Cinnamon Pass Quicky

Well, not that kind of quicky.

But I did get Wood.

"That’s what she said."
~ Michael Scott, Regional Manager, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company

We were iffy on the attending the 2022 Fall Gathering because of the forecast. I know several people bailed. But you don’t know if you don’t go. And this year’s weather forecasts have been iffy at best.

We decide to go, and to get there Thursday night to take advantage of Friday morning’s good weather window. We arrived at Mill Creek Campground around midnight. But did we get up at 4:30 a.m. like those that went for Sunshine and Redcloud… nope. We stayed in bed until 7:30.

Got up. Made coffee. Cooked a real breakfast. Set up a bit of camp. And then decided to head up to Cinnamon Pass.

Side bar: CR 30 is in awful shape. It is the worst I have seen it in 20-plus years. Getting a 2wd vehicle to the Grizzly Gulch TH used to be the norm. I would not take a regular 2wd up that road anymore. It is rough, rocky and washed out / repaired in spots. Between the heavy rains and OHV traffic this summer, the road is no longer an easy cruise. Even 4wd vehicles will be driving slower, so add anywhere from 15-30 minutes to your trip. You will want a 4x4 to get to the top of the pass, some of the switchbacks are all rock. I spoke with a sheriff deputy on top the of the pass, and he said the road has gotten worse since this spring. Not sure what it will be like once the snow melts for the 2023 summer.

Well, obviously, it took longer to reach Cinnamon Pass than we thought it would. Got our obligatory tourist vehicle / sign photo. Then we parked out of the way at the top and started hiking at the leisurely 11:30 a.m. So much for taking advantage of the morning forecast.

The goal for the day was to hike Wood Mountain. The second goal, was to see how the weather looked when we got to the top.

The pass is at 12,600 and change. Wood is at 13,660. We were looking at 1,000 feet of gain. Not a big day by any means.

We started out and just went up and over the bump across the street, behind the pass sign. We should have hiked down the road on the Silverton side about 100 yards to an old mining road. It is very obvious once you see it… just can’t see it from the parking lot.

Anyway, we headed toward the right shoulder of Wood to gain the lower ridge, which of course is an old mining road. On the ridge near 13,000. Followed it up to a flattened cabin or mining structure near 13,100. We got hit with some grapple a couple times, but nothing to worry about.

From the structure, it’s pretty much a straight ridge walk. Not much of a trail. Near 13,300 it becomes a loose gravel and dirt mixture. Not good for traction on the way up, but it made for a quick and easy descent. The top 50 feet became rocky, but still easy Class 2. Then the summit.

We spent about 10 minutes on the top. Watched a snow squall in the Henson Creek drainage that blocked out Uncompahgre. Thought about heading over to 13,708 and Animas Forks, but only thought about it.

We got out. Saw some peaks. Enjoyed the short hike. And decided to call it a lazy day. We were back to the Suburban in a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. (about 2.5 miles)

Now, I know some would cringe at leaving some orphaned peaks on this hike. But the remaining peaks can be grabbed without having to resummit Wood. There is a trail, I assume an old mining trail or road, that bypasses the peak to the saddle with 13,708. You can see this on some of the GPX tracks or route maps people post. And hey, this is a great area to visit. So, why not come back.

I took some photos for a few people hanging out at the Cinnamon Pass sign, and spoke to the deputy before heading down. Once again, a very slow go.

But the aspens were in prime color, so a beautiful drive.

If you are looking for another Cinnamon Pass Quicky, try Cinnamon Peak, 1.6 miles, 600 feet of gain. Up and down, with plenty of time for photos and snacks in 1.5 hours.

We stayed lazy, like a lot of people did this weekend. But others did grab some peaks. We had tentative plans for the Carson area, but that didn’t happen. On Saturday, we went for a short hike on Camp Trail (near and across the road from Williams Creek Campground.) It goes up behind the Camp Ozark / Camp Redcloud property and up to the Continental Divide. We did another 1,000 feet of gain in about 2.5 miles through some very nice aspen groves. Simply an enjoyable hike. Highly recommend it. We didn’t hit the top, but that’s ok.

Hung out at the campfire a bit on Saturday night. Sunday morning brought some great views with fresh snow. Everyone packed up and was gone. A good Gathering, but not large. Was good to see some familiar faces and meet some new people.