From 7 inches in the San Luis Valley to over 60 inches in a few mountain locations. Wolf Creek Pass averages close to 400 inches of snow
Acres in the Weminuche, the largest wilderness in Colorado 47
499,771
Three quarters the size of Rhode Island by the Forest Service’s comparison, and closed to every vehicle and bicycle
What Colorado asks of a build
A vehicle that lives here works between about 5,000 and 13,000 feet. Denver sits at 5,280 feet and Leadville at 10,152, and the pass roads people come for top out between 11,814 feet on Ophir and 13,182 on Mosquito. Tell a builder that at the start, because it changes the conversation about gearing, cooling, brakes and how much weight the vehicle should carry up a grade and hold back down one.
Size matters as much as capability. The Forest Service strongly recommends a short wheelbase for the switchbacks on Black Bear Pass, and Ophir Pass has a half-mile shelf where two vehicles struggle to pass. A long, heavy build closes some of these roads to you. Winter is the other half of the brief: from September 1 through May 31 the traction law on I-70 makes tire choice a legal question as well as a practical one.
A builder plans and installs the whole system rather than one part of it: suspension matched to the finished weight, protection where the vehicle actually touches the ground, electrical power sized to what you run, and storage, water, sleeping and recovery points that work together. The good ones start with how you travel and work backward to parts.
The work that matters most is the work you cannot see. Wiring that is fused, labeled and documented. Fasteners that stay tight on washboard. A finished weight that stays inside what the vehicle is rated to carry.
Most full builds cover
01Suspension and tires chosen for the loaded weight
02Bumpers, sliders, skid plates and rated recovery points
03House battery, charging, solar and lighting
04Storage, drawers, fridge and water
05Sleeping: a roof tent, a camper or an interior platform
06Mounts for communications and navigation
How to choose a builder
Any shop can show you a finished truck in good light. These questions tell you how it was built.
01Ask to see finished builds on your platform, and talk to an owner who has put miles on one if you can.
02Ask what the vehicle will weigh when it is done and how that compares to its gross vehicle weight rating. A builder who cannot answer has not done the math.
03Ask who does the electrical work and whether you get a wiring diagram at handover.
04Ask what is done in house and what is sent out.
05Get the scope, the parts list, the price and the payment schedule in writing before work starts, and ask how changes are handled.
06Ask what warranty covers their labor, separate from the manufacturers' warranties on parts.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A builder can only quote what you can describe. The form on this page asks for exactly these things, which is why a quote that comes back from it is worth something.
01Year, model, engine and drivetrain, and for vans the wheelbase and roof height
02What has already been done to it
03How you travel: weekends or months, how many people, which climates, how far from pavement
04What you need to carry: water, fuel, bikes, boats, tools
05A budget range and a date you would like it back
Questions people ask
How much does an overland build cost?
It depends on scope more than on the vehicle. Suspension, tires and a roof tent is a different project from a full electrical system with cabinetry and armor, and labor is usually the largest part of a full build. The only number worth planning around is a written quote against a defined scope, which is what the form on this page is for.
How long does a build take?
Bolt-on work can be days. Full builds take longer, and at busy shops the wait for a start date can be longer than the work itself. Ask every shop for both numbers: when they can start and how long they need the vehicle.
Should I build in stages or all at once?
Stages work if the order is right. Decide the finished load first, because springs chosen for an empty truck will be wrong for a full one. Run electrical before interiors go in, because pulling cabinets to add a wire is paying for the same work twice.
Will modifications affect my warranty or insurance?
They can. Ask the builder which work they have seen raise warranty questions on your platform, read your warranty terms, and tell your insurer what has been added so the build is covered for its real value.
How high is Colorado?
