Hiking – Bard Creek Trail

This challenging hike along the Watrous Gulch and Bard Creek Trails, traversing the saddle between Bard Peak and Silver Plume Mountain, is a demanding yet rewarding adventure through Colorado's rugged wilderness. Starting at the Watrous Gulch Trailhead, hikers ascend through dense forests and expansive wildflower meadows, tackling steep, rocky inclines. The trail leads to the high saddle between Bard Peak and Silver Plume Mountain, offering panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. From the saddle, the route descends into the remote Bard Creek valley, where the path becomes more rugged and less defined, immersing hikers in a serene and secluded landscape. This hike is ideal for experienced adventurers seeking a physically demanding route with breathtaking scenery and a sense of solitude. We'll stop at/near the saddle for lunch/snack. Our pace will be comfortable for all participants. Overall ~15 miles and ~2900 ft elevation gain. (Watrous Gulch to Bard Creek - CalTopo)

The Bobcats’ mission is to ensure a variety of challenging CMC trips, mostly on weekdays, all year long, for our mostly age 40+ constituents. We don’t have dues or elections and invite all CMC members to sign up for any Bobcats trip. You can search the CMC Calendar for Bobcat trips any time by selecting “Bobcats Section” in the CMC Trip Calendar “Section pull-down menu. To join our free mailing list and become a member, select the Bobcats Section anytime in your Member Profile. (Bobcats Section — The Colorado Mountain Club (cmc.org))

Carpool Place & Time: Meet at Wooly Mammoth PnR (Section BB) at 6:00AM for an 6:15AM departure (Wooly Mammoth Park-N-Ride - Google Maps)

Drop Cars at Bard Creek TH (Bard Creek Trailhead - Google Maps)

We'll carpool to the Herman Gulch TH Parking (Herman Gulch Trailhead - Google Maps)

This is a point-to-point hike.