Mt. Bross

No, the true summit of Mount Bross remains strictly closed to the public. While recent U.S. Forest Service acquisitions have permanently protected the main trails along the Decalibron loop, a complex web of private owners still holds the mineral rights and land on the actual high point. Walking onto the true summit plateau is considered illegal trespassing, and hikers must strictly utilize the marked Bross Bypass Trail to complete the loop without violating landowner boundaries.

The mountain was named in honor of William Bross, a prominent 1800s Chicago newspaper publisher and the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Bross heavily traveled through Colorado's mining districts during the silver boom of 1869. He became a major national advocate for the territory's expansion, delivering widely publicized speeches that attracted massive investment into the local mining operations surrounding Alma and Fairplay.

The descent down the west slopes of Mount Bross back to Kite Lake is notoriously slick, but much of the difficulty comes from hikers not paying attention. Many people make the mistake of blindly dropping directly down the steep, open scree slopes simply because they see where others have obviously done the same. If you pay close attention and follow the 14ers.com Mount Bross route description, you can stay on an established trail that navigates along the ridge line; while it still has loose scree, it is vastly safer and more manageable than the dangerous shortcut gullies. If you are doing Bross alone, you would be ascending this route as well and the route is fairly obvious. If you're doing the Decalibron, you might consider doing it counter clockwise so you can start with the west slopes of Bross. Ascending this way means you won't have to descend the steep scree along the ridge on the west side of Bross.

These peaks were the absolute epicenter of Colorado's late-1800s silver rush, hosting legendary operations like the Moose Mine and the Russia Mine. Because miners found rich silver deposits right in the horizontal limestone layers rather than vertical granite veins, the interior of these mountains was hollowed out like Swiss cheese. The peaks are pockmarked with partially collapsing underground tunnels and open vertical shafts that sit just inches beneath the surface, which is exactly why the land remains private property and hikers must stay strictly on the established trail to avoid hazards.