and Travis received an Archaeology and Historic Preservation Award for contributions to local history and historic preservation on Rollins Pass in Boulder County given by the Boulder Heritage Roundtable and Historic Boulder in 2018.
PRESERVATION IN ACTION
A MULTI-YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT TO RESTORE FORGOTTEN NAMES: MOFFAT TUNNEL DEATHS
For generations, the story of the Moffat Tunnel’s construction was told as one of engineering triumph, but the human cost was underestimated and nearly erased. Our ongoing research has confirmed that at least 55 men—not the oft-repeated 28—lost their lives between 1923 and 1928. This memorial project restores their names and stories, ensuring that sacrifice is not lost to history. By 2028, on the tunnel’s centennial, we aim for every worker’s life to be remembered. We invite families, researchers, and community members to help fill in the gaps so no name is forgotten. Learn more and help on this important project.
MOFFAT TUNNEL CENTENNIAL
Track the centennial of the construction and opening of the Moffat Tunnel!
(1923-1928 | 2023-2028)
Our five-year story started in the summer of 2023 exclusively on this Facebook page for our social media followers and expanded on our Great Gates Blog for a broader audience. It will culminate on February 26, 2028, marking the centennial of the Moffat Tunnel’s opening ceremony. We’ll revisit original reports, unveil never-before-seen imagery, video, and artifacts—along with stories and perhaps some special guests along the way as well.
LOUISVILLE TO ROLLINS PASS XCEL ENERGY EXPOSED PIPELINE PROJECT
This page looks at the “Louisville to Rollins Pass” Xcel Energy exposed pipeline project in terms of its landscape setting, historical context, and review process. It does not assume approval, final routing, construction methods, or mitigation measures beyond what has been publicly documented. Nothing on this page replaces or anticipates agency decisions required by law. The goal is not to argue for or against the project, but to provide clear, factual information so discussion and decision-making can take place with an understanding of the project’s scope, history, regulatory requirements, and potential long-term effects.
OFFICIAL ANNOTATED GOOGLE MAPS OF ROLLINS PASS LEGENDARY LANDMARKS
Featuring over 775 custom-located features, this map continues to grow—each point thoughtfully selected to illuminate the layered story of one of Colorado’s Great Gates. Explore our detailed, annotated map of the Rollins Pass and Moffat Tunnel corridor. Compiled by B. Travis Wright of Preserve Rollins Pass, the map highlights notable landmarks, former towns, historical alignments, trestle locations, and permanent closures. It offers a research-backed view of a landscape shaped by elevation, ingenuity, and endurance. With an expansive collection of mapped elements—including original rail segments, historic travel corridors, interpretive sites, and modern routes that trace where trains once climbed—this resource reveals the full complexity of Rollins Pass like never before. Culturally sensitive and protected archaeological sites are intentionally excluded to preserve their integrity and ensure long-term stewardship.
While every effort has been made to place locations as accurately as possible, some variation may occur due to the projection of three-dimensional terrain onto a two-dimensional map. In some cases—such as crosscuts within the Moffat Tunnel—mapped elements may lie thousands of feet below the surface. The map also does not depict time or season; overlapping points may represent multiple eras of use in the same physical space, and what is accessible or visible in summer may be obscured, impassable, or hazardous in winter. Many placements are derived from historic sources, field research, and direct interpretation by our team and collaborating experts. Environmental changes may have since altered or obscured features. This map is provided as a courtesy to visitors of the Rollins Pass area and is intended for informational purposes only. All information is presented “as is,” without warranties—express or implied—including those of safety, navigability, or fitness for a particular purpose.
Have a historically relevant, publicly appropriate feature to suggest? Contact us.
Want to open the map directly in Google Maps? Click here.
RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS, AND MEDIA
PUBLISHED WORKS (2022 & 2018)
Introducing our newest book!
Order your autographed copy today!
What’s the difference between your first book, Rollins Pass: Images of America (2018) and your second book, Rollins Pass: Past & Present (2022)?
