Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Forum rules
- This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
- Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
- Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
- Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 12/22/2018
- Trip Reports (0)
Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
My experience so far:
60 years old but a bit better than the average 60 year iowa guy. Two years ago attempted Grays peak with way too much gear and bad boots. Drove straight to the trailhead from iowa, slept the night and attempted the next morning. Did not summit. Lost one toenail.
Last year went back out better physical condition, spent a few days to acclimate and easily summited with my 21 year old son and his friend. This year we want to do another and have a few newbies along but we no longer have a high wheel clearance vehicle. We want to do a different peak but one that is easy and easy to drive to the trailhead. Late june to August timeframe. Any strong suggestions?
Gregg
60 years old but a bit better than the average 60 year iowa guy. Two years ago attempted Grays peak with way too much gear and bad boots. Drove straight to the trailhead from iowa, slept the night and attempted the next morning. Did not summit. Lost one toenail.
Last year went back out better physical condition, spent a few days to acclimate and easily summited with my 21 year old son and his friend. This year we want to do another and have a few newbies along but we no longer have a high wheel clearance vehicle. We want to do a different peak but one that is easy and easy to drive to the trailhead. Late june to August timeframe. Any strong suggestions?
Gregg
- Cygnus X1
- Posts: 274
- Joined: 12/18/2016
- 14ers: 44 1
- 13ers: 17
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Quandary and Bierstadt would be excellent choices.
- Cygnus X1
- Posts: 274
- Joined: 12/18/2016
- 14ers: 44 1
- 13ers: 17
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Evans from Summit Lake would be another option.
- dwoodward13
- Posts: 746
- Joined: 3/26/2011
- 14ers: 58 12
- 13ers: 157 6
- Trip Reports (1)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
A good option for one of the most scenic easier peaks would be Huron. It has better views and will be less crowded than other easier peaks like Sherman, Bierstadt, Quandary, Evans. There's great car camping on CR 390 on the way to the 2wd trailhead (Winfield). Only downside is without an 4wd/AWD vehicle you will have to road walk the ~2 miles from Winfield to the 4wd TH. Its a pretty flat walk so the miles go fast and isn't bad at all. Also a chance you could thumb a ride up.
If it doesn't have to be a 14er that would also open up a lot more options.
If it doesn't have to be a 14er that would also open up a lot more options.
- kaiman
- Posts: 1367
- Joined: 5/3/2006
- Trip Reports (10)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
The Decalibron - Democrat, Lincoln, (Cameron), and Bross would be another good option for your group.
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."
- Joe Stettner
"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."
- Andy Kirkpatrick
- Joe Stettner
"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."
- Andy Kirkpatrick
- Mtnman200
- Posts: 1113
- Joined: 9/26/2012
- 14ers: 58 1
- 13ers: 440
- Trip Reports (85)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Yale is another possibility. Easy trailhead access and a nice trail to the summit.
"Adventure without risk is not possible." - Reinhold Messner
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 12/22/2018
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Thanks everyone! I now have some good items to research during the holidays. This is awesome.
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
How about Mt Elbert, NE Ridge (standard route).
Class 1, can drive a car to the TH, and it's the high point of CO.
Class 1, can drive a car to the TH, and it's the high point of CO.
The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana.
-
- Posts: 534
- Joined: 7/10/2006
- 14ers: 45
- 13ers: 70
- Trip Reports (1)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
I'll second Yale - paved road to the trailhead and nice hike. Elbert can be a long day if you have people who've never done a mountain before. If you want to break away from the pack a little bit, Fletcher was one of my favorites (it's right behind Quandary). Bill has a nice route description.
https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=flet1&type=13ers
https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=flet1&type=13ers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pwahl/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Huron, Humboldt, and Handies are the most scenic of the easier ones, but if you don't have a high clearence vehicle, Humboldt is your best bet.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
- yaktoleft13
- Posts: 426
- Joined: 4/17/2017
- 14ers: 58 15
- 13ers: 264 22
- Trip Reports (21)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Humboldt is actually the longest of those three and has the most gain from their respective non-4WD trailheads. Humboldt's about 16 from the lower SCL trailhead, Huron's about 10.5 or so from Winfield, and Handies is about 8 from the turnoff for American Basin (which is reachable by most vehicles).Scott P wrote:Huron, Humboldt, and Handies are the most scenic of the easier ones, but if you don't have a high clearence vehicle, Humboldt is your best bet.
- huffy13
- Posts: 1051
- Joined: 8/2/2007
- 14ers: 22
- 13ers: 8
- Trip Reports (30)
Re: Easy peak for iowa group with easy trailhead, suggestions?
Yale and Quandary are good hikes with easy access to the trailheads. These are both very fun and scenic...at least to me they are. Handies is also a great one and getting to the Grizzly Gulch TH is no problem as long as you are cool with a couple of miles along a narrow shelf road. I recommend ascending Handies via Grizzly Gulch and descending through American Basin and hiking the road back to Grizzly Gulch/Silver Creek. Doesn't add very much distance and what is added is easy, but very pretty. Huron is probably another good option, though the road to the actual TH is rough, but you'll probably have plenty of opportunities to hitch a ride.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.