Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

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sgladbach
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by sgladbach »

mtgirl wrote:I'm sure lots of guys would like to "do" Hope Solo...... :lol:
But Faith , Hope , and Charity sounds more fun.
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by sunny1 »

49ersRule wrote: Sunny1 did Hope solo last year in the fall. Said it was beautiful.
mtgirl wrote:I'm sure lots of guys would like to "do" Hope Solo...... :lol:
Thanks for the press, Dave! :mrgreen:

Doing Hope solo was indeed a beautiful day - there were a few hunters on Hope's flanks in the a.m., but I managed to keep my focus on the goal and had the summit to myself. :wink:

The Aspens are excellent there when they are at peak. It was a treat.
May check out Ouray this fall. Solo.
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Chicago Transplant
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Is Ouray Solo Hope's sister? :lol:

Ouray is a good one for fall, I recommend the Grays Creek route for color, and the Bristlecone forest near treeline. Hope has a good aspen forest on the Sheep Gulch (south) side.

I have been up Stewart in fall as well and there was good color there too.

Lots of options, but generally look for lower trailheads, the aspens don't seem to be as prevalent over 11k.

Might be an early fall this year, there is already pockets of golden aspens all over the place, we have a few patches on Beaver Creek ski area already turning and saw pockets of them in the Weminuche last weekend.
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sunny1
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by sunny1 »

Chicago Transplant wrote:Is Ouray Solo Hope's sister? :lol:

Ouray is a good one for fall, I recommend the Grays Creek route for color, and the Bristlecone forest near treeline. Hope has a good aspen forest on the Sheep Gulch (south) side.
One can Hope... :lol: Isn't Ouray an Indian Chief (and a dude)?

Thanks for posting the route info on both peaks, Chicago. I did Hope solo from Sheep Gulch. Will check out Grays Creek for Ouray Solo. :wink:
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by madbuck »

Hoot wrote:I'll 3rd Ouray although it's a bit more than 2 hours from Golden.
Another vote for Mt. Ouray, and here's our trip report from what appeared to be the peak weekend of 2010 (end of September). Casual observations suggest that this year will be just over a week earlier.
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by Woodie Hopper »

madbuck wrote:
Hoot wrote:I'll 3rd Ouray although it's a bit more than 2 hours from Golden.
Another vote for Mt. Ouray, and here's our trip report from what appeared to be the peak weekend of 2010 (end of September). Casual observations suggest that this year will be just over a week earlier.
Great choice (+1). I did Ouray in Fall too once. Seeing three ranges with Fall foliage everywhere was really nice. Relatively short and easy hike too.
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by sevenvii »

Carbonate, Lo Carb, Cyclone, Cronin made for a wonderfully awesome fall day last year. Also second the suggestion of Ouray. Also would love to do Hope Solo :oops:
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Just got back from climbing a couple of 13ers off the Clohesy Lake road, fall color was really starting to pop. A little early this year for sure! If you are interested in a fall color climb of Hope, you might want to bump that one up on the calendar, I could already see some strong color in Sheep Gulch when I was coming back down the road.
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by turbocat »

Casco Frasco and French were fantastic in the Fall.
Less cowbell...more CAIRN!
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Re: Best Centennial 13er for fall colors?

Post by GeezerClimber »

Chicago Transplant wrote:Just got back from climbing a couple of 13ers off the Clohesy Lake road, fall color was really starting to pop. A little early this year for sure! If you are interested in a fall color climb of Hope, you might want to bump that one up on the calendar, I could already see some strong color in Sheep Gulch when I was coming back down the road.
2nd that. They are turning way early in the Sawatch this year. Aspens may be peaking this weekend here. Hope and Ouray are both great picks.

Dave
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