Hiking – Stanley Mountain

This is a more "mellow" hike than some of my others. But there's a twist: we'll hike past Stanley Mtn and continue down to Vasquez Creek before reversing our course. This adds about 2 miles and 1,000' vertical gain to the traditional out-and-back route.

This is generally a beautiful hike on rolling tundra above timberline in the Vasquez Peak Wilderness. It’s quite amazing to have an alpine experience hiking a section of the Continental Divide Trail less than 1.5 hours from the metro area. There is a cost, however. We will need to climb out of the forest and up a series of switchbacks before gaining the ridge. We will climb 580’ in less than 0.4 miles! Once there, we will be exposed to the weather as there are no trees or sheltering rocks. We also will not have an opportunity to get water so please bring at least 2 liters, or whatever amount you think you will need based on your own experience.

Please plan for approximately 5-6 hours on the trail to account for rest stops, lunch, and unanticipated delays. This is only an estimate, however, and our actual time likely will be different.

Here's a link to this trip in AllTrails.

Here’s a link to weather.gov forecast for Stanley Mountain. 

We will carpool from the Wooly Mammoth PnR, Section BB at 6:15 for a 6:30 departure. Here's a link to Google Maps.

Our trip will start from Berthoud Pass. Here's a link to Google Maps. Our goal is to start hiking around 7:30AM.

CMC suggests that all occupants of a vehicle share the costs of driving. Based on a reimbursement rate of $0.34 per mile, the total amount for the 82-mile roundtrip drive is about $28 per vehicle. This cost typically is divided by the total number of people in the vehicle, including the driver.