Grays Peak Trip Report 06/24/2025

Report Type	Mini
Peak(s)	Grays Peak - 14,275 feet
Date Posted	06/24/2025
Modified	06/27/2025
Date Climbed	06/19/2025
Author	Jrvegas

Grays/Torreys -North Slope/North Ridge
Howdy from Texas! As a Texan I have grown up skiing several times a year in Colorado, and hiking in the summer/fall, but hadn't had the opportunity to pursue any 14er Summits. I am proud to have finally started on tackling this bucket list item with an easy two summits of Grays and Torreys. I am happy to be here, and hope I can post several more summits in the years to come. We were staying in Black Hawk at the Horsehoe Casino, so as you can imagine, we had a later than ideal start (late night), but were still able to arrive at the summer trailhead around 05:30 in the morning. We were able to secure what appeared to be the very last "parking spot" and had a caravan of about 6-7 vehicles behind us which had to turn around. June 19th was a federal holiday, and with the easy access to Denver/Colorado Springs, I imagine the crowds were a bit more than normal, but I would still emphasize arriving well before 05:30 if you want a guaranteed spot. Stevens Gulch Road was in pretty good condition (for a 4runner), with no snow on the road, and we did see a few Honda CRVs, Outbacks, Rav4s, and even a Civic at the trailhead, so with confidence it appears most vehicles can manage the road. We arrived in Colorado the day before this hike and did a short trail run (~3.5 miles, ~600ft elevation gain) as a warm-up, so acclimation level was not at its best. However, prior to this hike, I had experience up to ~12,800 - ~13,000 ft from Ski Touring and various hikes in the past. Grays The North Slope trail of Grays is very well maintained all the way up to the summit, with minimal snow coverage in mid-June (at least in our experience). Poles and no micro-spikes were amply sufficient for safe navigation, and we saw plenty of hikers without either. The North Ridge of Grays is a little less defined/maintained, however, the cairns are clearly marked, and it is very easy to choose a safe path down to the saddle with Torreys. Torreys Torreys Southeast Ridge trail, is equally well maintained and definable as Grays, however, it is a noticeably steeper incline which was moderately tiring, particularly after summiting Grays. After the descent back down the Southeast Ridge to the saddle, there was a decent-sized snowfield from the saddle to the split between the Gray and Torreys trails. It would have been nice to have spikes for this portion, as the midday snow was slushy and very loose. However, we managed with poles and at the end there was a pretty sweet little glissade opportunity down to the Gray/Torreys split. Conditions & Views We were lucky enough to have a completely bluebird day, however, with almost no wind, this made for some pretty gnarly sun exposure and we saw several very sunburnt people on the way back to the trailhead. Grays/Torreys both offered incredible views of Breckenridge and Quandary Peak to the west/southwest and we could even see some good snow coverage on Holy Cross in the distance. Also pretty good view of Bierstadt and Evans, which I guess they are calling Blue Sky now. The trail, as mentioned above, was largely free of snow, but we did get to see a few guys getting in some turns on the Dead Dog Couloir, and one guy who looked like he was attempting Emperor, but we think he stopped and booted back up to try Dead Dog. The northern valley is very beautiful with magnificent views of Grays/Torreys and the Kelso Ridge on the way up. Wildlife was in abundance with plenty of Marmots, those little things that I believe are called Pikas (correct me if I'm wrong) and a few individual groups of the Rocky Mountain Goats (Oreamnos Americanus). There are several small streams running down the valley adjacent to the trail that I was told are potable with a filter, though I can not confirm as we just packed up all our water for the day. There is a pretty cool old mine entrance a short distance to the north/northwest up the turnoff for Kelso Ridge, that affords a pretty good spot to sit, enjoy a snack, and look out over the valley. Strava tracked my total distance at 8.47 miles roundtrip and about 5 hours from trailhead and back. Overall exceptional hike, and a great introduction to Colorado's fantastic 14ers. Can't wait to keep knocking these off the bucket list and looking forward posting more updates here in the future. Until then, God bless and keep enjoying the outdoors! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Grays/Torreys -North Slope/North Ridge

Howdy from Texas!

As a Texan I have grown up skiing several times a year in Colorado, and hiking in the summer/fall, but hadn't had the opportunity to pursue any 14er Summits. I am proud to have finally started on tackling this bucket list item with an easy two summits of Grays and Torreys. I am happy to be here, and hope I can post several more summits in the years to come.

We were staying in Black Hawk at the Horsehoe Casino, so as you can imagine, we had a later than ideal start (late night), but were still able to arrive at the summer trailhead around 05:30 in the morning. We were able to secure what appeared to be the very last "parking spot" and had a caravan of about 6-7 vehicles behind us which had to turn around. June 19th was a federal holiday, and with the easy access to Denver/Colorado Springs, I imagine the crowds were a bit more than normal, but I would still emphasize arriving well before 05:30 if you want a guaranteed spot.

