Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by justiner »

I'm looking to do Byers Peak soon, but want to do it from the end of CR 325 (see attached map), as I'm going to be starting in Fraser, and heading west afterwards over Ute Pass (riding a bicycle). Is this a doable place to start out? There seems to be many routes up Byers, but I don't know which one this is associated with. I'm trying to keep the backtracking to a minimum. Enchaining some of the neighboring peaks could make a good day, so I'm all ears on ideas for that as well.

14ers.com_•_Colorado_14ers_Map_-_2016-10-21_12.00.02.jpg
14ers.com_•_Colorado_14ers_Map_-_2016-10-21_12.00.02.jpg (101.02 KiB) Viewed 1296 times
User avatar
Oman
Posts: 1029
Joined: 10/4/2006
14ers: 57 
Trip Reports (0)
 
Contact:

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by Oman »

I've hiked Byers many times, but only from the east / CR 73 side, which is standard. A few years ago, the trailhead on that side was pushed down two miles for cars, but bikes are allowed to go beyond the car blockade on an easy road for mountain bikes and a doable road for cross bikes.

Riding a bike on the dirt road to the edge of the wilderness boundary at 10,500 feet leaves you with about a 2-mile hike to the summit.

From the summit of Byers you can do a barely scrambling ridge run to Bills Peak along the edge of the Byers Wilderness. Looks like you want to come up the west side of Byers, where I've never been, but the saddle between Byers and Morse Mountain is easy.

The Fraser area received about two inches of snow this week down in the valley and maybe 8 inches up high. The low stuff has melted, but the approach to Byers will be muddy and possibly snowy and icy on a bike. The backside of Byers (direction you are talking about) would receive less frequent county maintenance, but it is elk rifle season and they may be plowing to keep it open for hunters.
User avatar
CreekRunner
Posts: 293
Joined: 10/21/2014
14ers: 35  3 
13ers: 35 5
Trip Reports (5)
 

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by CreekRunner »

From looking at old pictures, this road isn't associated with Byers Peak, but Bottle Peak. Looking at maps though, it looks like you can ascend the ridge between Bottle and Byers and hook up with Byers Peak trail. I'm not sure how the bushwacking would be.
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by justiner »

Thanks for the comments Oman, and CreekRunner. I may just look and see. I think a traverse from Bills to Byers could go well, then a screw ski somewhere Northwest of Byers North ridge
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by justiner »

Ah. That road ends at the Lake Evelyn Trailhead, which is also where the Keyser Creek Trail is. I believe it's this route,

http://www.summitpost.org/keyser-creek-route/162714" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also Google Earth for Android is absolutely awesome.
User avatar
CreekRunner
Posts: 293
Joined: 10/21/2014
14ers: 35  3 
13ers: 35 5
Trip Reports (5)
 

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by CreekRunner »

How was the initial section to the ridge of Byers and Bottle? I strava stalked you 8-[ and on the overlay in the mobile version, it shows that there is the Byers Peak Trail (I'm guessing an error) on the Keyser Creek side. Very odd...
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Byers Peak from CR 32/325

Post by justiner »

Altogether, it was a great day out, good views. There was an info kiosk at the Evelyn trailhead, which I was glad for, or I'd never figure anything out. From the Evelyn side, you basically patch together some old roads and trails that get you up and over a small ridge to another road, which I believe is the usual TH for Byers. Kind of a lot of up and down. Got to the area at dark so I didn't have great bearings.

Not wanting to out and back (over that ridge!), I went to Bills, then down to Lake Evelyn. That is certainly suggested, as you then get great views of Byers, and the connecting catwalk between the two is fun.

But yeah, the trail names are pretty confusing. Lots of hunters in the area, I was a little nervous as I forgot my blaze orange at home! No elk sightings, myself.
Post Reply