Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Unnamed Point 13,626 (Colorado # 184)
23 August 2017
Climbers: Patrick and me
Trailhead: Alpine Cemetery
Distance: 8.2 miles
Elevation gain: 4,166'
Round trip: 6 hours, 13 minutes
Pt 13,626 was the first Colorado bicentennial peak (Colorado rank 101-200) since last November and Patrick was a great partner. Pt 13,626 is 1.4 miles west of 14er Mount Princeton. Based on at TR Patrick found we used the Alpine Cemetery trailhead at the end of FR 292B just east of the private Alpine Lake off Chalk Creek Drive (CO 162) west of Nathrop. This is a small trailhead (2-4 cars) surrounded by private property but on Forest Service land. This trail starts at 9460' at the old Alpine Cemetery and climbs to the east to Grouse Canyon where it joins the Mount Princeton Grouse Trail at around 10,000'. We did not actually see where the trails joined, but our start from the cemetery must have been much less steep.
We started hiking at 8:08am. The initial trail into Grouse Canyon was well-maintained and very easy to follow. Once we entered Grouse Canyon and started to climb the trail was much less well-defined, but I think we were on a trail much of the way to tree line. We actually saw a few cairns along the way. But even if off the trail, the general direction is pretty clear ‘ head up the Grouse Canyon drainage and then aim northeast to enter the large basin southeast of Pt 13,626. Once above tree line, you can choose how steep you want your route to the summit to be. We ascended a moderate slope mostly on grass after considering a more direct but considerably steeper approach which would have put us on Pt 13,626's south ridge. Hiking at a pretty casual pace, we reached the summit at 11:36, 3.5 hours after leaving the trailhead. We considered heading along the ridge to the west to catch ranked 13er Pt 13,317, but with our late start and with clouds moving in we decided to head back the way we came. After spending half an hour on the summit, we headed back down starting down the northeast ridge and descending into the basin on gentler, mostly grassy slopes. While a little less direct, this route made for a more pleasant descent. At about 11,400' we linked up with our ascent trail and followed it back down Grouse Canyon and the trail leading to the Alpine Cemetery. We got back to the trailhead at 2:21, for a roundtrip time of 6 hours and 13 minutes. As soon as we got to our cars it started raining.
Originally, we considered a shuttle hike starting here we did and ending at a car positioned at the St Elmo town site. This would have allowed us to pick up the ranked 13ers Pt 13,317 and Pt 13,078 west of Pt 13,626. However, in St Elmo we found a sign saying that the Poplar Gulch trailhead had been moved 1 mile west up the 4WD road to Tin Cup Pass. And there were a lot of no parking signs in St Elmo. With an earlier start and good weather, this 11-12 mile shuttle route looks like a good way to climb three ranked 13ers including Pt 13,626.
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
We used your report and gpx today. It was a very helpful alternative to the cottonwood creek side which was running very high. We used your descent route for both the up and down and found it a very reasonable yet steep mostly class 1 hike. Thanks for loading it!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
