Empire: Berthoud Pass - Vasquez Peak
Few places in Colorado have a history as closely tied to crossing the Continental Divide as Berthoud Pass. The pass carries U.S. Highway 40 between Empire and the Winter Park area, following a high route through the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is named for Edward L. Berthoud, a nineteenth-century surveyor who examined routes across the range. Vasquez Peak rises nearby in the Arapaho National Forest, amid rugged alpine ridgelines, basins and forests. The pass has long been associated with mountain travel and winter recreation; its former ski area closed in 2003, while the road remains an important connection across the divide.
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Empire lies along Clear Creek in Colorado’s Front Range, where steep, forested slopes rise toward the Continental Divide. Set west of Denver on the route to Berthoud Pass, this small mountain town is surrounded by Arapaho National Forest and sits beside U.S. Highway 40. Empire emerged as a mining settlement during Colorado’s nineteenth-century gold rush, a past still evident in its compact historic townscape. It remains a useful stop for journeys into the high country, including the road toward Winter Park and Berthoud Pass. View additional webcams nearby to better understand how Empire relates to the Front Range and Continental Divide.
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Among the states of the United States, Colorado stands out for the high Rocky Mountain country running through its centre. Around this part of the state, forested slopes, open basins and granite outcrops form the interior landscape of the Rockies, where conditions can change rapidly with the season. The Continental Divide crosses Colorado, separating waters that flow toward the Pacific from those bound for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The Arkansas River rises in the central Rockies and is one of the state’s major waterways. Admitted to the Union in 1876, Colorado is still known as the Centennial State. See how central Colorado connects with the wider Rocky Mountain region by browsing webcams nearby.
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The Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts define much of the United States — their ports, fisheries and trade routes have long tied the country’s economy to the wider world. Between them, the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Mississippi River basin form sharply different regions, from high western ranges to broad agricultural heartlands. Cities carry much of the national story: New York’s Statue of Liberty, a gift from France dedicated in 1886, remains an enduring symbol, while Washington, DC concentrates major federal institutions. Indigenous nations have shaped these lands for millennia, and their living cultures remain essential to the country’s identity. Find related webcams in the surrounding areas to build a fuller picture of the United States.
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