N Massive question

[MtnHub]

I'm thinking of possibly doing N Massive in a couple of days, maybe Thursday. I would probably go up the SW slope route and just follow the ridge.

Is there any other TH to just do that peak that might be shorter? I'd be staying in Leadville and want to make it as short a day as possible. I also only have a sedan so access could only be for 2WD.

Would welcome a partner if anyone is interested in joining me.

Thanks!

[Katherineanne98]

Not sure about mileage once you're on foot headed uphill, but you can access the CT from the Hatchery lot, and that's significantly easier to access than Half Moon. Plus the Hatchery is a threatened but beautiful old building worth seeing, and you'd get the informational signs on the history, flora and fauna in the early part of your trek.

I hear the wildflowers are really nice in that are right now.

[MtnHub]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've never been to the hatchery and it would be very easy for me to check out.

[scottaskinger]

I hiked N. Massive to Massive from the Winsor Lake TH. I took the North Ridge route to summit and then followed the East Ridge route on the descent. A LONG (but awesome) day on the ridge. It took me around 12 hours and the full route was about 18 miles.

[spiderman]

My son and I hiked up N. Massive from the Half Moon Creek drainage, surveying the peak and key saddle. We made it quite far on the road with a Civic. There is a good trail, described in Roach, for half the trip. The off-trail scrambling was quite tame Class 2 stuff with easy route finding. It might not be the fastest route, but the scenery was gorgeous.

If you are going after unranked 14ers (N. Massive has 272.3 +/- 1.4’ of prominence), don't forget to get the other ones along the Massive ridge. There are some fun class 2-3 sections as you head towards Massive Green.