Cottonwood Pass

In July 2002, heavy rains from a thunderstorm east of Cottonwood Pass caused a significant mudslide that blocked portions of Chaffee County Road 306 for many days. The National Weather Service estimated that between three and four inches of rain fell within one hour on the evening of 22 July 2002, causing a portion known as Red Deer Mountain to begin sliding downward and leaving debris up to 15 feet deep on the road. Several people were rescued from their vehicles after becoming trapped by the mud, but no fatalities were reported. Other mudslides caused by slow-moving thunderstorms have occurred near this area in both 2004 and 2007. ==2017-2019 project to pave and improve the pass road==

A project to widen, realign, and pave the pass began in the spring of 2017 and was completed in September 2019. The three-year-long project made the pass the country's second-highest paved pass. ==References==