Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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39.44310°N / 106.102°W |
Route Type:
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Off Trail Hike |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Difficulty:
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Class 2 |
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Approach
From Hoosier Pass, south of Breckenridge on Colorado 9, go 7.6 miles north to the well-marked Spruce Creek Road. Turn onto the Spruce Creek Road, and follow it for approximately 2 miles to an obvious parking area.
4 wheel drive vehicles with high clearance can proceed much further. Go past the obvious parking area, and come to a Y in the road. Take the right of the Y. Soon you will come to another Y, and again, you should veer right. When you make this right turn, you will be passing through an open forest service gate. Go past the turn for Francie's Cabin, one of the 10th Mountain Association Huts, and continue up the road past treeline. After 2.3 miles, you will arrive at the Lower Crystal Lake. This is as far as you can drive.
There are several pullouts along this 4x4 road if you decide to bail out and walk the rest of the way. The worst section is near the middle where a number of large rocks line the roadway. A standard 4x4 should be fine for the road, but I wouldn't try it without skid plates.
Route Description
Follow the standard route for Crystal Peak. (See Crystal Peak Page). When you arrive at the saddle between Crystal Peak and Peak 10, turn right (east) and make directly for Peak 10's summit. Run the easy ridge by staying generally south of the main ridge to avoid some rock humps along the ridge. When the ridge evens out approximately 400m from the summit, gain the actual ridge and follow it to Peak 10's summit.
Enjoy great views of the Gore Range to the North, the Ten Mile to your south, and the Front Range to the east.
Round Trip mileage from saddle: 1.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 356 feet
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Essential Gear
Without snow, this is a very straightforward off trail talus walk. With snow, the standard ice tools, crampons, and snowshoes would be a must. The bottom portion of this route (Crystal Lakes Trail) crosses the center of a classic avalanche slope, so I would avoid it in unstable conditions.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.