Rio Grande Pyramid route description

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mnsebourn
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Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by mnsebourn »

I have my eye on this peak for June or July. I’ve read the route description in Roach’s book, and I’ve perused trip reports on this site. Is there a particular trip report or resource that provides a detailed route description with some pics? I’d likely try to cover the ~20 miles in a day and don’t love the idea of getting lost.
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Scott P
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by Scott P »

mnsebourn wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 4:27 pm Is there a particular trip report or resource that provides a detailed route description with some pics? I’d likely try to cover the ~20 miles in a day and don’t love the idea of getting lost.
It's in these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Colorados-Thirte ... 242&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/Colorados-Thirte ... 242&sr=1-2

If you click on the LoJ page, there are reports with gpx files:

https://listsofjohn.com/peak/120
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mnsebourn
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by mnsebourn »

Thanks for all the info! That trip report answered a couple of my questions pretty quickly.
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by Dan_Suitor »

I did Rio Grande Pyramid last summer. Roach’s route is not the same as WildWanderer’s. Roach has you turn off the Weminuche Creek Trail onto Opal Lake Trail while WildWanderer continued on and joined up with the CDT. I turned onto the Opal Lake Trail, which was extremely difficult to find in the dark. After summiting Rio Grande Pyramid, I went over to the Window, then returned via the CDT. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to answer them.
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Jorts
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by Jorts »

Traveling light is the only way to fly.
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madmattd
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by madmattd »

A friend and I did the CDT approach in 2021 as a short overnight. No real issues following the trail, unlike many stories of the Opal Lake/Skyline/whatever-we're-calling-it-this-month route. Just don't turn slightly left/cross at the start of the open valley, the CDT stays on the right side of the lower valley (roughly photo18 on the WW TR). I think Skyline/Opal Lake is a little shorter mileage-wise, but only maybe ~1mi each way? We found a more efficient route through the willows, barely had to bash any: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/peakstat ... cnum=21503. Once at the base of the summit cone, the route was pretty visually obvious. More solid rock just to the left of the gully everyone ascends.
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by yaktoleft13 »

madmattd wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:15 am A friend and I did the CDT approach in 2021 as a short overnight. No real issues following the trail, unlike many stories of the Opal Lake/Skyline/whatever-we're-calling-it-this-month route. Just don't turn slightly left/cross at the start of the open valley, the CDT stays on the right side of the lower valley (roughly photo18 on the WW TR). I think Skyline/Opal Lake is a little shorter mileage-wise, but only maybe ~1mi each way? We found a more efficient route through the willows, barely had to bash any: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/peakstat ... cnum=21503. Once at the base of the summit cone, the route was pretty visually obvious. More solid rock just to the left of the gully everyone ascends.
I did the skyline trail around this time. The skyline/opal lake turnoff was pretty easy to find. It was a cairned veer slightly to the right at the start of an open meadow ~100 feet after a creek crossing. The trail wasn't hard to find (other than one short section) and I remember no bushwhacking at all in the willows. Pretty sure there was a very followable trail all the way through. Also, the trail seemed to be at that magic grade for much of it that you barely feel like you're going uphill so you can absolutely fly. Climbs waaaaaay faster than the mileage would suggest, at least on approach
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by mikemalick »

The Hiking Project has a GPX for the Skyline/Opal Lake Tr: https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/705 ... -trail-714
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by madmattd »

yaktoleft13 wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:40 amI did the skyline trail around this time. The skyline/opal lake turnoff was pretty easy to find. It was a cairned veer slightly to the right at the start of an open meadow ~100 feet after a creek crossing. The trail wasn't hard to find (other than one short section) and I remember no bushwhacking at all in the willows. Pretty sure there was a very followable trail all the way through. Also, the trail seemed to be at that magic grade for much of it that you barely feel like you're going uphill so you can absolutely fly. Climbs waaaaaay faster than the mileage would suggest, at least on approach
Good to know. We saw the junction, pretty clear just after the stream crossing at the height-of-land as you said. But we'd heard stories of blowdown hell (awesome to hear that seems to have been cleared out) and were planning to camp anyway, so we didn't venture that way. The CDT in there is pretty cruiser overall but does have some notable climbs, especially between where we camped and treeline.

I need to return someday to play on some of the other peaks in the area, but RGP was awesome!
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by supranihilest »

I've been up the Opal Lake trail (partway) and down the CDT on one trip, and up and down the CDT on another. While my friend and I did find a trail on the first trip we don't think it was the actual trail since it didn't line up with maps or the GPX we had. The bushwhacking up there wasn't too bad. Regardless the CDT was super obvious and cruiser and is probably the better choice for a more mindless approach even if it's a little longer. In good weather it'd be pretty difficult to get lost following the Weminuche trail to the CDT to RGP.
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Re: Rio Grande Pyramid route description

Post by LetsGoMets »

I did the Skyline trail up and back last summer. A slight bit difficult to pin down the trail in the dark, but it's in an obvious open area at a cairn just after a creek as mentioned, you'll find it. Trail itself was easy to follow, save for one area of blowdown, but the direction is obvious. Zero willow bashing, trail maneuvered extremely easily through them. I'd recommend it for sure.
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