Grizzly Peak Trip Report 06/22/2008

Peak(s):	Grizzly Peak - 13,435 feet "Cupid" - 13,126 feet
Date Posted:	06/22/2008
Date Climbed:	06/21/2008
Author:	DTM

Grizzly Peak from Loveland Pass
Got up to the mountains for the first time this year over the weekend, and knocked out Grizzly Peak. We arrived at Loveland Pass at about 8am to completely blue skys, but for a few fluffly clouds. Lots of cars in the parking lot. Not really any wind at all. The weather pretty much sayed this way through our whole hike, we were very lucky. This hike was very enjoyable for me and my wife, as a 'warm up' for hiking 14ers this year. There is almost no snow to deal with on this trail as of now, save for a few small patches on the way to Grizzly, after going over Cupid. The first part of the trail is completely devoid of snow now, looks like a ton melted in the past few weeks; There's a Cairn on the way up to the first 12,000ft point, where you can eliminate some of the elevation, and make your trip to Grizzly Peak a little shorter. We saw someone crossing this, and opted to follow. In hindsight, this was a bad idea for us. The snow was very hard, on a steep slope, and a slip/fall would've resulted in a long, fast slide for quite a ways down the slope. I'm sure some would be fine on this, but for us, it seemed like a dumb move after we were half way through it. But we made it through unscathed. If i were doing this hike again today, I'd stay away from this, and just hike up the regular trail; Great view of Quandary Peak in the distance; View from Cupid, looking towards Grizzly, and Torreys. See? No snow to deal with anymore. (For the most part) Here is one of the small sections that still had some snow. It is after hiking down Cupid, at one of the hills you have to go over to get to Grizzly. You have to scramble over some large rocks, and along the side, there's still some deep snow. This is looking back up it. Still no big deal, and it was quite enjoyable scrambling; My wife, looking at the rest of the trail; Here's the hardest part, right before the summit; Gets pretty steep at the end! I forgot to take any good summit photo's, other than this one showing how off my Suunto was for the day! (ref. alt set exactly at Loveland Pass, oh well, it's pretty close, I guess ) Using binoculars, I could see tons of people over on Torrey's summit, and Greys, too. Didn't see anyone going over there from Grizzly though. There was a group of about 5 or 6 people in a group on their way up Kelso ridge, man that looks like fun. All in all, it was an excellent day. On the summit, there was no wind at all. Nice and warm, clear blue skys, can't ask for much more than that. The wind picked up a little on our way back, but for the most part, it was a perfect day to be out at altitude. This was a great way to 'start off' the season! Highly recommend for anyone who is new to hiking in the mountains, or needs a warm up for hiking, like me!!!

Grizzly Peak from Loveland Pass

Got up to the mountains for the first time this year over the weekend, and knocked out Grizzly Peak. We arrived at Loveland Pass at about 8am to completely blue skys, but for a few fluffly clouds. Lots of cars in the parking lot. Not really any wind at all. The weather pretty much sayed this way through our whole hike, we were very lucky.

This hike was very enjoyable for me and my wife, as a 'warm up' for hiking 14ers this year. There is almost no snow to deal with on this trail as of now, save for a few small patches on the way to Grizzly, after going over Cupid.

The first part of the trail is completely devoid of snow now, looks like a ton melted in the past few weeks;

There's a Cairn on the way up to the first 12,000ft point, where you can eliminate some of the elevation, and make your trip to Grizzly Peak a little shorter. We saw someone crossing this, and opted to follow. In hindsight, this was a bad idea for us. The snow was very hard, on a steep slope, and a slip/fall would've resulted in a long, fast slide for quite a ways down the slope. I'm sure some would be fine on this, but for us, it seemed like a dumb move after we were half way through it. But we made it through unscathed. If i were doing this hike again today, I'd stay away from this, and just hike up the regular trail;

Great view of Quandary Peak in the distance;

View from Cupid, looking towards Grizzly, and Torreys. See? No snow to deal with anymore. (For the most part)

Here is one of the small sections that still had some snow. It is after hiking down Cupid, at one of the hills you have to go over to get to Grizzly. You have to scramble over some large rocks, and along the side, there's still some deep snow. This is looking back up it. Still no big deal, and it was quite enjoyable scrambling;

My wife, looking at the rest of the trail;

Here's the hardest part, right before the summit;

Gets pretty steep at the end!

I forgot to take any good summit photo's, other than this one showing how off my Suunto was for the day! (ref. alt set exactly at Loveland Pass, oh well, it's pretty close, I guess

)

Using binoculars, I could see tons of people over on Torrey's summit, and Greys, too. Didn't see anyone going over there from Grizzly though. There was a group of about 5 or 6 people in a group on their way up Kelso ridge, man that looks like fun. All in all, it was an excellent day. On the summit, there was no wind at all. Nice and warm, clear blue skys, can't ask for much more than that. The wind picked up a little on our way back, but for the most part, it was a perfect day to be out at altitude.

This was a great way to 'start off' the season! Highly recommend for anyone who is new to hiking in the mountains, or needs a warm up for hiking, like me!!!

Comments or Questions
Not registered?

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App