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Life at the Foot of Berthoud Pass: Empire’s Unique Role on the Continental Divide

For 165 years, Empire has watched travelers pass through on their way somewhere else

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3 weeks ago

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Stand at the intersection of US Highway 40 and Park Avenue in downtown Empire, look west, and you’re staring at the beginning of one of Colorado’s most storied mountain passes.

Berthoud Pass rises 2,692 vertical feet over the next 12 miles, crossing the Continental Divide at 11,307 feet before dropping into Winter Park.

For Empire’s 345 residents, living at the foot of the pass means existing in a perpetual state of geographic significance without actually being the destination.

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