Route Description

From Glenwood Springs, drive about 26 miles southeast on Colorado 82 and turn right on Snowmass Creek Road (this is not Snowmass Village). From the intersection of CO 82, it's 9.9 miles to the trailhead and the remainder of these directions assume you reset your trip-odometer at the intersection. Drive 1.7 miles to a junction and turn right on Capitol Creek road. Continue to 6.4 miles where the road turns to dirt. It gets rough and steeper near 8.5 miles and eventually turns to easy 4WD near 9 miles. When wet, the road becomes quite slick. Reach the trailhead at approximately 9.9 miles.

Details:

Photo #1 is a view of Capitol from the trailhead. Two trails start here: The Capitol Creek trail and the Capitol “Ditch” trail. The creek trail has long been the standard way to approach Capitol, but the ditch trail has become more popular recently because it avoids the elevation re-gain required on the creek trail. This route description uses the ditch trail… Walk to the west end of the trailhead parking area and start down the signed ditch trail. The name of the trail soon becomes obvious because it parallels a water ditch into the forest - Photo #2. The ditch is maintained to provide water to cattle in the area. Follow the ditch for about 1.2 miles to a junction at 9,500’ - Photo #3. Cross the ditch and hike up into the forest on a good trail. Weave through the forest for a bit, and at 9,600’, cross a stream and meadow before entering the Maroon Bells Snowmass wilderness. Hike through aspens and open areas to reach a wide-open area above Capitol Creek - Photo #4. Continue on the hillside for almost 1.5 miles to a point where the trail descends slightly and enters a meadow near the creek - Photo #5. This area is a bit confusing because there are cattle trails through the area. Do not follow the trail to the right. Angle left, cross the stream, and intersect the main Capitol Creek trail on the other side. Look for a sign at the trail junction.

Turn right at the junction and continue south on the main trail. From the junction, it’s 3 miles to Capitol Lake. Follow the good trail though meadows and small forest sections while Capitol Peak remains visible for most of this hike - Photo #6. Cross a few small streams along the hike and come to a open area near 10,600’ where the trail turns up to the left and climbs an easy hill to 10,800’. Next, turn right and ascend a steep, forested hill before turning left (south) again near 10,900’. Cross the Capitol Creek stream and parallel it as you approach the Capitol Lake area - Photo #7. At 11,400’, turn sharply right and hike up to the basin just below Capitol Lake - Photo #8. There are several places to camp in the area – all on the right before the lake.

At 11,600’, below Capitol Lake, turn left on a smaller trail that heads southeast toward the saddle between Mt. Daly and Capitol - Photo #9. The trail is great all the way up to the saddle and it’s approximately 900’ of gain to reach the top - Photo #10. This is the end of easy hiking on an established trail. Your next goal is to bypass the ridge up to your right. It’s possible to turn right and climb south up the Class 4 ridge, but this route describes the easier route of circling around the east side - Photo #11. Begin traversing across the side of the slope where it quickly becomes obvious that some route finding is necessary. There are small trail segments and many cairns. Take your time and try not to lose much elevation as you cross a couple of small gullies and steep terrain that requires a bit of scrambling. After about ¼ mile, it becomes easier to see a line across the slope - Photo #12. Again, the goal here is to hike south under the cliffs and more difficult terrain up to your right. The terrain turns into mostly talus when you are half way across. Photo #13 looks back on the area.

At 12,700’, begin to angle up to the right - Photo #14. Near 12,800’, continue up to the right through large rocks and you’ll finally see “K2” up to the west - Photo #15. From here it looks like a tiny rock point above a boulder field. Follow small cairns or take your own line straight up to the right side of K2 - Photo #16. Climbing to the top of K2 is optional because the "easiest" way past is to climb onto K2 and swing around the north and west sides to reach the K2-Capitol ridge. But the climb to the top of K2 is worth the effort and only takes a couple of minutes, plus the view of Capitol is excellent - Photo #17. . Many climbers ascend K2 and descend steep, class 3/4 rock off of the west side to K2 to regain the "trail." As seen in Photo #16, the easiest (requires careful maneuvering across loose rock) way to get around K2 is to turn right just below the top and swing around to the west - Photo #18. Once on the west side, Capitol’s Northeast Ridge comes into view - Photo #19. Drop down into a notch and climb onto a rock tower at the start of the ridge.

The remainder of this route has plenty of scrambling and exposed climbing along the ridge - Photo #20. This is a good place to take a serious look at the weather and make a go or no-go decision. The summit isn’t far away, but the remaining climb is time-consuming and not a place to be in bad weather. From the first tower, scramble along the ridge for a bit to reach the infamous Knife Edge and crux of the route - Photo #21 and Photo #22. It’s a short, exposed section on the ridge that requires concentration and solid nerves. If you are spooked by exposure, this area may twist you in knots. Scramble along the crest or walk along the left side while holding onto the ridge. Experienced climbers can carefully walk across most of the Knife Edge. The last portion short of the knife (seen in Photo #23) becomes very “sharp” and the easiest way around is to walk along the left side.

Beyond the Knife Edge, scramble on or along the ridge - Photo #24. Photo #25 looks back at the crossing. After about 0.1 mile from the Knife Edge, reach a notch with a small, steep gully down to the left. Cross the notch and begin climbing along the left side of the ridge - Photo #26. From 13,800’ to the summit, the easiest climbing is on the left side and below the ridge crest. It is possible to climb along the ridge, but the rock is more difficult and you have fewer options. Traverse along the left side and follow small cairns about 80 feet below the ridge crest. Above 13,900’, continue on the left side below steep rock - Photo #27. About 100’ below the summit ridge, you have a couple of options. Turn right and climb steep rock or continue to the left to reach a small ridge before turning up to the summit. The second option is easier and should have small cairns. Eventually, turn right and climb steeper rock to reach the summit ridge. Photo #29 looks back down on the Northeast Ridge and Photo #30 shows the summit.

Flash Videos:
Crossing the Knife Edge: ( Small File - 4MB | Medium File - 10MB | Large File - 49MB )
Returning over the Knife Edge: ( Small - 6MB | Medium File - 12MB | Large File - 59MB )