Parnassus / Bard / Englemann trio (Front Range)

[TravelingMatt]

Anyone done all three in one hike? Hope to do this in the next couple days from Herman Gulch. What would be the best way down from Englemann to my car that minimizes going back over other peaks I already climbed?

[davidsteger]

I did it from Herman Gulch last year but had to go back over Bard. From there I kinda cut downhill and eventually hit a trail that was cutting across that took me back to the trailhead. It might have been just as easy though going right back over every single one the simple way.

[cwm]

The Herman Gulch trail head has been closed on weekdays due to tree cutting. You might want to check if it is open yet.

[Jim Davies]

The on/offramps are in the process of being repaved, so check CDOT also. It was open yesterday, but the pavement is milled and there's going to be more work done in the near future from the looks of it.

[TravelingMatt]

I ended up hitting all four peaks today. Someone posted a TR yesterday that hit only Parnassus and Bard, but was helpful regarding how to get down from Bard.

Yes, the pavement on the ramps to and from 70 has been "stolen" and signs are up at the TH indicating closure dates. (The TH is still open Mondays, I think.) It looks like they are cutting trees infested by the pine beetle within a quarter mile or so of the TH.

This hike is a nice way to knock off four 13ers (three ranked) with most of the day on either trails or relatively gentle grassy slopes. The best way to come back from Engelmann is over Bard. I tried skirting around Bard and ended up doing a lot of scree hopping, and went most of the way back up Bard in terms of elevation anyway. Not worth the 300 feet I saved. You can skirt around Robeson (the unranked peak) no problem.

To get down from Bard, identify a small, grassy plateau at around 12,000' at the base of a ridge extending down from Parnassus. That is your objective. A cairn marks the Bard Creek Trail at the far end of this plateau and from there you are home free.

Stats: 14.1 miles, 5200 feet elevation gain. Add a few hundred feet to that for going back over Bard. Oh, and I saw NO ONE all day until I was back on the Watrous Gulch trail in the afternoon. On a Sunday.

[Matt]

Nice job. TR?
We were thinking about doing it one-way, using a car shuttle.

[SuperDaveOsbourne]

Someone could do the Parnassus Grand Circle from Urad mine near Henderson (same turn off, but take a left almost immediately while heading up to Henderson) and its about as easy and simple with 5200 ft gain as I recall and about 4.5 miles saved.

http://grab.by/5uEn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This way you completely avoid the noise and traffic of I-70, always.

[TravelingMatt]

Nice job. TR?

I still shoot film. This means I don't photograph things that aren't potentially memorable photographs, such as "trail closed" signs and nondescript scree fields. Also, I may not get my slides developed for a few weeks (have to go down to Denver). And no one likes all-text TRs.

Also, for the summer and fall my goal is to be out hiking at least five days a week, as if it were my job. Much of my downtime is spent figuring out what to do next.

So don't feel like I can compete with people who have oodles of photos and write great TRs the instant they get back home. But I'm happy to share information.

[TravelingMatt]

Someone could do the Parnassus Grand Circle from Urad mine near Henderson (same turn off, but take a left almost immediately while heading up to Henderson) and its about as easy and simple with 5200 ft gain as I recall and about 4.5 miles saved.

http://grab.by/5uEn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This way you completely avoid the noise and traffic of I-70, always.

I think the only ways I'd want to go up or down Engelmann are the south or north (north-northwest) ridges. That bowl formed by Parnassus, Bard and Engelmann is mighty steep and looked loose. What I saw of the north ridge didn't look too hard (mostly grass), and I believe it eventually makes its way down to US 40 or a side road therefrom.

I did see a faint trail that switchbacked up to the Robeson/Engelmann col, but I don't know how reliable it is, and it definitely wasn't a direct route.

Did you or someone else actually follow the route in red?

[Huskerdog]

I have done the 5 Peaks Engelmann, Robeson, Bard, Parnassus and Woods. Start up the Ruby Creek Trail-park just past the Urad mine gait, scramble up gully on Left about a mile up the trail, take the woods either to the left or right of the gulley, until you get above treeline, then make your way north east to Engelmann summit, then follow ridges peak to peak around the bowl and get all five, hike down the jeep trail on the east face of Woods to get back to Ruby trail-about 10 miles all told. Great hike!