Moffat Tunnel East Portal

he Moffat Tunnel is a famous railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado, west of Denver. Named for Colorado railroad pioneer David Moffat, the tunnel's first railroad traffic passed through in February 1928. The Moffat bore provided Denver with a western railroad link through the Continental Divide, as both Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the north and Pueblo, Colorado, to the south already enjoyed rail access to western connections. The impressive tunnel follows the right-of-way laid out by Moffat as early as 1902, seeking a more direct route from Denver west to Salt Lake City and dramatically reducing steep grades and curvatures through the Rockies. The Denver, Rio Grande & Western Railroad later made much use of the tunnel as an advertising fixture, in large part because its famed California Zephyr passed through the portals each day, each way. Today the Moffat Tunnel averages 15 trains per day for current operator Union Pacific. Amtrak's daily California Zephyrs also make use of the passage. The railroad and water tunnels parallel one another through the mountain, the latter delivering a portion of Denver's water supply from western sources. The railroad bore is 6.2 miles long, peaks in elevation at 9239 feet above sea level, and enjoys a modest 0.8% grade. In 1979, the tunnel was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Union Pacific has developed a small viewing area for visitors at the East Portal, just west of the village of Tolland.