South Arapaho Peak

If you live either north or south of Eldora, use the following directions:
Go north or south on Colorado 119 to the town of Nederland. Traveling north on 119, turn left at the Eldora turnoff. Coming from the north, turn right at the Eldora turn-off (County Road 130). Continue on that road past Nederland High School and past the turn for the Eldora "shelf road" that leads up to the resort. 1.8 miles after the Eldora shelf road, you'll read the town of Eldora.

Continue through town. The road is now called Eldorado Avenue. In less than a mile, you'll pass through the town and the road will turn to dirt (or you'll hit a closure if it's winter).

About 0.75 miles after the transition to dirt, the road splits. Keep to the right, following the sign to the 4th of July trailhead and Buckingham Campground.

You'll pass by a number of cabins along the way. About 4 miles past that road split and sign, you'll reach the trailhead.

This road is probably passable for most passenger cars but I wouldn't try it in a low clearance vehicle or with a new driver. The trail starts in the upper parking lot right after the Buckingham Campground. There is free parking if you get there early, but note that it can fill up on popular summer weekends, leaving people to park precariously on the narrow access road.

Begin your approach from the Fourth of July Trailhead, following the Arapahoe Pass Trail for 2 miles. At the trail junction near the Fourth of July Mine, take a right and follow the Arapahoe Glacier Trail back South for about .4 miles. Once below the apron, walk .25 miles across the talus field to the beginning of the route. Gear up here, as this is where the climb begins and it will get more serious as you ascend higher.  1 Prepare for 1500 feet of classic climbing!

The couloir is a straightforward ascent and the entirety of the climb can be seen from Arapahoe Glacier Trail.  2 shows the couloir along with the 3 exit variations. The route gradually steepens from bottom to top and becomes more deeply inset into the rock. From the apron, the easiest line of ascent appears to be straight up the middle, occasionally moving over to the climber's left. Every 200- 400 feet on the climbers left, thee will be some good spots to take a break above some small cliffs. Past the halfway point, there will be few if any good places to rest. It is at this point that the angle becomes unrelenting and tiring. Remember to use those stair steppers!

At it's narrowest point, the couloir reaches an adrenaline pumping 55-63 degree angle at approximately 13,000 feet  3. Just above its steepest point, the couloir fans out and the angle relents slightly.  4 shows the lower/middle part of the bowl, picture taken from the West side of the bowl. There are three variations to choose from: Escape, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. The Princess Leia and Han Solo exits are not visible from here. However, Princess Leia's steepest angle/crux is. Above this steep bowl, you will notice a large rock above the climber and to the left, separating Escape and Princess Leia  5.  6 looks back down the route.This rock often provides a deep moat in the months of June and July, offering a great position to belay from should you choose to do so. Below are the three variations.

Option 1 (Escape): The easiest exit of the three, and the standard exit. From the moat, traverse west along the steep snow until above a rock rib  7. Do not fall here either, as it would most certainly be your last. DO NOT DESCEND TO THIS ROCK RIB. It may appear as an island of safety should the snow soften, but it will cliff out and require technical rock climbing, not scrambling. Instead, climb straight up about 15 feet until the angle finally relents and you will walk out onto the class 2+ west slopes of South Arapahoe Peak. You have officially exited the couloir at this point! Take a moment to enjoy the views and your accomplishment. From here, scramble up and to the right  8, passing the Princess Leia exit  9 on your way to the summit.

Option 2 (Princess Leia): This is the direct finish of the climb, straight up the middle. From the moat, climb up and to the right, angling around the large rock above  5. In late June to early July, a bergschrund begins to form at the entrance to Princess Leia. Staying close to the rock, climber's left, will often offer connecting snow. From here, the angle steepens significantly. It would be very handy to have a second tool here as the angle can reach 70 degrees for about two pitches of very steep climbing. Do not attempt this route if the snow has melted out. After a few hundred feet, the angle relents, with the easiest exit to the climber's right. Photo shows the exit. From where this photo was taken, there appeared to be adequate protection if one wanted to top-belay a climber below with a safe and comfortable stance.

Option 3 (Han Solo): From the bottom of the steep bowl, ascend to climber's right (East)  4. There will be a small chute that steeply exits the bowl to the climbers right. This option offers 2-3 pitches of rock climbing, and is best done when all the snow above the entrance has melted out. From our vantage point, it appears as though there can be a steep snow climb done on this route to the east, but having never explored this I cannot say for sure. Once at the top, angle east toward the summit.
From the summit, descend the standard route over the southeast ridge  10.

Bring a helmet, crampon, an ice axe or two. A rope, a few pickets, and even some rock pro are options if you'd like to rope up. This route is best done between mid-June and mid-July.