Mt Columbia the Fun Way

[SES_17]

+1 Three Elk Creek route.

I did this a couple of years ago and the approach through the valley is serene and relaxing. It's all off trail once you start up to the ridge but I'm glad I took this route.

[TaylorHolt]

I'm not sure how the East Ridge (Three Elk Creek) isn't the standard route for Columbia. It's tough to do the traverse from that trailhead (because you basically have to do the traverse twice), but for someone just wanting to do Columbia and avoid the scree, Three Elk Creek is the way to go.

[stoopdude]

I did the Three Elk Creek route three or four weeks ago. Loved it. The solitude was great- didn't see another soul the whole time. It is somewhat of a deceptively big day, I clocked 6,200ft of gain and about 8-9 hours round trip. This is the prettiest route on Columbia, and the trail through the trees is very easy to follow. Much easier than I expected.

[ImMadeOfRice]

Would you recommend the three elk route as a descent from colombia? I plan on approaching Harvard from the north and traversing to Colombia.

[stoopdude]

It is an easy descent. You would have to set up a car shuttle, or hike a couple miles down the Colorado trail back to the main Harvard/Columbia TH.

[Deege]

My wife and I did Columbia from Frenchman Creek on July 3rd. Isolated, great scenery, easy navigation, avoids the scree suck-fest. The meadow allows for great camping, water access, etc. We saw 3 people all day (a thru-hiker on the CT) and a couple camping in the upper meadow. The trail is solid to the willows and upper basin (which was extremely wet), but from there, it largely disappears and allows for an off-trail/pick-your-line approach. Still, your destination becomes obvious and route finding without a discernible trail is easy. You have options if you wish to do the traverse, and you can gauge for yourself what you'd prefer: a steeper ascent up Columbia and a slightly more gentle descent from Harvard, or the opposite. We did Columbia first then bailed from the traverse to Harvard about a third into it due to weather...which is only possible from this trailhead if you want to return to your car. The 4wd trailhead will pose a problem without 4x4 traction and clearance. The 2wd will be no problem, but the 4wd section will may you pay for poor judgment, pride, or laziness. I declined to go beyond 2.1 miles in my Acura MDX, since going further probably would not constitute "normal wear and tear" for my lease! Still, since there is little/no traffic, the road is pleasant for the hike if you can tolerate the additional mileage and elevation gain. The trip reports (search for "Frenchman" under Columbia reports) are helpful and were the inspiration for us...since we hoped to avoid the same scree issues on the standard route, as well as have the option to bail back to our car/TH if the traverse didn't happen. I clocked it at 14 miles RT; took us about 9 hours.

The only negatives that made our climb less fun were (a) the realization that we would not make it to the 4wd TH, thus extending the climb by ~4 miles RT, (b) the late realization that the trails essentially disappear in the upper basin, thus wasting time looking for trails that weren't there (turned out to be a little like Culebra's pick-your-path approach), and (c) the weather compromising our traverse to Harvard.