Mount Arkansas

[mnsebourn]

Hello all.

I am planning on celebrating my completion of the Arkansas bar exam by returning to Colorado in early August. In recent years, my dad and I have tackled Elbert, Massive, and Harvard, and we hope to check off La Plata and Blanca this summer.

Being from Arkansas, while reading up on the Leadville area, I stumbled upon the existence of the 13er Mount Arkansas.

A bit of internet research on a different site shows that the North Ridge route is class 2 or 3 with a round trip of somewhere around 5 or 6 miles.

I'm interested in any knowledge about this route that any of you might have, as I'd love to use it as a "warmup" to the two 14ers I plan to hike.

Specifically, I understand there isn't a marked trail to the peak of Mount Arkansas. Is the path to the summit fairly straightforward? I've hiked a lot of tall mountains out west of my home state, but I've never before trekked too far off the beaten path.... The other site listed the North Ridge route as class 3, but no part of the description sounded any more challenging than the upper reaches of, say, Harvard. A bit of boulder hopping is all it really described; so is Arkansas closer to Class 2 or 3?

I'd love to hike/scramble up this peak, but online information about it is scarce, so thanks in advance for ANY information. It's much appreciated.

[SoCool]

It is class 3 in a few places, with some exposure, but is easy and I highly recommend it to anyone.

[Double Oh Seven]

Congrats on the Bar exam. Arkansas is a great climb. The routefinding is straight forward. Once you find your way through the trees you pretty much pick any line you want up the steep slope to gain the ridge and you can pretty much stick to the ridge until you come to the towers. I did it in the snow and bypassed the towers. They looked like they were definetly class 3 but the bypass was class 2 and then just boulder hopping to the summit. I actually had to stop and turn back about 200 feet below the summit as my dog got tired but hope to go back this year. Its a fun outing and the peak looks pretty impressive from fremont pass. 6 miles sounds about right for distance so would be a great warmup. Have fun.

[Col_Forbin]

I love Mt. Arkansas. Easy access. That northeast couloir is a blast too.

[PattyCakes]

Congrats on your accomplishment. I climbed Arkansas mid-September a couple of years ago. The climb is pretty strait forward. You park where 13ers.com shows you, then hike across some old railroad tracks. Once you reach treeline, take a left. Climb to the top of the ridge and flow is up. Around 13,200ft you reach a rock outcropping on the ridge line. If you follow the ridge crest it turns into some class 3, if you want class 2, duck to the right and parallel the ridge for about 100yrds. Then you will see multiple gulleys to get back to the ridge. After your back on the ridge line, its rock hopping the rest the way. Enjoy your climb!

[ahrendse]

I'll echo PattyCakes a bit. I was up there a couple weeks ago and even with a bunch of snow, route finding was not very difficult.

Congrats on passing the bar!

[CCU_Jim]

Haven't done it myself, though I plan to at some point. Have you looked at the 13ers.com page on it? Bill has a route description on there for the north ridge route. He calls it class 2.

http://13ers.com/peaks/peak.php?peakkey ... .+Arkansas" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I got a good shot of the north ridge from CO-91 coming down Fremont Pass that I used as my screen saver for years.

[JosephG]

As previous posters have said, the route is straightforward. You park just south of Fremont Pass and the Climax Mine. As you descend the long switchback from the top of Fremont Pass (assuming you are driving from the north), Arkansas is the peak immediately before (south of) you with a short serpentine ridge. The parking is right off the highway, and the trail follows an old dirt road which I believe also winds some through the trees (I did it in snow, so I can't swear to this).

In any event, don't be daunted by the idea of finding your way through the trees: that much is straightforward, that section is brief, and the trees are not dense. You'll get to a bump below the ridge itself just as you break out of the trees. Basically, if you just head up through the trees, you will be funneled to this point, which is the start of the ridge. The ridge offers you plenty of options, which should be easier without snow coverage. Fun peak. It's more scramble-y than Elbert, Harvard, or Massive, but the route-finding is not challenging and will brush off the rust for your Blanca outing. It's a light class 3 in spots, but the exposure is not intimidating and the views are good.

Here's a more detailed description from 13ers.com:
http://www.13ers.com/routemain.php?rout ... 8040848543" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And, of course, summitpost:
http://www.summitpost.org/north-ridge/158974" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edited: Here are a few pics to give you a flavor of the terrain to the summit. Just imagine it without the snow.

Arkansas_1.jpg (205.78 KiB) Viewed 931 times

Arkansas_2.jpg (261.43 KiB) Viewed 931 times

Good luck on the bar.

[mnsebourn]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the info. Glad to hear it's pretty straightforward and can serve as a warmup outing.

Very much looking forward to it.

[JQDivide]

mnsebourn hit me up when you go for it.

Being an Arkansas grad I've been looking at that peak for a while. I might have to join you if I don't get it before then.

JQ

[Kent McLemore]

pm sent

[Marmot72]

Anyone done this route in the last year or so? A friend and I ended up doing Silverheels winter of '13 because we could not find any left turn from that hairpin area south of the pass that was not marked "no trespassing" by the climax mine operators.