I was born and raised here and have hiked all over the state. However, I'm trying to make a better effort now to start bagging more of the actual 14ers in various parts. For whatever reason, San Luis Peak has been on my mind since the springtime. Something about a looked over and seldom hiked mountain appeals to me. The Front Range and even the Sawatch have become so busy in recent years that I chose to do this hike at the end of summer simply based on the fact that so few talk about it. This mountain and hike did not disappoint.

We arrived at the trailhead the night before to car camp around 7 and saw a few hunters and hikers scattered about on the way in. The dirt road is almost 30 miles after you leave the paved road on Cochetopa Pass. We started nice and early (5:22am) to try and beat the wind that was forecasted to pick up around 12pm.

Hiking through the dead part of the forest in the morning gave off a spooky but really cool vibe. We heard a bull elk just across the river and made sure to keep our pace moving while also making some noise and keeping headlamps on. I would recommend a side arm in this part of the state for an encounter. The trail dips down in the brush and you could easily run right into a large animal. A few of the hunters we talked to mentioned some of the large game they saw early in the morning and when it gets into the mating season for elk I would be cautious.

This trail is really nice because it has a pretty consistent inline from the start all the way up to tree line. After tree line there is a small and slightly steeper incline up to the ridge, followed by about 2 somewhat steeper sections on the way to the summit. Very easy hiking overall.

On a side note. Atticus was chipper in the morning but I think he had an upset belly and was moody at the top today.

Great hike. Highly recommend. Even as it gets colder and windier this is still a quiet and pleasant peak to hike up.