Bobcats trip – IPW - Fourth of July Trailhead - South Arapaho Peak and Old Baldy

From the 4th of July trailhead we will follow the Arapaho Pass trail for 2 miles to the 4th of July Mine.  From there we will follow the Arapaho Glacier Trail for 1.7 miles to the pass where will have closeup views of the Arapaho Glacier and South Arapaho Peak.  From the pass, we will first go to the east up the ridgeline to summit Old Baldy (13,039 ft).  We will then return to the pass and head northwest up the southeast ridge to South Arapaho Peak (13,408 ft), much of which involves scrambling.  14ers.com considers this to be a “Difficult Class 2” with “a few Class 3 moves”.  We will return to the trailhead on those same trails.

Here’s a link to the Old Baldy and South Arapaho Peak Combo on 14ers.com:  https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=201109182248416208

We will meet at 5:55am for a 6:00 am start time at the Clear Creek parking lot in Golden, (10th and Archer).  Here’s a link to our meeting location in Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cqhYqS7EEp2oYLwj9  .

The trailhead for this hike is the 4th of July Trailhead, west of Nederland.  Here’s a Google Maps link for the trailhead:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/FpyfQSebrSijzYE17 .     NOTE:  The last 4 miles of the road to the trailhead are a bit rough, so our drivers will need vehicles with decent clearance, such as an SUV.  The parking at this trailhead fills up quickly, hence the early start.

For those coming from north of I-70, we can also arrange to meet you either at Nederland High School or at the parking lot at Plainview Dr and CO-72