Missouri Mountain

From Leadville: Drive 20 miles south on U.S. 24 and turn right on the Chaffee County 390 road.
From Buena Vista: Drive 14.5 miles north on U.S. 24 and turn left on the Chaffee County 390 road.
On the 390 road, drive 7.5 miles to a sign for the Missouri Gulch trailhead. Turn left and drive down into the large parking area. There are restrooms here.

From the parking area, start by following the Missouri Gulch Trail. Cross the bridge spanning Clear Creek and enter into the forest. After just over 1/4 mile, ascend a series of steep switchbacks. Near 10,400', above the switchbacks, continue southward along Missouri Gulch. At 10,800', turn left and cross the gulch stream to the east side via a makeshift log bridge -  1 and  2. Turn right and hike south through an open area ( 3) before re-entering the trees to reach the remnants of an old shack -  4. Shortly after, exit the forest near 11,300' and follow the trail south in the gulch, gradually approaching both Mt. Belford and Missouri Mountain -  5.

At 11,600', arrive at the Belford junction . The Missouri Gulch/Elkhead Pass Trail continues to the right, while the Mt. Belford Trail branches off to the left. Stay right. From this point, Missouri Mountain dominates the view south, although the summit is not obvious -  6. Traverse through willows and cross the stream again before gaining a small hill in the basin. Continue south ( 7,  8) to reach another junction , at 12,600' -  9. If you haven't been here before, the route to the summit is not obvious.  10 gives you a better look at what lies ahead. Turn right onto the Missouri Mountain Trail and begin zigzagging westward up a slope -  11. At 12,900', the terrain levels out as the trail approaches Point 13,784'. Follow the trail northwest to reach a rugged talus slope, then traverse across the south side of Point 13,784' -  12. Stick to the trail as it zigzags upward to reach the saddle between Points 13,930' and 13,784' -  13.

From the 13,700-foot saddle, turn left and follow the trail onto Missouri's northwest ridge -  14. Pass the west side of Point 13,930' ( 15) and climb onto the crest of the ridge, where the summit finally comes into view -  16. From here, stay on the trail along the ridge crest. Two-thirds of the way across, the route dodges rocky obstacles on the ridge crest, dropping about 25 feet on the right (a short section of Difficult Class 2 terrain) -  17 and  18. After clearing this section, continue along the trail to the summit -  19 and  20.

The Missouri Gulch parking lot can be packed on a summer weekend. IMPORTANT: This route enters the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.