Stevens Gulch Road was in pretty good condition (for a 4runner), with no snow on the road, and we did see a few Honda CRVs, Outbacks, Rav4s, and even a Civic at the trailhead, so with confidence it appears most vehicles can manage the road.

We arrived in Colorado the day before this hike and did a short trail run (~3.5 miles, ~600ft elevation gain) as a warm-up, so acclimation level was not at its best. However, prior to this hike, I had experience up to ~12,800 - ~13,000 ft from Ski Touring and various hikes in the past.

Grays

The North Slope trail of Grays is very well maintained all the way up to the summit, with minimal snow coverage in mid-June (at least in our experience). Poles and no micro-spikes were amply sufficient for safe navigation, and we saw plenty of hikers without either.

The North Ridge of Grays is a little less defined/maintained, however, the cairns are clearly marked, and it is very easy to choose a safe path down to the saddle with Torreys.

Torreys

Torreys Southeast Ridge trail, is equally well maintained and definable as Grays, however, it is a noticeably steeper incline which was moderately tiring, particularly after summiting Grays. After the descent back down the Southeast Ridge to the saddle, there was a decent-sized snowfield from the saddle to the split between the Gray and Torreys trails. It would have been nice to have spikes for this portion, as the midday snow was slushy and very loose. However, we managed with poles and at the end there was a pretty sweet little glissade opportunity down to the Gray/Torreys split.

Conditions & Views

We were lucky enough to have a completely bluebird day, however, with almost no wind, this made for some pretty gnarly sun exposure and we saw several very sunburnt people on the way back to the trailhead. Grays/Torreys both offered incredible views of Breckenridge and Quandary Peak to the west/southwest and we could even see some good snow coverage on Holy Cross in the distance. Also pretty good view of Bierstadt and Evans, which I guess they are calling Blue Sky now. The trail, as mentioned above, was largely free of snow, but we did get to see a few guys getting in some turns on the Dead Dog Couloir, and one guy who looked like he was attempting Emperor, but we think he stopped and booted back up to try Dead Dog.

The northern valley is very beautiful with magnificent views of Grays/Torreys and the Kelso Ridge on the way up. Wildlife was in abundance with plenty of Marmots, those little things that I believe are called Pikas (correct me if I'm wrong) and a few individual groups of the Rocky Mountain Goats (Oreamnos Americanus). There are several small streams running down the valley adjacent to the trail that I was told are potable with a filter, though I can not confirm as we just packed up all our water for the day. There is a pretty cool old mine entrance a short distance to the north/northwest up the turnoff for Kelso Ridge, that affords a pretty good spot to sit, enjoy a snack, and look out over the valley.

Strava tracked my total distance at 8.47 miles roundtrip and about 5 hours from trailhead and back.

Overall exceptional hike, and a great introduction to Colorado's fantastic 14ers. Can't wait to keep knocking these off the bucket list and looking forward posting more updates here in the future. Until then, God bless and keep enjoying the outdoors!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Splidback	Any steep ridges? 6/27/2025 8:40am Hi! Thanks for the info. Did you have any steep ridges? My husband is afraid of heights and sometimes at the summit he has to stop going up because of the steep drops. Thanks for any info! We are going on Sunday.
Jrvegas	Steep Ridges Response 6/27/2025 1:11pm Hi! The summit trail for Grays is wide and well-defined, as is the trail down to the saddle. While there are certainly steeper vertical sections, none of them offer any steep drop-offs to the sides of the trail and should be completely manageable for someone with a fear of heights. My hiking part also struggles with this. The Torreys Summit trail also has its fair share of steep inclines however, there is not much worry of drop-offs to the side and it all feels very solid and wide. HOWEVER be aware that the portion of the Torreys trail which traverses from the saddle back to the main Grays/Torreys trail is very narrow, was snow-covered last week, and does offer a pretty substantially steep drop directly down the north side for several hundred feet. I do not worry about heights at all, but the snow coverage did make me nervous without spikes, and I could see someone who struggles with heights having a hard time at this point. You can avoid the traverse however, by going back up the Grays ridge, or picking your own trail across the boulder field. We saw numerous groups do both of those options and they are both noticeably safer/less worrisome. Have fun! And please come back and comment about how the hike went.
Jrvegas	Steep Ridge Resp. Continued 6/27/2025 1:17pm I have updated my initial report with (3) three additional pictures of the traverse that I mention above. The pictures give you a decent idea of the terrain but do not do the steepness justice, so please make your own safe judgment call.

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