Day hike suggestion

[WhoDang]

Wow..thanks everyone for the feedback! At this point it looks like tomorrow we will be doing one of the boulder peaks, as from the general census, seems to be the best for my requirements this time of year.

I will be sure to add the other suggestions to my list of hikes for June-July. Anymore suggestions are always welcome!

Glad to be a part of such a great community,

Nathan

[WhoDang]

CarpeDM,

I got some questions about your recommendation to do the bear canyon trail from NCAR. Does that go to green mountain? It looks like it from the map I got via the green bear trail. Also, how is the elevation gain compared to say the gregory canyon trail? That was the route I was planning on doing but I would certainly rather do bear canyon trail since you specifically recommended it if it has the same incline, distance, etc.

Thanks, Nathan

[sunny1]

If you want to do Bear Peak from NCAR, you need to follow the Fern Canyon trail, approx 5.6 mi r/t, not sure of the exact elev gain (don't have a map with me), but probably 2500+ ft.
Gregory Canyon to Green Mtn is approx 5.2 mi r/t with 2300 ft elev gain. There is a $5.00 fee to park there if you are not a Boulder County resident.
There are several ways to approach Green Mtn, Bear Pk and S Boulder Pk.
Either Bear Pk or Green Mtn are great hikes - some of my favorite front range, local hikes. Gregory Canyon is more gentle than Fern Canyon. Either is an excellent choice!
Enjoy!

[Doctor No]

If you want to do Bear Peak from NCAR, you need to follow the Fern Canyon trail, approx 5.6 mi r/t, not sure of the exact elev gain (don't have a map with me), but probably 2500+ ft.

I wouldn't ascend via Fern Canyon (although it's a fine descent route). I'd take the trail up Bear Canyon Creek for the ascent.

[pbakwin]

Note that it is $5 for non-Boulder residents to park at the Gregory Canyon TH,
but parking at Chautauqua 0.3 miles away is free. Parking at NCAR is also free.
Makes a nice loop to go up Fern to Bear Peak & down Bear Canyon (or reverse).
For Green go up Gregory then Ranger and return via Greenman & Saddle Rock
trails. All these trails are dry. PB

[Kapelmuur]

I wouldn't ascend via Fern Canyon (although it's a fine descent route). I'd take the trail up Bear Canyon Creek for the ascent.

+1 on that suggestion.

Another option from NCAR is to traverse south on the Mesa trail and head up Shadow Canyon to Bear Peak (with the optional side-trip to S. Boulder) then down Fern. If you have a chance to stop off at the Chautauqua ranger hut ahead of time they have a pretty decent freebie trail map of the whole trail system.

[CarpeDM]

Nathan,
Yes, you can get to Green Mtn's summit from the Bear Canyon trail (EDIT: yes, via the Green Bear trail). You can get there a few different ways. You can also get to Bear Peak from this trail, too, by taking the Bear Peak West Ridge trail once Bear Canyon opens up and flattens out a bit. I recommended it because it crosses the creek in several places (nothing that should get your feet wet, though). When the water is flowing in the spring, I just find it to be a nicer trail experience than the Gregory Canyon/Ranger option (for Green Mtn) or the Fern Canyon trail (for Bear Peak). I guess you can start at the Bear Canyon TH off of Lehigh Rd, but I usually start at NCAR - the parking is easier than at Chautauqua Park or Gregory Canyon (or the S. Mesa Trail lot near Eldorado Springs). One knock against this route, though, is that you see some power lines along the way which kinda detracts from the experience. But the rest makes up for it, in my opinion. But I also encourage you to try them all and see for yourself! You can't really go wrong.

As for the direct comparison of the elevation gain, I don't think you'd notice too much difference. From Gregory Canyon, you'll gain 800 ft fairly rapidly, then it eases off for a bit. Starting at NCAR, there are a few little ups and downs to get over to the Mesa trail and then the turn-off for Bear Canyon.

Last Friday, I climbed Green Mtn from Gregory Canyon using my GPS (because it's a new toy and I was curious). It read about 2,150 elevation gain and 5.2 miles round-trip (even though it read 2.7 miles from car to summit and I returned the same way - hmmm, curious). As for the Bear Canyon option to Green Mtn, my Sky Terrain map for Boulder/Nederland puts the mileage at about 8 round-trip.

Let me know if you have any other questions,

DaveM

[WhoDang]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

We did the Bear Canyon trail from NCAR to Green Mountain and had an awesome experience!