Route Description

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 (dirt), drive 11.3 miles to Winfield. There are a bunch of log buildings here. Turn left on a new road. From Winfield, you must drive a total of 2.1 miles to get to the trailhead. After 0.4 mile, the road gets rugged and requires 4WD. After 0.7 mile, there is a junction. Do not bear left. Stay right. 1.7 miles up the road, you will see the Banker Mine road to your left. There is also another turn on the right shortly after that. Do not take either of these turns. Stay straight on the main road as it parallels the South Fork of Clear Creek. There is parking near the end of the road. Beyond the parking is a gate and the trail starts to the left.

Details:

From the trailhead (Photo #1), hike up through the forest for nearly 1/2 mile. Cross a small stream and climb a bunch of switchbacks through forest and open areas up to 11,600'. The hiking gradually becomes easier near the top of the hill. Near 11,700 on the hillside, there is an excellent view to the south of The Three Apostles which includes Ice Mountain (13,951') - Photo #2. Near 11,900', the trail heads east as it climbs up into the basin northwest of Huron. Huron is up to your right (southwest) - Photo #3. Reach the edge of basin at 12,250' and continue east - Photo #4. From the center of the basin (12,300') you can see the next section of the route - a steep, grassy pitch that leads to a large slope north of Huron - Photo #5.

Hike east out of the basin on a great trail with rock steps. Between 12,400' and 12,700', the hike is a bit steep but the trail is good - Photo #6. You next goal is to ascend a large slope on the west side of the ridge that connects Browns Peak (13,523') and Huron. Gradually climbing south toward Huron, the trail sweeps back and forth across the slope. Photo #7 shows the area. Photo #8 shows the upper portion of the slope and the remaining route to the summit. Follow the great trail all the way to the ridge crest (13,450') just north of the summit.

The summit is 1/4 mile away and another 550' of elevation gain - Photo #9. Follow the trail west for a bit and begin climbing the east side of Huron's northwest face. This portion of the trail was recently constructed and is fairly easy to follow. It's all rocks, so there may be small sections where rocks have moved over the defined trail. Near 13,950', the trail returns to ridge - Photo #10. Photo #11 looks down on the route. Walk up to the summit - Photo #12, Photo #13 and Photo #14.