ðə hˈaɪweɪ ˌoʊvɚ ðə pˈæs ɪz ɛkstɹˈiːmli stˈiːp ɛksˈiːdɪŋ ˈeɪt pɚsˈɛnt fɔːɹ mˈoʊst əv ðə tɹɐvˈɜːs, ænd ˌʌp tə twˈɛnti sˈɪks pɚsˈɛnt ɡɹˈeɪdz ɪn sˌʌm loʊkˈeɪʃənz, nˈæɹoʊ ænd wˈaɪndɪŋ bᵻtwˌiːn kˈɛnədi mˈɛdoʊz ɔnðə wˈɛst sˈaɪd ænd lˈiːvɪt mˈɛdoʊz ɔnðɪ ˈiːst.
The highway over the pass is extremely steep (exceeding 8% for most of the traverse, and up to 26% grades in some locations), narrow and winding between Kennedy Meadows on the west side and Leavitt Meadows on the east.