Conundrum Peak

Take Castle Creek from the roundabout just west of the center of Aspen. Drive 12.5 miles (paved) to the Castle Creek trailhead. To the right, Forest Road (FR) 102 continues all all the way to 12,800'. Good-clearance passenger cars can drive about 1 mile up this road to reach the dispersed camp sites along the road. If you want to shorten your hike by parking higher, you must have a 4WD vehicle with good clearance. From the lower trailhead parking area, proceed to a river crossing, at 1.3 miles. In spring and early summer, this crossing is a challenge for some 4WD vehicles. At 3 miles, reach the Pearl Pass junction and stay right on the Castle Creek 102 road. If you drove up this far, there are a few parking spots near the junction. The road gets worse as it ascends into Montezuma Basin all the way to 12,800'.

If you only want to hike Conundrum Peak, by its easiest route, this is the route for you. However, do some research to make sure there is still snow remaining on the steep slope between the small lake and the Castle-Conundrum saddle. Without snow there, it's not a good idea to climb that slope.

From the 2WD trailhead, drive up the Castle Creek (FR 102) road, where you'll find marked camping spots along the first 1.25 miles. At approximately 10,200' and 1.3 miles up the road, you'll reach a creek crossing with a footbridge -  1. If the road ahead is open and you're driving a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, you may continue higher. Low-clearance vehicles should NOT attempt this crossing, particularly in early summer when the water flow is high. If you plan to drive across, it's a smart idea to first walk over the footbridge to assess the conditions. Drive/walk nearly 2 more miles to the Pearl Pass road junction, at 11,150' -  2. Turn right and continue on the main road as it ascends into Montezuma Basin -  3 and  4. Pass the Montezuma Mine and continue for another 0.5 mile until you reach the end of the road, at 12,800' -  5.

Without a defined trail, begin ascending the slope or headwall that blocks easy access to the upper basin -  6 and  7. Gain approximately 500 feet to reach the upper basin at around 13,400' -  8. Your next objective is to reach and climb the steep slope just below the Castle-Conundrum saddle -  9. Traverse along the west (right) side of the basin, avoiding the small lake, until you reach the base of the steep slope -  10,  11, and  12. This slope is the crux of the route and is best climbed when stable snow coverage is present. Ascend carefully to reach the saddle at 13,800'.

From the saddle, the route up Conundrum's south ridge is fairly obvious - stay near the ridge crest and follow trail segments up through loose rock and small ledges to reach the summit ridge -  13. Hike up a short distance, pass a rock outcropping ( 14), and continue to reach a flat area on the ridge -  15. Above this area, the terrain gets a bit steeper but the difficulty does not exceed "Difficult Class 2." Look for trail segments and breaks in the rocks that provide passage along the ridge -  16. Continue up through broken rock ( 17) to reach the south end of the summit ridge -  18. Conundrum has two "summits" and the true one is to the north. Hike to the middle of the summit ridge to reach a notch between the two summits -  19. Drop into the notch, cross the flat area and climb the final pitch ( 20) to reach the summit -  21.

If you don't have a good-clearance 4WD vehicle, park below the creek crossing. If you continue above the crossing, there are small pull-offs near 11,000' and the Pearl Pass road junction. IMPORTANT: This route enters the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.