Camping near the Bierstadt trail

[AyeYo]

That route in yellow has to be at least 13-14 miles or more. Not even comparable to Bierstadt. We took the standard Evans route up (through the willows and up the gully) and then a shorter version of the yellow route down (stayed north of the creek, back through the willows) and it was like 12 miles.

[TaylorHolt]

1) Scott Gomer Creek and Abyss Lake have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with each other - in fact, they're almost exactly 180 degrees across from each other, with the Sawtooth in between them.

Not to derail this thread because you and I both agree on the advice for the OP, but I did have a question about your first point.

This is taken directly from SummitPost:

"SCOTT GOMER CREEK TRAIL
From Highway 285 at the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Road approximately 5.2 miles. Just as the road enters the flat Geneva Valley, a pullout on the right is the location of the Scott Gomer Creek trail head. This is a popular trail, although the further up you go, the more solitude you will achieve. Accesses the Abyss Lake area (nice camping) in addition to the higher peaks of the Mount Evans massif, including Mount Bierstadt, the Sawtooth, Kataka Mountain, Rosalie Peak, Epaulet Mountain and Mount Evans."

Abyss Lake is ~17 miles round trip from that trailhead.

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-evans/150481

[Tory Wells]

Since Bieratadt is one of the shortest 14er hikes, and the trailhead is already well above treeline, camping seems unnecessary, imo. Start early, sleep in your car at the TH if you need to, but I don't see camping as a big time saver for you.

[AyeYo]

The much, much shorter standard route through the willows and up the gully is listed as 9.25 RT on this site: http://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=ev ... =Mt.+Evans" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SoCool]

what you have shown is the S, not N, side of the creek

AlexeyD, he never showed any route on the south side of the creek. It's pretty hilarious that you posted just 19 minutes earlier:

"please try to not confuse people by making inaccurate and misleading statements about a geographically confusing area!! If you're not sure, maybe consult a map and refresh your own memory before commenting!"

Regarding the questions from jkirkwood6136: it doesn't seem like a terrible idea to camp out in that area, but if it were me I wouldn't go north of the trail to those trees that you are eyeing because the willows can be annoying. You could maybe follow the trail until Scott Gomer Creek (1/2 mile), then walk downstream along the creek, until you find a level spot hopefully out of earshot of the superhighway Bierstadt trail.

Has anybody wandered around here? Of course it's completely exposed to the elements, but are the willows just as thick? Is this a terrible idea?

[AlexeyD]

AlexeyD, he never showed any route on the south side of the creek.

OK...I was hoping to do be done with this, but, one last time. You cannot "go north" from the standard Bierstadt trail straight to the west ridge of Spalding, and avoid the willows! You can "sort of" do this by going north briefly, but then staying on the south/east side of the creek for as long as possible, and then crossing over fairly high in the drainage to minimize the willow thrashing. This is roughly how that route is described in the 14ers.com description, except that instead of going all the way up into the west gully of Evans, you'd cross the creek earlier and follow the upper Scott Gomer drainage for a while.

To fully explain my admittedly harsh reaction: my worry with someone not very familiar with the area reading something like "you can head north and avoid the willows" is that they take the advice literally, keep going north thinking that they're in the clear, and head right into the thick of them! There are subtleties here that, IMO, are much easier to explain by first drawing a map of what you mean (which Dick, to his credit, did later do).

OK, now done for real. Apologies to everyone for the testy tone, it's probably mountain deprivation syndrome...

[Shadow94]

Did you end up backcountry camping off of the Bierstadt Trail?
I was thinking about possibly doing this in July on a Tuesday or Wednesday with my wife and 4 year old daughter.
I'm not worried about the sarcastic "experts" hiking Bierstadt while camping.
I'm just looking/seeking a spot somewhere along the trail or slightly off the trail where we could camp and then possibly get up early and try and summit with our 4 year old if the weather cooperates.
I've noticed on maps that there is a small group of trees just pass the creek a ways, possibly a mile into the trail and a little north of the trail.
Can anyone confirm whether or not that area is somewhat flat or not?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
I'm hoping my 4 year old daughter will be able to bag her first 14er this summer, but I want to be safe as it is above tree line.
Thanks!

A number of years ago I went off the trail about 15 minutes thru the willows (it wasn't difficult) about 600-700 ft. and found a nice spot that was even level and actually perfect for a tent. Nice trees etc. Here's is the coordinates the best I can figure. Lat. 39°35'35.35"N Long. 105°41'25.37"W

[jkirkwood6136]

Thanks for all the great tips. I have done Bierstadt before solo but I never strayed off the trail however I am a great map reader and looking at the topo and this area it looks like this area if not completely sludged out with mud could be a slight possibility. Which is why I'm on here getting more experienced opinions. Like I said, I will have a 4 year old and if I just need to bail out on my idea I have no problem doing so. Most of the peaks I've hit are in the Sangre de Cristo's and a few others around the state and in California. This leads me to my next question since I'm completely unfamiliar with Mt. Democrat and going off of heresay. Would camping at Kite Lake and trying to knock out Democrat be a better option than my earlier idea? Keep in mind I have a 4 year old, and I am unfamiliar with Democrat altogether.... Any input or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>

But, there are better alternatives. Consider something other than a 14er and you have lots of good, uncongested options.

Dick

Don't listen to this crazy-man. Stick to the 14'ers.