Do any of you know the distance from the Thomas Lakes Trailhead (parking lot) to the West Summit of Mount Sopris? I hiked it, and can't find the distance in print anywhere. Thanks for any help.
Brent
Mount Sopris
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Okay, okay, its time to dispel a few myths about the distance on Sopris, because I have been hearing way to many people claim that the hike is "like 16 miles," "17 miles", "19 miles," etc.Seven miles from Thomas lakes, as far as I know.
The actual distance is 3 miles to Thomas Lakes (one way) and another 3 to the main (East) summit. The west summit adds another 2 miles round trip to the climb making the total distance from the Dinkle Lake trailhead 12 miles to the main (East) summit and 14 to the West summit. All of these links confirm this distance as does Warren Ohlrich's excellent book Aspen & Central Colorado Trails.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sopris
http://www.hikingincolorado.org/sopr.html
http://www.climber.org/TripReports/2000/686.html
Many people backpack in to Thomas Lakes and then climb from there, but no matter how you do it, it is a long day with 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Also, make sure you get an early start as Sopris is the highest western point in the Elk range and usually serves as a battering ram for all incoming thunderstorms.
Good luck and have fun,
kaiman
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