While our two books cover the same core topics of Rollins Pass and the Moffat Tunnel, the 2022 book is not a republication of our 2018 work—in fact, there’s very little that’s duplicated between the two books. Our 2022 book discusses completely new details and information about Rollins Pass that transpired in the four years between publications. The 2022 work has never-before-published and extraordinarily rare imagery meticulously restored from the originals: all historic photographs are printed in black and white with modern counterparts in full color. While our first book involved two dozen people, our second book involved the efforts of more than six dozen experts to help tell this area’s vast story.
Due to exceptionally popular demand, our award-winning first title entered its third printing within a year of publication!
Each of our books, presentations, and documentaries involve tens of thousands of hours of work in consultation with experts across the country.
Preserve Rollins Pass made a donation from the proceeds of our first royalties to Colorado State University’s Archaeology Field School—they conduct field research and archaeology on Rollins Pass in the summers. We have also donated over a hundred books to local libraries, master’s degree and PhD students, preservation groups, county governments, and land managers. We are also committed to helping rebuild the home libraries of those who lost everything in the East Troublesome Fire of 2020—including attempting to replace their collection of classic Rollins Pass books. Per household lost, we provide a complimentary signed replacement of our 2018 book plus a free signed copy of our 2022 book; and, from time to time if/as availability allows, no-cost (and sometimes signed!) replacements of Bollinger’s books “The Rails That Climb” and “The Moffat Road.”
LIVE PRESENTATIONS & MASTERCLASSES
“Articulate, passionate, and informative: strategic and passionate advocacy that uses tact and historic facts to make its case.”
—Presentation Attendee Comment, Saving Places 2022 Conference
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS INVOLVING THE MOFFAT TUNNEL AND THE EAST PORTAL CAMP CABINS NEAR ROLLINSVILLE, COLORADO IN GILPIN COUNTY
World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (Season 4, Episode 5) debuts on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom
The episode narrated by Bill Nighy showcases the Rocky Mountaineer. Moffat Tunnel Historian B. Travis Wright discusses how the tunnel is a cathedral to engineering and a realization of David Moffat’s dream—as well as a uniquely American achievement from nearly a century ago. The East Portal company town and “the hill route” are also mentioned.
The episode above builds on the foundations laid for the 2020 Endangered Places Program Announcement for the East Portal Camp Cabins, below:
On June 13, 2023, the East Portal Camp Cabins at the Moffat Tunnel were listed as a Gilpin County local historic landmark by the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners and the cabins are now eligible for grants! Click here to learn more about what the process looked like and what’s next for these incredible structures that have been listed as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.
BE PART OF THE WORK
CONTACT US ABOUT ROLLINS PASS AND THE MOFFAT TUNNEL
We love talking anything related to Rollins Pass (Corona Pass, Boulder Pass, South Boulder Pass, Dart Pass—sometimes Dartt Pass, Moffat Pass, Rollinsville Pass) as well as the Moffat Tunnel at any time. We call Fraser home and enjoy meeting folks over a cup of coffee—any time of day, or virtual coffee on Zoom or Microsoft Teams if it is more convenient.
Learn more about getting involved by visiting our pages on providing constructive public comments, donating your time and resources, subscribing to our newsletter and social media channels, and exploring additional ways to take action. We also invite you to share your perspective and contribute insights that help shape our work moving forward.
OUR MOST POPULAR SITE ASSETS
Whether you are planning a first visit, researching the corridor’s layered history, or following current preservation work, these resources offer a strong place to begin. From road conditions and seasonal access to maps, stewardship, and historical context, they are designed to help visitors, researchers, and community members navigate Rollins Pass with greater clarity, care, and understanding.
ROLLINS PASS ROAD STATUS (CORONA PASS ROAD STATUS)
The Rollins Pass Road Status (Corona Pass Road Status) and road conditions information is updated every week of the year and often daily.
ADOPT-A-TRAIL: N76 (RIFLESIGHT) ON ROLLINS PASS WEST NEAR WINTER PARK, COLORADO IN GRAND COUNTY
Our adopted trail, N76—Riflesight, is open every summer (typically best starting the first week in July) through mid-autumn for hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists. N76 is always closed to all wheeled motorized vehicles.
The primary purpose of our work is to inform the public.
