Advertisement: When I provide a link to a map for a given route, please take it with a grain of salt. I have not done these routes myself yet and the planned route is simply my best guess. I could be completely wrong. Please don't do something dangerous (technical climbing or exposed scrambling) or stupid (trespassing).
Colorado
Misc Boulder Area
BURL: Boulder Ultimate Ridge Linkup
- OK, yes I stole this name from the WURL: Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup. This one won't rise to that level of difficulty but looks like a lot of fun.
- The basic idea is to travel from Eldorado Canyon to Boulder Canyon staying as high as possible. Think of the Boulder Skyline Traverse but replace all the trails with scrambling. I've started scouting for this one and it looks doable but will definitely be a serious project.
Fairview Group Traverse: ~30 miles, 2 days
Nugget Hill and Ball Gulch
South Sheep Mt
- A off-trail loop on either side of Overland Road.
- Honestly, I'm not sure how feasible this one is. It looks like the USFS land is very discontinuous to the west of Fairview Peak.
- The easy way: from Lefthand Canyon
- The hard way: from the Narrows on CO 7. Return via Heil Valley Ranch through Lyons. (21.5 miles, +/- 5600')
Nugget Hill and Ball Gulch
- Probably from south side.
South Sheep Mt
- A loop from Dry St. Vrain TH
Twin Sisters Peak (RMNP) from Lion Gulch: ~18 miles, +/- 8000'
- I've wanted to do this one as a crazy day hike for a while but those vert numbers are pretty daunting. I might add some distance and make this to an overnight trip.
Indian Peaks Wilderness
Brainard Lake Traverse: This one day affair would hit all the major peaks that can be seen from Brainard Lake. My original attempt of this one is here. Will definitely make another go next season. The primary targets are listed below.
Sawtooth-Algonquin- Paiute - Audobon Loop
Mohling Traverse
Neva/Jasper Combo
- Audobon (via SE Ridage, Class 3)
- Paiute Peak (via East Ridge, Class 3)
- Mt Toll (West Sneak, Class 4)
- Pawnee Peak (S. Slopes, Class 2)
- Shoshoni Peak (N. Slopes, Class 2)
- Apache Peak (NE Ridge, Class 4--same as Kasparov Traverse but without the towers)
- Navajo Peak (via Apache S. Ridge, Class 3 then Navajo West Chimney, Class 4)
- Niwot Ridge (Class 2 if staying south of the ridge crest, at least Class 3 on the ridge itself
- The most well known route connecting these is known as "Kasparov's Traverse". This climbs the ten towers between Shoshoni and Appache (Class 5.4-5.9). I'm not particularly interested in this but apparently if you skip the towers the whole thing can be at Class 4 difficulty.
- There's some good info in Colorado's Front Range Thirteeners by Derek Wolfe. Much of this info is on a Trip Report posted on 14ers.com before the publication of the book. www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=17113
- Summitpost info: https://www.summitpost.org/indian-peaks-traverse-shoshoni-peak-apache-peak-navajo-peak-niwot-ridge/669823
Sawtooth-Algonquin- Paiute - Audobon Loop
- This crux of this one is the N. Face of Paiute. A bypass is described here (easy 5th): https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117637014/north-face-bypass
Mohling Traverse
- www.mountainproject.com/route/105752488/mohling-traverse
- www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=12567
Neva/Jasper Combo
Rocky Mountain National Park
Lumpy Ridge- Still haven't explored this area yet.
Never Summer Traverse
McHenry's Peak (via Stone Man Pass, Class 3)
Hayden Gorge/Forest Canyon
Isolation Peak
Ten Lake Park (West Side)
Snowdrift Lake
LA Freeway
Never Summer Traverse
- The Never Summer Range looks like it'll be my next obsession.
- Caltopo map here: caltopo.com/m/UGU0
McHenry's Peak (via Stone Man Pass, Class 3)
- The most detailed info I've found on this one is in Colorado Scrambles by Dave Cooper.
