Intro and Trailhead: Me and 5ClimbingCooneys set out late on Friday with the plan of camping at Montgomery Reservoir and probably only summiting Wheeler because we had commitments in Glenwood later in the day, though Clinton, McNamee, and Traver weren’t out of the question if we were doing good on time. We felt camping was necessary because we live a little ways away from Hoosier Pass and Breck but you could easily do this as a day hike depending on where you're coming from. There was no one at the Montgomery Reservoir TH when we arrived as we pulled in at 8:30-9:00 at night. There are plenty of places to pull over and park and we found a pullout on the second switchback right before the first major obstacle that had room for 3-4 cars. Do not try to go up past the first obstacle unless you are confident in your 4WD ability and have an appropriately suited and equipped vehicle.

4x4 Road to Wheeler Saddle: We didn’t get as early of a start as we had hoped and started hiking at around 6:15-20ish. We planned to follow the standard route up Wheeler. After a couple hundred yards we passed the historical Magnolia Mill and started up the rough 4x4 track, (how the heck do people do this?) Early on we passed an old piece of mining equipment (Pic1) and continued on into the trees. The going was fast on the relatively flat track, but keep in mind you are gaining around 1,160 ft of vertical elevation. After breaking out of the trees we started to have more encounters with water. At first it was just some puddles here or there and a small section of flowing water. But as we gained in elevation the flowing section became longer and the puddles became bigger. (Pics2-4) Most of these are easily navigable with established offshoots and side trails skirting around the large puddles/ponds. Even with the water we were still making good time to the lake. A stream crossing near the bottom of the 4x4 obstacle known as bowling ball hill (you’ll know it when you see it) was the only major water obstacle on the route. I would recommend bringing an extra pair of socks just in case for the road section. (Pics5-6) We soon gained Wheeler lake and the route up to the saddle was visible and is pretty straight forward. A good portion of the lake was still frozen over but it made for some cool views. (Pics7-8) We hiked along the West side of Wheeler lake and passed the old car shortly before our accent (Pic9) We hit this area in the spring melt phase and it was marshy and wet traversing the lake. We followed some shaky trails up the first part of the ascent and reached the smaller unnamed lake right below Wheeler. (Pics10-11) After a quick breather we traversed the East side of the lake on a trail that takes off from where you come up to the lake. It’s surprisingly well defined for a little ways then predictably starts to fade out. It faded in and out of a few minor snow banks but was still followable.The snow was firm and solid and there was pitifully little of it considering what time of year we were in. We continued up to the Wheeler saddle and aimed for a grassy section along the ridge. (Pic12) There were some iffy trails we followed through the low tundra ledges on our way up until it became rocky and loose. We eventually found a half decent trail right below the ridge. (Pic13) The views continue to be great! (Pic14)

Wheeler saddle to summit and back: We had heard reports that the ridge up Wheeler goes if you didn’t mind some exposure. Us being the adventurous souls we are, we started up the ridge instead of taking the standard class 3 route. (Pic15) The standard route basically takes you over several rock ribbons and through several gullies until the final pitch on the summit where there is some open climbing. The ridge we found out is pretty easy for the first part (Pic16) but gets a little confusing as you go farther up. Our solution was to stick the sides of the top of the ridge. (Pic17) There are places on the left and right sides that work but as we neared the summit we went more toward the west facing slope. (Saw some Goats as we got closer) (Pic18) Even though we didn’t follow the ridge directly, we are pretty sure it goes almost all the way. On the summit we identified three possible summits and tagged all three just to be safe, though we are pretty certain the closest bump is the highest. (Pic19-20) On our way down we pretty much retraced our steps back to the saddle. Snow was hardly a problem given this year’s dismal winter but there were a few spots in shaded areas where snow existed. Note, if you follow the standard route it looks like it's possible to get sucked down on the west slopes and make it difficult to regain the saddle.

Wheeler saddle to Clinton: Back on the saddle we decided to go for the other three 13ers. We followed the ridge the opposite way from wheeler and started up Clinton's false summit. Don’t be fooled, the real summit is farther along the ridge. The Ridge from the Wheeler saddle to Clinton false summit is class 2+ and shorter than you think. We completed it in 25 minutes. Our only concern was that we would get stuck two far left and into the big snow fields below. But it didn’t prove to be a problem as we traversed over to the right side and found a trail that led us up Clinton's false summit. There was no snow on the ridge from Wheeler to Clinton False summit. Once we gained the ridge the wind picked up. We had experienced some winds on Wheeler but they weren’t anything a climber in the high country wouldn’t expect. Now it came at us about 15-30 MPH constant and 50-60 MPH gusts with the gust happening about every two-seven minutes. So a ridge that should have taken us 15-20 minutes took us 30. But the ridge was only class 2 at best and had solid rock and we were soon on the summit of Clinton at 11:35, we had left the Wheeler saddle at around 10:3–35ish (Pics 21-22)

Clinton to McNamee: After a short time on the summit of Clinton we continued on to McNamee. The descent from Clinton is a little on the steep side but still doesn’t exceed class 2. The rock is firm and the only thing to make you lose your footing is the wind. Since we had left Clinton false summit there had been consistent snow on the left side of the ridge but not enough to get in the way or cause problems. This ridge offers great views of the Climax Mine and the shrinking Bartlett Mountain. (Pic23) With the short easy ridge, we were soon on the summit of McNamee.

McNamee to Traver: The descent from McNamee offered nothing of interest to us. You simply follow the opposite ridge down to the saddle. The ridge up to Traver is Class 2+ and we found it easier to stay on the left side of the ridge instead of following it directly, mostly just to try and stay out of the ever present wind. The rock was surprisingly stable and we quickly summited our last peak of the day. We summited our last peak at about 12:15 (Pic24-25)

Traver to Montgomery Reservoir: We descended the east ridge of Traver until we encountered Tundra. We then turned left and followed the basin down to the flat area above Wheeler lake. (Pic26) We found the remains of an old cabin and picked up some of the old trails that led down into the lower basin where we spotted another mountain goat. (Pic27) Once in the lower basin we aimed for a large grassy knoll and once we had arrived at it, began looking for a way down. We quickly saw a break in the rocky terrain and spotted a series of grassy ledges we could follow down. On our descent we had to cross 1 or 2 snow fields but they weren’t too big or steeply angled. After that it was quick walking to the road. We made it to the road by about 1:50. On our way down the road was pretty busy with offroad traffic and we occasionally stopped to watch. Aside from that the hike down was pretty dull and boring in contrast to the blood pumping ridge and wind. We took a moment to stop at the Magnolia Mine on our way down (Pic28) and take a look into Colorado's Mining past. We were back to the car at about 2:45-50ish so it was about an 8 -and-a-half hour day.

Conclusion: This route is a great way to bag 4 13ers in less than a day and provides great views as always. The wind and cold are always worth it! Keep in mind that when I'm talking snow, the 2025-26 snow season was terrible in terms of snowpack. If you are reading this report in future (hopefully better) years, then I would expect more snow and water en route to all four peaks.

Pic2 on the road near the first water