A look west from Rollins Pass showing some of the amazing scenery and an engineering marvel, the Moffat Tunnel. Certainly, the forest, fall foliage and those amazing peaks of the James Peak Wilderness Area get your attention. I did love the railroad tracks leading off into the distance too.
At the base of the mountain, you can see the eastern entrance to the Moffat Tunnel. Conceived as a much-needed rail route from Denver across the Continental Divide to Salt Lake City, construction took 3 1/2 years with the first train going through in early 1928.
At 6.2 miles long, the tunnel was the longest in the Western Hemisphere at the time it was completed and shaved nearly 200 miles off the journey from Denver to Salt Lake City. Notably as well, the pilot bore for the tunnel was leased by the City of Denver and is used to carry water from the Colorado River Basin to the Mile High City.