Hayden Gorge/Forest Canyon
- I don't think it's totally crazy to try this one in the winter but maybe so.
- scratch that. I recently did this in August 2019 and doing it in winter would be completely nuts.
Isolation Peak
Ten Lake Park (West Side)
Snowdrift Lake
LA Freeway
- http://blog.ultimatedirection.com/la-freeway/
- Some info here: billwright510climbing.blogspot.com/2017/09/la-freeway-attempt-with-derek.html
- I'm not sure how realistic this one is but it's the logical extension after the Pffifner Traverse.
- Major obstacles
- Paiute's North Face
- Why not have another sub-category
- Paiute's North Face
- Major obstacles
The Gore Range
All of it.
Misc Northern Colorado Mountains
Mt. Zirkel Wilderness: Wyoming Trail (seems to usually be done with a car shuttle)
- map here: caltopo.com/m/0K4L
- map here: caltopo.com/m/718R
Cache La Poudre Wilderness
The USFS website description of the Cache La Poudre Wilderness:"Use is low and only one trail, the Mount McConnel National Recreation Trail, exists in the wilderness. Travel is accomplished only by scrambling and bushwhacking in stream bottoms, on ridges and along game trails." Sounds like my kind of place.
- In progress map here: https://caltopo.com/m/QKGU
- Completed
Lost Creek Wilderness
- Kenosha Mts/Platte River Mountains Loop: North and South Twin Cone, Payne Peak, 3 days, ~35 miles, +/- 10k vert
- Follow Lost Creek from East Lost Park to Refrigerator Gulch; I'm especially interested in the big NW-SE gulch to the NE of Bison Peak)
- Lizard Rock and South Tarryall Peak (I think the burn around S. Tarryall is pretty bad so we'll see)
Mt. Evans Wilderness + Surrounding
- Winter: Abyss Lake from Burning Bear Campground (approx). 16.8 mi, +/- 3800' (round trip)
- Winter: Shelf Lake from Burning Bear CG: 12 mi, +/- 2500'
Buffalo Peak Wilderness
The delusional "Big Loop" on this map: https://caltopo.com/m/QFTK
- 45 miles, +/- 12k' (approx)
Holy Cross Wilderness
Tuhare Lakes
The Western Region (NY Mt., Finnegan Peak etc) looks pretty cool.
- Could be a fun winter trip, though I'm not sure what the access roads will be like. This could be a deal breaker for a weekend trip.
The Western Region (NY Mt., Finnegan Peak etc) looks pretty cool.
Ragged Wilderness
- Chair Mountain
- Scarp Ridge hike
Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness
Do these trails still exist??? (west of Lost Man Loop): caltopo.com/m/63A2
The Elk Range
Maroon Bells/4 Pass Loop: 26 mi, 7800' vertical gain -->2 days
Caltopo map here: caltopo.com/m/G9DV
Caltopo map here: caltopo.com/m/G9DV
- Apparently this one is crazy busy with tourists so I'll probably want to do in a few months removed from the peak season (July) on either side. Proabably mid-September?
- At first I was drawn to a winter trip (ie: May) but I'm giving serious second thought now, regarding having to get back over passes to get to my car. It seems very possible to find yourself "stuck" on this one.
- 3 days/2 nights minimum depending on whether the access road is closed, which would add 12.6 mi and 1500 ft of vert gain round trip.
- Currently planned for late Oct-early Nov 2019. Keeping fingers crossed snowfall cooperates.
Sawatch Range
Collegiate Peaks Loop--160 miles, 1-2 weeks.
Nolans 14-- would be done as a backpacking trip, not some crazy ultramarathon.
- Map here: https://caltopo.com/m/39AS
Nolans 14-- would be done as a backpacking trip, not some crazy ultramarathon.
