South Pass is suprisingly flat. The trail crosses at an elevation just over 7400 feet, little changed since the top of Rocky Ridge. Many travelers of the trail were actually unaware of the exact moment they entered the Pacific drainage, since the grade is too level to determine it easily just by eyesight. Not far beyond this point, though, the west-flowing water from Pacific Springs confirmed the passage over the divide.

The Oregon Buttes, so named because they marked the entrance to the Oregon Territories, make prominent landmarks just to the south of the pass, while the rugged Windriver range lies to the north.