Mt. Yale Trip Report 08/05/2023

Report Type	Mini
Peak(s)	Mt. Yale - 14,200 feet
Date Posted	08/05/2023
Modified	08/18/2023
Date Climbed	08/05/2023
Author	danceshiva

Mt Yale Southwest Slopes - Great 1st 14er!
This would be an easy trail to start hiking in the dark (with a headlamp) before daylight. I started at 6:30 am and wish I had started at 3 or 4:00 am to see the sunrise at peak. The entire trail up until you reach around 13,000 ft or beyond the tree line is wide, clearly visible and I dare even say "fancy" - there are stone and log steps along the way. At mile 2 and 3 there are clear camping spots in the woods off the trail - they are in beautiful areas and close to the streams. Plenty of dispersed camping spots are along the road near Denny TH too. I stayed at one spot between Collegiate Peaks campground and the Avalanche TH - it was great. I don't know why people make a fuss about parking either. There's plenty of it at the TH and along the road. I believe you could even hitch a ride with someone from the nearby campground. Who else is going to be on the road at 4am near there? Anyway, another reason to start early is that the wind seems to really pick up around 10:00 am maybe it was earlier too, but there was a noticeable change then from clear skies to clouds and high, gusty winds. This was my first 14er and I thought it was a "perfect" one. I'm in average shape and 51 yo with bad knees. It pays to be in shape though - I did a few backpacking trips over 3 weekends and I lifted weights/did 30-45 mins of cardio and yoga 3x during the week for a month prior before I hiked Yale. It was still hard in spots, but the hike was gradual all the way. I used poles up until I reached the peak and a few other places where there were some rocks to navigate through. I completed the trip in 7 hrs ~ 3 1/2 hrs ea way.

Mt Yale Southwest Slopes - Great 1st 14er!

This would be an easy trail to start hiking in the dark (with a headlamp) before daylight. I started at 6:30 am and wish I had started at 3 or 4:00 am to see the sunrise at peak. The entire trail up until you reach around 13,000 ft or beyond the tree line is wide, clearly visible and I dare even say "fancy" - there are stone and log steps along the way. At mile 2 and 3 there are clear camping spots in the woods off the trail - they are in beautiful areas and close to the streams. Plenty of dispersed camping spots are along the road near Denny TH too. I stayed at one spot between Collegiate Peaks campground and the Avalanche TH - it was great. I don't know why people make a fuss about parking either. There's plenty of it at the TH and along the road. I believe you could even hitch a ride with someone from the nearby campground. Who else is going to be on the road at 4am near there? Anyway, another reason to start early is that the wind seems to really pick up around 10:00 am maybe it was earlier too, but there was a noticeable change then from clear skies to clouds and high, gusty winds. This was my first 14er and I thought it was a "perfect" one. I'm in average shape and 51 yo with bad knees. It pays to be in shape though - I did a few backpacking trips over 3 weekends and I lifted weights/did 30-45 mins of cardio and yoga 3x during the week for a month prior before I hiked Yale. It was still hard in spots, but the hike was gradual all the way. I used poles up until I reached the peak and a few other places where there were some rocks to navigate through. I completed the trip in 7 hrs ~ 3 1/2 hrs ea way.

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