It is located on the continental divide in the Front Range, within Rocky Mountain National Park, along the boundary between Larimer and Grand counties.

The pass provides the passage over the continental divide for US 34, also known as Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake.

The gentle pass divides the headwaters of the Cache la Poudre River (which issues from Poudre Lake just east of the pass) and several creeks near the headwaters of the Colorado River to the west.

The road near the pass provides a panoramic view of the Never Summer Mountains to the west.

[3] There is a weather station near the summit of Milner Pass at Lake Irene (Colorado).