From Grand Junction at 4,591 feet to Mount Elbert at 14,433.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
4,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
LeadvilleThe city calls itself the highest incorporated city in the United States. Hagerman Pass starts here and Mosquito Pass drops in from the east.10,152 ft
SilvertonSouth end of the Million Dollar Highway. Alpine Loop access on County Road 2; Ophir Pass leaves US 550 just north of town.9,318 ft
Crested ButteAt the upper end of Highway 135, on the West Elk Loop byway.8,885 ft
TellurideAt the head of a box canyon. West end of Imogene Pass and the bottom of the one-way descent from Black Bear Pass.8,789 ft
Lake CityOn Highway 149 about 55 miles south of Gunnison. Eastern gateway to the Alpine Loop.8,671 ft
Buena VistaOn US 24 below the Collegiate Peaks. The road to St. Elmo and Tincup Pass leaves the valley at Nathrop, just to the south.7,960 ft
OurayNorth end of the Million Dollar Highway. Alpine Loop access on County Road 18, and the Ouray end of Imogene Pass.7,786 ft
GunnisonOn US 50 at the start of Highway 135 to Crested Butte. Highway 149 to Lake City leaves US 50 to the west.7,703 ft
SalidaOn US 50 beside the Arkansas River, east of Monarch Pass.7,084 ft
Steamboat SpringsOn US 40 in the Yampa Valley. The Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route passes through on its way to Wyoming.6,731 ft
DurangoWhere US 160 meets US 550 on the San Juan Skyway. US 550 climbs north from here to Silverton and Ouray.6,534 ft
Colorado SpringsOn I-25 at the foot of Pikes Peak, where US 24 heads west into the mountains.6,035 ft
MontroseWhere US 50 meets US 550. East end of the Rimrocker Trail and the gateway to Black Canyon of the Gunnison.5,809 ft
DenverState capital where I-25 meets I-70. The I-70 mountain corridor starts just west at Morrison.5,280 ft
Fort CollinsNorthern Front Range. East end of the Cache la Poudre byway up Poudre Canyon and over Cameron Pass.5,004 ft
Grand JunctionOn I-70 in far western Colorado, about 250 miles west of Denver. Kokopelli’s Trail starts at Loma, just to the west.4,591 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount ElbertThe highest point in Colorado. No road to the top14,433 ft
Mount Blue Sky Scenic BywayIdaho Springs to the top of Mount Blue Sky14,130 ft
Mosquito PassAlma and Fairplay to Leadville13,182 ft
Imogene PassTelluride and Ouray13,114 ft
Black Bear PassUS 550 at Red Mountain Pass, down to Telluride12,840 ft
Engineer PassAlpine Loop Back Country Byway: Lake City, Silverton and Ouray12,800 ft
Cinnamon PassAlpine Loop, between Lake City and Animas Forks12,620 ft
Rollins PassWinter Park east to the Continental Divide. The Needle’s Eye Tunnel has collapsed, so it is no longer a through route by vehicle12,233 ft
Trail Ridge RoadEstes Park to Grand Lake12,183 ft
Courthouse MountainThe monolith above the Owl Creek Pass road, on the Cimarron Ridge12,152 ft
Webster PassMontezuma, in Summit County, south over the Divide toward Handcart Gulch12,098 ft
Independence PassCO 82 between Twin Lakes and Aspen on the Top of the Rockies byway. Paved, closed all winter, and shut to vehicles 35 feet or longer12,095 ft
Hagerman PassLeadville to Basalt, by Ruedi Reservoir11,925 ft
Ophir PassUS 550 north of Silverton to Ophir11,814 ft
Chimney RockThe other landmark of the Cimarron Ridge, seen from the same drive11,781 ft
Boreas PassBreckenridge to Como, over the Continental Divide11,488 ft
Cameron PassWhere the Cache la Poudre to North Park byway crosses out of the Poudre canyon beside State Forest State Park10,276 ft
Owl Creek Pass RoadThe Cimarron Ridge country, on the Ouray Ranger District of the Uncompahgre National Forest10,114 ft
Medano Pass Primitive RoadGreat Sand Dunes to the Wet Mountain Valley and Highway 6910,040 ft
Last Dollar RoadRidgway and Telluride, west of CO 62 and CO 14510,000 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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