Flat Tops Wilderness
Lost Lakes-Devil's Causeway (19.5 mile loop)
Map here: https://caltopo.com/m/8GGU (route not mapped yet)
Map here: https://caltopo.com/m/8GGU (route not mapped yet)
Pawnee National Grassland
Pawnee Buttes. -- Most material I've found online indicate that this is a very short out and back. Maybe it's possible to turn this into a ~30 mile backpacking trip during the winter???
San Juan Range
Ice Lake Basin/ Vermillion Peak
Wheeler Geologic Area (La Garita Wilderness)
Sangre de Cristo Range
Sangre de Cristo Traverse
- Only a loose idea at this point. The idea is largely inspired by some trip reports I stumbled across on www.14ers.com. It seems like the northern section could be done 2-3 days. A traverse of the southern section would be much more involved and-of course-is much more appealing to me.
- Apparently, Cam "Swami" Honan has done his own variant of a Sangre de Cristo Traverse.
- My ever evolving map is here: https://caltopo.com/m/QA1A
Misc Colorado Scrambles
Bookmarking this list so I don't forget: https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41356&start=12
Misc Route Ideas
Apparently, Dave Cooper wrote a bunch of article for the Denver Post. His trips typically avoid 14ers and seek more rugged, isolated terrain. Generally, the Denver Post articles describe routes that are distinct from those in his book. All of his stories are here: https://www.denverpost.com/author/dave-cooper/
Montana
Glacier National Park
Backpack to Cracker Lake. (see beautiful photos here: http://www.thenationalparksgirl.com/adventure-guides/#/backpack-to-cracker-lake-glacier-national-park/)
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Open
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
- This summer (2019) my mind is mostly set on doing Skurka's Wind River High Route as my big trip, but next summer, 2020 I'm going to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. I'd love to get up to Alaska but that stars don't seem aligned for that. The ABW is maybe the nexts most genuinely wild place I could go as a substitute. I get the sense that this is where you go when you want to go exploring and not care if anybody knows you are there or not.
- Nate Bender's recent adventure where he summited all 27 12ers in Montana in a single push was what pushed me over the edge. This really seems like my kind of place.
- Here's Nate's page on the Fastest Known Time website: fastestknowntime.com/fkt/nate-bender-montana-12ers-mt-2018-08-14
Wyoming
Grand Tetons
Backpack the Teton Crest trail.
Wind River Range
Wind River High Route!
- Andrew Skurka Route: http://andrewskurka.com/adventures/wind-river-high-route/
- A particularly epic trip report from Iain MacDonald
- Alan Dixon Route: http://www.adventurealan.com/wind-river-high-route-guide/
Gros Ventre Wilderness
Brewster Lake & Gros Ventre Wilderness Loop
Absaroka Range
Greybull River and Burwell Pass Loop
Misc southern Wyoming (desert)
Adobe Town Rim Wilderness Study Area
Other ideas from Douglas Lorain's book "Backpacking Wyoming"
Since my first visit to Wyoming, I've been surprised that the southern Wyoming is so un-loved. Full disclosure: the ideas/places below were all listed as in Douglas Lorain's book as bad places to go because water is hard to find. That should just keep the crowds down right?
- Sweetwater River Canyon
- The Honeycombs
- Jack Morrow Hill
- Boars Tusk
- Encampment River Trail
Idaho
Hells Canyon
Long Trails
Continental Divide Trail: Mexico to Canada. Crossing through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. 3100 miles, 4-5 months.
Great Divide Trail: Along the Canadian Rockies. Connects Waterton Lakes and Kakwa Provincial Park. 786 miles, 1-2 months
Colorado Trail: Connects South Denver to Durango San Juans Range. 486 miles, ~30 days
Some items on this list are more realistic than others.
Great Divide Trail: Along the Canadian Rockies. Connects Waterton Lakes and Kakwa Provincial Park. 786 miles, 1-2 months
Colorado Trail: Connects South Denver to Durango San Juans Range. 486 miles, ~30 days
Some items on this list are more realistic than others.