| Northern Sawatch Range Area/Range |
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| Northern Sawatch Range   | 
| Page Type: Area/Range Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.46650°N / 106.4815°W Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Mixed, Scrambling Season: Spring, Summer, Fall | Page By: chicagotransplant Created/Edited: Mar 5, 2006 / May 4, 2012 Object ID: 178701 Hits: 13674 Loading... Page Score: 89.12% - 30 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Under New ManagementHi everyone, the previous owner of this page has decided to move on from Summitpost and is in the process of transferring pages to new owners. As such, I have agreed to adopt this page.
I took over on March 7, 2012, along with several other pages. It may take me a few weeks before I can restructure the content for my new pages, in the meantime the pages will have a lot of blanks. Often times when members leave they will clear content and allow the new owners a "fresh start" so to speak. By transferring the original page rather than deleting it, it allows for the photos, routes, climbers logs, albums etc that have been added by other members over the life of the page to remain in tact.
I have some (hopefully) great ideas for this page, and this area is quite literally right in my backyard. I spend a lot of time in this area, and I hope I can lend some great firsthand information for you all. In the meantime, Aaron's photo tables were left in tact, enjoy the special beauty of this area below!
Thanks for your patience and understanding, check back for updates soon!
"Chicago Transplant"Northern Sawatch OverviewWhen most people think of the Sawatch Range, they have images of gentle high summits of talus and tundra, well visible from the US 24/285 corridor between Leadville and Salida. To some, these peaks may even be considered devoid of true mountaineering opportunities as the peaks are mainly "walk up" routes. There are a few hidden gems for the mountaineer, but for those whose focus lies with the state's "Fourteeners", these challenges are usually left hidden. The range in someways gets a bit of a bad rap for being "boring", but those who know its secrets also know that statement could not be farther from the truth.
One of those special secrets is the Northern Sawatch Range, a bit of an anomaly to the character of the rest of the range. The peaks here are much more rugged, more remote. They are less visible from roads, and less traveled. The trails are rough, lush, and speckled with beautiful lakes and waterfalls. There are a few popular trails, and of course the lone fourteener, Mount of The Holy Cross, creates a lot of attention, but much of the rugged beauty of this place will require you to "work for it". That is precisely what makes it so special, and hopefully this page and the mountain pages associated with it, will help give you a taste of the adventures and beauty that await those willing to put in the work to explore deeper.
The Northern Sawatch Range primarily falls under the US Department of Agriculture as National Forest. The area primarily falls in the White River National Forest, but parts also lie within the San Isabel National Forest. There are also areas of Colorado State Lands, and some Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land as well.
Photo by SP member colonelpyat
IMPRESSIVE BIG VERSION
Geographically, it is often hard to find the best place to draw the line between mountain ranges. I tend to use geographic divisions such as rivers or mountain passes. For the purposes of this page, I am going to use Hagerman Pass and the Fryingpan River to divide the Northern Sawatch from the rest of the range, but will make some mention of the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness as that area is more in character with the peaks to their north. Using Hagerman Pass also makes sense because it is the northernmost place where one can drive on a road to cross the range.
Completing the boundaries, starting at Hagerman Pass the range roughly follows the Continental Divide to Tennessee Pass, then follows the Eagle River along US 24 and I-70 to the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs. Going west from Hagerman Pass, the division roughly follows the Fryinpan River to Basalt, then follows the Roaring Fork River to Glenwood Springs. This puts the southern half of Glenwood Canyon in the Sawatch, which some may find debatable, but I think the rivers make a good boundary here as there are not really many other logical choices.
The Northern Sawatch Range offers a seemingly endless array of outdoor activities in a beautiful and remote setting. Hiking is perhaps the best way to experience the range because most of its beauty lies within the boundaries of Holy Cross Wilderness. Additionally there is Sylvan Lake State Park, Ruedi Reservoir, 10th Mountain Division backcountry huts, Jeep Roads (which double for some excellent mountain biking) and Camping from organized campgrounds, dispersed car camping or remote backpacking excursions far from civilization. There is Fishing, Rock Climbing, Skiing and more. If you like lakes, waterfalls and wildflowers, you will be in a sensory overload! This range has so much more to offer than just one fourteener, and is worth coming back to again and again to learn more of its secrets. I have been exploring it for 8 years and still have many places I have never seen. It is truly one of Colorado's special places, and I hope these pages help give you a taste of the beauty you will find when you visit.
Special AreasWithin the Northern Sawatch Range are several areas that have received special recognition, and if you are new to exploring here, these are great places to start. They include Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas, a State Park, State Wildlife Areas, Recreation Areas and a nationally renowned ski resort.
Holy Cross Wilderness
Established in 1980, Holy Cross Wilderness consists of 122,918 acres of rugged peaks, glacial valleys, and lush creeks. The area is named for its highest peak, Mount of the Holy Cross, which was made famous in 1873 when photographed by William Henry Jackson, who also has a peak named after him. This wilderness area spans parts of 3 counties, Eagle, Lake and Pitkin, with the majority of the acreage in Eagle County and managed through the Holy Cross Ranger district in Minturn, Colorado.
