Hikes Near Denver

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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Sugar Madison
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Joined: 5/25/2010
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Re: Hikes Near Denver

Post by Sugar Madison »

Rainier_Wolfcastle wrote: Once it melts out a little more, S. Boulder & Bear Peaks are phenomenal training hikes via Shadow Canyon (just north of Eldorado Canyon and south of the Flatirons)...an excellent late April training hike is to do S. Boulder then Bear Peak starting from S. Mesa TH, then follow the trail from Bear Peak to Green Mountain, come down Fern Canyon trail and backtrack to S. Mesa TH...over 4.5 K in vert and like 13 miles.
That is a really great loop, one of the classic Boulder trail runs!

I have a couple of minor corrections though:

The Fern Canyon trail actually comes off the N Ridge (initially) of Bear Peak, then turns east into Fern Canyon at the saddle between Bear Peak and Nebelhorn, descending to finally end at the Mesa Trail, just over 1/10th mile south of the Bear Canyon Trail/Mesa Trail junction. It doesn't descend Green Mountain.

There are 4 trails that come off of Green Mountain (2 from the summit proper):
1. Greenbear - descends from the 4-way junction of the West Ridge (x2), Ranger, and Greenbear to the Bear Canyon Trail. (This would be the normal climb up Green from Bear if doing the standard "Skyline Traverse"... unless you're doing it "peaky style" which is to descend to the Mesa Trail between each peak).
2. Green West Ridge - descends from the summit to the Flagstaff Rd, right where the OSMP boundary is.
3. Ranger Trail - descends from the 4-way junction mentioned above, generally north, to reconnect with the EM Greenman Trail, just above the Gregory Canyon hut
4. EM Greenman - descends in a generally N to NNE direction off the summit to the 3-way junction of EM Greenman (x2) and Saddle Rock Trail. EM Greenman takes you back to the Ranger/EM Greenman juction above Gregory Canyon (above), Saddle Rock will return you to the Gregory Canyon trailhead (or a short hop over to Chautauqua).

Assuming the high traverse to Green via Bear West Ridge and Greenbear, with a descent off of Green Mountain via EM Greenman to Saddle Rock, swinging by Chautauqua for water, and returning on the Mesa Trail back to the South Mesa TH, the distance is more like 17-18ish miles. Total gain is probably closer to 5500-6000', as the return trip via the Mesa trail is ~1000' of gain. I probably have a .gpx file of it somewhere... I'll check tonight if I can remember.
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zoomie83
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Re: Hikes Near Denver

Post by zoomie83 »

cruiser,
That's true if you follow the multi-use trail (Plymouth Creek Trail) from the parking lot. But if you take the hiking only trail (Meadowlark Trail) you end up doing a bit more elevation and distance
Thanks, I just went the most direct route. I'll try it that way if I go there again sometime.
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