Alpine Tunnel West Portal, Colorado

The Alpine Tunnel is an abandoned railway tunnel, east of the old railway and mining town of Pitkin. It was a 1,772 feet long tunnel built for a narrow gauge rail line that ran from Denver to Gunnison. It opened in 1882, and was the first tunnel crossing of the Continental Divide in the state. It was abandoned in 1910. Both ends of the tunnel have been blocked by collapse and landslides. Volunteers have preserved some of the remains at the west portal, including part of a turntable, telegraph office, and station platform—despite the fact that the road to it is often impassable, covered by landslides.