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Mounts Democrat, Cameron, and Lincoln
Named as Colorado's best dayhike in the May 2009 issue of BACKPACKER, this spectacular loop in the Mosquito Range hits three Fourteeners (two official, one unofficial) that were only recently opened for hiking.
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| Author: | J Dorn |
| Activity: | Hiking |
| State: | Colorado (CO) |
| Distance: | 6.95 mi |
| Difficulty: | 7 / 10 |
| USGS Topo Map: | Alma, Climax |
| Rating: |
 2 rating(s)
|
Climbing above 14,000 feet in the Colorado is never what you'd call easy--unless you're a Sherpa--but this circuit puts a fit, acclimatized hiker on top of three Fourteeners (two official, one unofficial) with far less effort than most. Credit an unusally high-elevation trailhead--Kite Lake sits above 12,000 feet--and a series of trails with moderate grades and good (read: not eroded) footing. The payoffs are a good workout and some of the biggest views in the Rockies--only two hours from Denver. Halfway between Leadville and Vail, this swath of peaks in the Mosquito Range features broad, open summits connected by tundra-carpeted ridgelines that seem to go on forever. Below, deep valleys dotted with tarns and old mining ruins hold the promise of solitude-filled camping. In the distance, sharper and more forbidding peaks line the horizon in every direction.
For years, access to this cluster of peaks has been complicated by private land holdings and dangerous open mine shafts. Mining companies that own a patchwork of land here closed it in 2005, worried about liability should a hiker fall into a mine. Thanks to the town of Alma, the U.S. Forest Service, and efforts by the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative and other trail groups, the area was reopened in spring 2009 that makes this loop possible once again. (Mt. Bross, a Fourteener just steps away from this route, remains off-limits. Don't poach it: You may ruin future negotiations to open it to the public!)
For this trip report, my partners were Kris Wagner (BACKPACKER's map editor), Dennis Lewon (executive editor), and Lath Carlson (a friend from Pennsylvania). We started from Kite Lake just before 9 a.m.; an even earlier start is wise, especially as thunderstorm season arrives, to make sure you get off the exposed summits and long ridgelines by early afternoon. The sweet part about this route--the miles you hike on gentle tundra ridges above 13,500 feet--also lengthen any escape should lightning start flashing.
Waterproof, high-top boots were essential for our attempt due to plentiful snow above 13,000 feet, but won't be come mid-July. Sunblock and a good hat are also key, as there is zero shade on the entire route, not even a boulder to crouch beneath. Wind is also very common; we got hit with a stinging graupel storm about two-thirds of the way through the loop, so come prepared with a shell, gloves, and hat.
TO TRAILHEAD: From Fairplay, take CO 9 N for 6 miles to Alma. Turn left onto Kite Lake Road (just after the store called AL-MART). Go 6 miles on gravel road and park at trailhead.
| Position Format: | Datum: |
Tracks
ACTIVE LOG
| Distance: 6.95 mi | Points: 771 |
Points of Interest
WPT001
Location: 39.327153, -106.129268Trailhead just below Kite Lake. Parking for about 15 cars, and it fills up fast on summer weekends. There are several campsites here that operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. There's a small fee for camping, and also for parking ($3).
WPT002
Location: 39.329734, -106.128692Kite Lake on left, with ankle-deep stream crossing at outlet in mid-June. Trail is level for first quarter-mile with excellent views of the broad cirque ahead.
WPT003
Location: 39.335914, -106.127289Piles of old wood and rusty cans on right side of trail are evidence of past mining activity. Piles of tailings from mines are visible throughout the hike, even above 13,000 feet.
WPT004
Location: 39.338152, -106.129881Switchback photo
WPT005
Location: 39.341680, -106.132356Reach the pass between Mts. Democrat and Cameron at around 13,500 feet. Take a break here to cool off from steady, sweaty uphill.
WPT006
Location: 39.338867, -106.136499Top of ridgeline
WPT007
Location: 39.339586, -106.140027Summit of Mt. Democrat: 14,148 feet
WPT008
Location: 39.344133, -106.127181Pass a series of false summits after passing back through the saddle and ascending the ridge toward Mt. Cameron--keep climbing!
WPT009
Location: 39.347230, -106.118631Mt. Cameron (14,238 feet) is not recognized as an official Fourteener because its summit does not drop more than 300 feet below Mt. Lincoln's, to which it is connected by a ridgeline. Because Lincoln is 50-some feet higher, it gets a place in the list of 54 Fourteeners--and Cameron doesn't. No matter, you can still take pride in claiming it.
WPT010
Location: 39.350328, -106.115527Trail sign; go north (left) to ascend Mt. Lincoln.
WPT011
Location: 39.351480, -106.111571Mt. Lincoln: 14,286 feet
WPT012
Location: 39.344663, -106.117217Entering private property; stay on the trail, which is an approved access way.
WPT013
Location: 39.338709, -106.111604Trail closed to Mt. Bross; go right at sign, ignoring the tracks of poachers who climbed it illicitly.
WPT014
Location: 39.335408, -106.109793Skirt below Mt. Bross and descend southwest on a slow-going talus ridge
WPT015
Location: 39.333118, -106.112900Keep descending (loose rocks!)
WPT016
Location: 39.330940, -106.115799Bear to the L, heading S from the ridge and into gully to avoid steep, loose rock
WPT017
Location: 39.327580, -106.120400Continue W on alpine meadow back to the trailhead
Mount Democrat
Location: 39.351560, -106.111790© Wasim Manasfi & Ron Wilkinson
Above Kite Lake
Location: 39.337949, -106.129561Pass
Location: 39.341600, -106.132135In the cloud below Mt. Democrat
Location: 39.339144, -106.136255Almost to Cameron
Location: 39.346014, -106.119733Stream crossing at Kite Lake
Location: 39.327858, -106.129646In mid-June, when we hiked this route, snowmelt had the outlet of Kite Lake running ankle deep. Here, Backpacker executive editor Dennis crosses the old-fashioned way--by jumping from rock to rock.
Route introduction
Location: 39.328621, -106.128745Backpacker map editor Kris Wagner describes the loop ahead.
Meet the team
Location: 39.328887, -106.128788Mining ruins
Location: 39.336024, -106.126900Wood and rusty cans from an old cabin
Wildlife!
Location: 39.336521, -106.126900A marmot noses around more ruins.
Ascending
Location: 39.340272, -106.131492A view back down at the guys on the steady climb to Democrat's saddle
Saddle below Mt. Democrat
Location: 39.341699, -106.132221More wind evident at this spot at around 13,500 feet
Summit of Mt. Democrat
Location: 39.339741, -106.140118Kris describes what you'd USUALLY see up here.
Mt. Cameron
Location: 39.347009, -106.118617Dennis weighs in from the summit of this unofficial Fourteener.
The sound of snow
Location: 39.348669, -106.117930Lath gets pelted by graupel on the long ridge from Cameron to Lincoln.
Cliff!
Location: 39.349565, -106.117544A lone post marks a thousand-foot fall you wouldn't necessarily see in a whiteout.
Texting
Location: 39.351556, -106.111794Lath explains an unusual tradition while standing in light snow on the summit of Lincoln.
Trail closure
Location: 39.346578, -106.117287Kris explains the reopening of this route after 3 years of closure due to safety and property disputes.
Adventures in glissading
Location: 39.329252, -106.115913I demonstrate a quicker way to descend a snowy gulley.
Private property sign
Location: 39.344454, -106.117115Stay on obvious trail along ridgetop
Mt. Bross closure
Location: 39.335459, -106.109905Sign says don't climb it.
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