Peak with kids near Vail?

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Presto
Posts: 1863
Joined: 6/26/2007
14ers: 58  6 
13ers: 308 21
Trip Reports (6)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by Presto »

I've used this pullout too and it seems to work fine for the first few vehicles that get there early...
+1 ... we did the same thing with no issues.

Notes from my journal:

After the turnoff for Copper Mountain, continue on the highway and use one of the pullouts on the south side of the highway just before the highway begins to ascend Fremont Pass. Do not park near the turnoff for the "sea of crap". There are multiple no parking signs. The rain, which had begun around Frisco, was steady and light. Oh well. We donned our raingear and walked across the road (to the north) ascending slightly in elevation. Behind the two large rocks (a bit above and behind the "no parking" signs), you will find an old abandoned jeep road. We followed this for quite awhile as it zigged and zagged its way up the hillside. Specific directions from here would be pointless. We followed this road, along with some game trails, bushwacked a little and ended up on a high ridge and then followed that ridge (in the clouds and rain) to the summit. The rain continued, more heavily at times, the entire way to the top. The rocks near the summit were wet and puddled up which made footing slippery and balance questionable. There was a summit cairn, but no register. The views ... well, there were no views. We saw no other climbers (hahahahahahah) and we did not stay long. The rain stopped for a bit on our descent and we were able to follow game trails/jeep tracks all the way back down to the jeep road we had started out following in the morning. By the time we reached the truck, it was raining pretty good and continued all the way to Denver.
As if none of us have ever come back with a cool, quasi-epic story instead of being victim to tragic rockfall, a fatal stumble, a heart attack, an embolism, a lightning strike, a bear attack, collapsing cornice, some psycho with an axe, a falling tree, carbon monoxide, even falling asleep at the wheel getting to a mountain. If you can't accept the fact that sometimes "s**t happens", then you live with the illusion that your epic genius and profound wilderness intelligence has put you in total and complete control of yourself, your partners, and the mountain. How mystified you'll be when "s**t happens" to you! - FM
User avatar
Matt
Posts: 2671
Joined: 7/26/2005
14ers: 58 
13ers: 208
Trip Reports (32)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by Matt »

Thanks, Presto. Hoppy Trails.
We are all greater artists than we realize -FWN
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. -HDT
Peak List
jeffhull
Posts: 1
Joined: 9/28/2020
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by jeffhull »

Hi! Similar question. I'm in Vail this week and looking for some hiking trails, but altitude kicks my butt coming from sea level. What are some great hikes say 3-4 miles without a lot of climbing? We took Gondola 1 up yesterday (last day), then hiked to the summit and return.
Thanks!
Jeff
User avatar
E_A_Marcus_949
Posts: 151
Joined: 9/18/2013
14ers: 58 
13ers: 56
Trip Reports (7)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

Hiked around Piney Lake/upper river to falls area this weekend. If you are ok with about 40min on a dirt road, that area is beautiful. Lots of aspens.
User avatar
prairiechicken
Posts: 41
Joined: 7/29/2018
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by prairiechicken »

The Gore Creek trail is nice, you can follow it up as far as you want, and the elevation gain is not crazy. There are a lot of aspens along the trail, they should be really pretty right now. It starts from East Vail.
User avatar
Barnold41
Posts: 323
Joined: 9/8/2016
14ers: 15 
13ers: 12
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by Barnold41 »

+1 for Gore Creek trail. Bighorn is also a good one that is less traveled, due to lack of a lake or waterfall to visit, but it does have a cool cabin to check out.

New York is a fun one that isn't super busy, but it's about 2 hrs from Vail to get to the TH.

Notch is mellow and a little longer but bring plenty of water, it can get toasty in the sun.

Uneva is one of my go-tos, access is from the top of Vail Pass (the TH technically starts on the east side of the highway, opposite the rest stop/parking area). It's a mellow trail that takes you up to a beautiful pass between Uneva and another 12er, turn right for Uneva (12er).
User avatar
Scott P
Posts: 9447
Joined: 5/4/2005
14ers: 58  16 
13ers: 50 13
Trip Reports (16)
 
Contact:

Re: Peak with kids near Vail?

Post by Scott P »

Shrine Mountain has nice views.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
Post Reply