Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
I hit Crescent on Wednesday. If you would like a sustained class 3 and 4 scramble for 2200' vertical, with lots of exposure, Crescent Mountain up Coal Creek is the place to go.
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Rich H
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
the Crescent Mountain class 3/4 climb sounds great. I think I know where the mtn is up off 93 - but where do you start/etc...?
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JA_son27
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
I hit bear peak and green mountain to help get my legs ready for the summer hiking season, and both TH's are virtually downtown Boulder!
http://www.protrails.com/state.php?stateID=CO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (click on the boulder-denver-golden and lyons link)
http://www.protrails.com/state.php?stateID=CO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (click on the boulder-denver-golden and lyons link)
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
The birdseye pics show the parking area. It's 3.8 miles up CO-72 from CO-93 Going up the parking is on the right (blue arrows). The red line is my approximate route. Cross the creek on a log and turn NE to make your way up scree and talus to the ridgeline. There are no trails. At one point I turned around and I was about 300-400 yards away from the copper roofed house in the pictures. Please be aware off private property. I would like to keep access open.the Crescent Mountain class 3/4 climb sounds great. I think I know where the mtn is up off 93 - but where do you start/etc...?
The marked 005 waypoint was my high point. At around 8200', the ridge ran into some class 5 gendarmes with some unnerving exposure. I was able to traverse the rocks to the south, but I wouldn't recommend this. Looking back, the exposure was crazy for the moves I was having to make until I reached the gully. Footholds become scarce and it takes some time to get away from a potentially lethal fall. I think I could have continued up this gully, but the weather started turning. If you find yourself at these gendarmes, you can go up and over if you're sure and crazy enough (I couldn't muster it with a baby girl at home...remember, summiting is optional, getting down is mandatory), or backtrack down the ridge a little and drop down into the NE gully and head up and around them.
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- Crescent Parking.JPG (47.74 KiB) Viewed 1184 times
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Rich H
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
thanks for that! I understand about little ones and risk...I have 3 at home although they are getting older.
Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
Has anyone spent any time on the hogbacks? I know it wouldn't be super technical, but I've been wanting to run them.
Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
Actually, the hog back in Matthew Winters (Dakota ridge) is quite technical (at least for mtn bikers) and makes for a great run.
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Kapelmuur
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
A variation on those hikes already suggested in Boulder: the Amphitheater/Saddle Rock/E.M. Greenman ascent of Green Mountain out of the Saddle Rock trailhead. The trailhead is exactly 2 miles from the Baseline exit of 36 (just up from Chautauqua). 2,300' of vertical in a 4.4 mile RT that starts right from your car. The one con is that you have to pay $5 fee to park in the small lot, but you can avoid that by parking a little further down Baseline and starting from one of the many use trails at the side of the road.
Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
I did a couple of them this spring. I'd definitely recommend Mt. Glennon for a quick scramble some time. Very little approach and then a bunch of fun class 3 along the ridge crest. Check it out on summitpost.habaceeba wrote:Has anyone spent any time on the hogbacks? I know it wouldn't be super technical, but I've been wanting to run them.
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timf
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
+2 on Matthre Winters. Some tough stretches, but love it once you hit the crest.
To O.P. Darwin: Give Goat Mtn just south of Chatfield Reservoir a shot. Park at Wateron Canyon. The ridge is like a big staircase and one of the "steps" has some minor Class 3. 1 False summit then the true summit becomes quite obvious. Definitely the hardest Denver foothill I've done so far. Then if it's not hard enough you can bushwack over to Warren Peak. Bring shorts with zip off legs and those willows are worse then Bierstadt. Stay away from the Lockheed complex. I haven't done Turkshead, but that looks like it could be harder. Bring a bike and bike in about 4.5 miles to reach the start of the route.
To haba: Can Crescent be combined easily with Coal Creek? Private property issues down below, but is it a straight shot that they can be looped together?
To O.P. Darwin: Give Goat Mtn just south of Chatfield Reservoir a shot. Park at Wateron Canyon. The ridge is like a big staircase and one of the "steps" has some minor Class 3. 1 False summit then the true summit becomes quite obvious. Definitely the hardest Denver foothill I've done so far. Then if it's not hard enough you can bushwack over to Warren Peak. Bring shorts with zip off legs and those willows are worse then Bierstadt. Stay away from the Lockheed complex. I haven't done Turkshead, but that looks like it could be harder. Bring a bike and bike in about 4.5 miles to reach the start of the route.
To haba: Can Crescent be combined easily with Coal Creek? Private property issues down below, but is it a straight shot that they can be looped together?
Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
I think a walk over to Coal Creek Peak from Crescent is doable, but I haven't personally tried it.
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Doctor No
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Re: Difficult/Strenuous Hike close to Denver
It looked doable from what I could tell, although we ended up descending the gully between the two and inadvertently trespassing.habaceeba wrote:I think a walk over to Coal Creek Peak from Crescent is doable, but I haven't personally tried it.
Crescent up is a loose steep talusfest. But it's close to Denver and gets your heart rate going.