There are over 150 miles of total trails, 50 summits with at least 300 feet of prominence and countless lakes, streams and waterfalls to keep ones attention. Popular activities include hiking, fishing, hunting, backcountry skiing and of course mountain climbing. Mount of the Holy Cross is the most climbed peak in the area, but there are also 3 other peaks in Colorado's highest 200 and 46 total peaks over 12,000 feet.
Popular trails general involve reaching a lake and include Missouri Lakes, Fancy Lake, Timberline Lake and Lake Charles. You will often find people fishing from their shores, or along the approach creeks. Beaver Creek Ski Resort bounds the northeast corner of the Wilderness and through its backcountry gates people often ski Holy Cross Wilderness, probably without even realizing they are there.
Wilderness is defined by the 1964 Wilderness Act "as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man" and "generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable". To that effect, Wilderness is one of the highest levels of protection and comes with a list of restrictions which can be found here and include limits on group size, where you can camp, and restrict motorized and mechanized vehicles from entering.
Photo by SP member colonelpyat
SPECTACULAR BIG VERSION
Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness
While technically lying south of my above described border, I felt it important to also give a mention to the spectacular Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness, which is seem much more in character with the Northern Sawatch than most of the rest of the range. Hunter-Fryingpan was established in 1978 and consists of 82,026 acres located generally between Ruedi Reservoir and Colorado State Highway 82 west of the Continental Divide. The area is almost the forgotten gem of the area, with more popular wilderness areas surrounding it seemingly on all sides, no fourteeners, and hardly any named peakss. There are some moderately popular trails accessed from CO 82 west of Independence Pass, but most people just seem to drive right by.
There are over 50 miles of trails and 30 total peaks with 300 feet of prominence, over half of which are taller than 13,000'. Some highlights include some great scrambling opportunities on the Williams Mountain ridge, the Geissler Mountains and a ring of unnamed summits above the Fryingpan River's headwaters. The most popular summit is probably Mount Oklahoma, but most people access it from the east in neighboring Mount Massive Wilderness area as its approach from the west is quite remote. Being a wilderness area, Hunter-Fryingpan has many of the same regulations as Holy Cross, but with some variations. For a complete list click here.
Click Here to Enlarge
Sylvan Lake State Park
Sylvan Lake State Park is located south of the town of Eagle off of I-70 between Vail and Glenwood Springs. The park offers a variety of activities spread out along both east and west Brush Creeks. Fishing, camping and non-motorized boating are the highlights here. There are also rental Yurts (seasonal) and Cabins that can be rented year round that provide access to snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and ice fishing or can act as a base camp for snowmobiling over nearby Crooked Creek Pass. You can even rent boats if you don't have you own. Sylvan Lake State Park requires a $7 daily permit, or a State Parks Pass ($70/yr).
Turquoise Lake Recreation Area
Turquoise Lake is located west of Leadville near the Hagerman Pass Road and offers 1800 surface areas of boating and fishing with numerous campgrounds surrounding its tree-lined shores. At the west end of the lake, he Continental Divide and Colorado Trails pass through and the Timberline Lake trail in Holy Cross Wilderness shares a trailhead with them. While the lake may be beautiful to look at, it is not without its own controversy. The lake was created as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas diversion project and provides water for the front range cities east of the mountains. In winter the road around the lake is closed, but there are two backcountry huts within the 10th Mountain Division Hut System - Uncle Bud's and Skinner hut.
Additional Areas
Ruedi Reservoir east of Basalt provides boating, camping, fishing and picnic opportunities and can be quite popular in the summer. Gypsum Ponds State Wildlife Area east of Gypsum along I-70 is popular for fishing and bird-watching. The 4800 acre Basalt State Wildlife Area provides fishing access, a shooting range, and acres of land for hunting in the fall. The small Coke Ovens State Wildlife Area offers opportunities for hunting and wildlife viewing.
Red Table Mountain Wilderness Study Area lies west of Crooked Creek Pass and provides hiking along its long gentle ridges with spectacular views to the southwest of Colorado's Elk Mountains. Red Table Mountain just cracks the 12,000 foot mark at 12,037' and has over 2000' of prominence. The ridge is nearly 20 miles long.
Access
MAPS
Click image for TOPO level 5 detail. You may have to expand the image. This is a huge map.
 Red Tape Camping and Lodging Peaks & Routes Overview
HOMESTAKE PEAK
A choice of approaches from the north and south offer a chance of solitude in this southernmost range of the Northern Sawatch.
WHITNEY PEAK
Easy Class 1 climb accessed from Fall Creek or Seven Sisters area. Accessed from Tigiwon or Homestake Valley roads.
LAKE CONSTANTINE
Fall Creek drainage, accessed from Tigiwon Road or over Fall Creek Pass from the Homestake Valley road. Great camping. Trail gets soggy above the lake and below the pass.
History & Controversy External Links
This Page Brought to You By:Original concept, design and layout by former SummitPost member Aaron Johnson. Images
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