Alternate lot is the winter TH. Add 3 miles each way.
5 am is probably too late for a Saturday. But you might get lucky.
Alternate lot is the winter TH. Add 3 miles each way.
I was just looking at that actually because I had the same question. I was planning to head up there Tuesday night next week in order to summit G/T Wednesday morning. Looking at the Google Maps satellite view, is that small lot past the trailhead where camping is? I assume driving up there Tuesday night there shouldn't be a problem finding parking?
There are some campsites just off the parking lot, but most are further up the road. I didn’t have any trouble finding a campsite about 7 PM on Wed, July 7 for a climb of Kelso the next morning.robertdao wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 7:24 amI was just looking at that actually because I had the same question. I was planning to head up there Tuesday night next week in order to summit G/T Wednesday morning. Looking at the Google Maps satellite view, is that small lot past the trailhead where camping is? I assume driving up there Tuesday night there shouldn't be a problem finding parking?
I absolutely cannot understand how people can justify the risk of A.) a parking ticket, B.) possibly being towed, C.) sliding off the road & needing an expensive tow and D.) possible vehicle damage from improper drivingECF55 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:52 pm NOTE: OLD THREAD RE-ANIMIATED:
I might be back in Colorado this August. If we crash a few days in Breckenridge, Grays/Torreys would be a 50 minute drive to the Lower Trailhead and longer getting up to the Upper Trailhead. Kelso Ridge has a certain allure.
I'm going to have a rental car and everything that I'm reading from the last two seasons is that Clear Creek County has really cracked down on roadside parking (with towing enforcement).
Would people agree with the following assessments:
- Stephens Gulch Road is a rough but passable forest road. 4WD vehicles with high clearance are highly recommended and will make the trip to the Upper Trailhead much more achievable. [This road may be a problem for me depending on which rental vehicle make/model we pick up.]
- Driving is slow, maybe 10mph in the pre-dawn hours. The drive can easily add another 30 minutes of travel time each way?
- Parking at the Upper Trailhead is now restricted only to the parking lot and vehicles that are parked along the road (next to the NO PARKING signs) are at high risk of ticketing and/or towing.
- Given the limited parking situation, the Upper Trailhead parking lot will generally fill before 5am on weekends in July-August and maybe slightly later during the week.
- During the winter months, Stephens Gulch Road is closed and all winter hikes start from the Lower Trailhead, which adds another 3 miles each way (with ~1500ft elevation gain) and roughly doubles the hike distance.
Aside from taking Justiner's advice of just riding a bike up, would people assess that the road hike up Stephens Gulch Road is a fine but somewhat boring add-on to the standard hike? 1500ft over three miles is only around 9% slope, so I think these miles could be eaten in the dark fairly easily and at a good pace. And with any luck, I may be able to hitch a ride back to the Lower Trailhead at the end of the adventure to shave off the last hour of travel time.
I feel like I have asked this question before on Princeton...wait, I have!