Packers Gap


Packers Gap - Otero County - Colorado - 4,705 feet
Crooked Arroyo to west. Jack Canyon to east.

From Timpas on US-350, 5 miles east on CR-N, then 7 miles south and east on CR-21.75.
From CO-109, 8 miles southeast on CR-802, 1 mile south on CR-25, then 2.5 miles west on CR-G.
gravel, dirt - dual sport

#80 - photos by Randy Bishop, 04/28/2007 (during an IBA SaddleSore 1000)


CR-N / CR-21.75, 5 miles east of US-350, and 7 miles north and west of summit.

At the summit, looking west.
 
 

At the summit, looking east.
 
 

At the summit.
 
 
 

CR-25 / CR-802, about 3.5 miles east and north of summit, looking west.

Google Maps, my route, west to east.
 

Google Maps, with KLR650 photos!
 
 

Google Maps

Google Maps

Google Earth

Google Earth

Garmin MapSource

photos by Karst Postma, 5/3/2011


At the summit, looking east.

At the summit, looking west.

At the summit.
 

A map.
 

Photos and notes from Scott Westfall, 2/10/2017


The gate at CR-25 and CR-G, looking west toward Packers Gap.
 
 
 

The barbed wire gate fastener.
 
 
 
 
 

The FS route marker west of the gap where CR-21.75 splits into CR-F and CR-G (facing south, CR-F is to the right and CR-G is to the left towards the gap.)

high altitude

medium altitude

fence view

detail view

ranch house

Packers Gap in Otero County south of La Junta cannot currently be approached from the east. The 2015 4th Edition of
Colorado Roads & Recreation Atlas incorrectly shows that Otero CR-G is open west of its intersection with CR-25 all
the way to Packers Gap, which then turns north and becomes CR-21.75. Truth is, CR-G is blocked by a gate (wired shut)
west of CR-25 at the southeast corner of the State Land Area square shown in the CO R&R atlas on page 117 section F 12.

Upon discovering this, I had to go all the way around to the north. I went north on CR-25, west onto CR-N, then south
on CR-21.75 to the fork in the road at CR-F. There it splits into CR-F (to the west) and CR-G (to the east towards
Packers Gap). The atlas shows a gate at this split. But we looked for at least a quarter mile south of the split (also
posted as FR-2144) and saw no gate or fence or cattle guard of any kind. At Packers Gap, CR-G is open east-west through
a cattle guard gate and continues all the way east to CR-25, but is blocked by the closed gate there.

Note: The surface of CR-21.75 south of CR-N is a straight flat improved dirt road for 4 miles before it dips gently out of view
and suddenly becomes a hairpin S-turn in front of a ranch house (with several dogs roaming free). Directly ahead is a creek
bed filled with large slabs of broken concrete debris directly in line with the main road just a few feet from the center of the
hairpin. I managed to avoid both the ditch and the dogs.

Seemed like a simple bag attempt. Turned out to be a little more challenging--on top of all this I popped my rear tire
on the way out, as well.




Shown in "Colorado Road & Recreation Atlas" by Benchmark Maps.
Listed in "The Passes of Colorado" by Ed and Gloria Helmuth.

From United States Board on Geographic Names:
Feature Name ID Class County State Latitude Longitude Ele(ft) Map BGN Date Entry Date
Packers Gap 194826 Gap Otero CO 374358N 1033947W 4705 Packers Gap - 13-OCT-1978


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Last modified: March 5, 2020