Hike 1.75 miles up the Grays Peak trail (
1) to 12,200' where the trail crosses a flat, rocky area -
2. Continue on the trail and when it begins to climb off to the left, near 12,300', look for the cairn and start of the Kelso Ridge trail, to the right -
3. Follow this trail north to the base of the slope under the Torreys-Kelso saddle. Ascend to the saddle, near 12,400' -
4. Turn left and hike onto a bump (
5) to see the Kelso Ridge route -
6. It's difficult to identify all of the route features from this vantage point. Hike over to some initial rock outcroppings and pass them on the right side -
7. Near 12,700', stay left of the ridge crest and climb into a notch -
8. Drop a few feet and ascend the first section of Class 3 rock (
9) before regaining the ridge.
Continue along the ridge, drop to the right to bypass some difficulties and regain the ridge near 12,800' -
10. Ahead you can see your next major obstacle - a wall of white rock -
11. Continue along the ridge, descend to the right and ascend a dirt-filled gully which leads to the base of the wall. Pick your line and climb it -
12 and
13. Now, with some exposure to your left, climb to the top of the point above the wall -
14. Drop right a bit before ascending another point -
15 and
16. Continue to yet another point, at 13,700' -
17 and
18. From the top of this point you have a good view of the remaining route -
19.
Staying on the ridge, hike higher as you approach more serious terrain
20,
21 and
22. Your next obstacle is a bump of rock which blocks easy access to the end of the ridge. Near 14,000', stay left of large, angled rocks and climb steeply up the left side of the bump -
23,
24,
25 and
26. Scramble over to the route's crux - an exposed knife-edge -
27 and
28. There's a tower of white rock on the other side of the knife. Scramble across (
29) to reach the white tower. Climb around the right side of the tower (
30), drop a bit, and turn left to ascend the final, Class 2 pitch to reach the summit -
31 and
32. For the descent, it's easiest to use the standard trail.