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Ascending Hikes – Niwot Mountain

Trip

Ascending Hikes – Niwot Mountain

The hike to Niwot Mountain from the Brainard Lake Winter Parking Lot is approximately 5 miles round trip and offers stunning views of the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Contacts

Craig Townsend
Craig Townsend
Primary Leader
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 5.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 1,405 ft
  • High Point Elevation: 11,550 ft
  • Pace: 1.5 MPH - 2.5 MPH

ASCENDING HIKES 

AHS helps members improve their personal hiking speed, strength, and stamina. No cost or big commitment. You can jump in or out anytime since all AHS hikes are posted as regular trips on the calendar.  Information about the Ascending Hikes Section can be found on the Section webpage here.  If you still have questions, write CMCAscendingHikes@gmail.com

If this is your first Ascending Hike, please review the below items:

Alert!  This is a popular program.  If there is a standby list, join it.  Standby lists almost always clear.  Your Trip Leader and AHS Coordinators put a lot of effort into planning section activities.  Last minute cancellations and no-shows are very discouraging and insufficient numbers may jeopardize the program.  We realize that “things happen,” however PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR AN AHS TRIP UNLESS YOU FULLY INTEND TO PARTICIPATE ON TRIP DAY.  

ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

Option "A" (5.4 miles, +1,469 / -1,469 ft.): The hike will begin at the Brainard Lake Recreation Area's winter parking lot and follow the Left Hand Reservoir Road to the cutoff for Niwot Mountain.  We will follow the cutoff/social trail to the summit of Niwot Mountain.  We will return to the trailhead via the cutoff/social trail, the Left Hand Reservoir Road, Little Raven Trail, and the Sourdough Trail

Route: Option "A"

Option "B" (9.9 miles, +1,755 / -1,755 ft.): The hike will begin at the Brainard Lake Recreation Area's winter parking lot and follow the Left Hand Reservoir Road to the cutoff for Niwot Mountain.  We will follow the cutoff/social trail to the summit of Niwot Mountain.  We will return to the trailhead by going off trail from the summit to the Niwot Ridge Trail, follow it to the Jean Luning Trail, then take the Niwot Cutoff Trail to the Brainard Lake Road, and then take Waldrop Trail back to the trailhead.

Route: Option "B"

NOTE: When we reach the summit, as a group we will discuss and decide which way we will return to the trailhead.

Carpool Place & Time: Meet at US 36 & McCaslin Blvd PnR-South 6:00 AM for a 6:15 AM departure (US 36 and McCaslin Blvd Park and Ride - South - Google Maps) 

We'll then carpool to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area winter parking lot (Brainard Lake Winter Lot - Google Maps)

NOTE: The Denver Group allows carpool drivers to charge each passenger a mileage rate to defray expenses. It is suggested that carpool trips follow these Denver Group guidelines in reimbursing drivers for car expenses.  This is a guideline, not a policy, meaning that this is a recommended, but not required, method of sharing costs.

Route/Place

Niwot Mountain

Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

Pack your 10 essentials, a light lunch, and dress in layers appropriate to the weather.  I will write about a week before with a weather report and share the hiking plan.

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