| Devils Causeway Loop Route |
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| Devils Causeway Loop   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 40.03500°N / 107.151°W Route Type: Hike Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Class 2 EXTREME EXPOSURE
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| Page By: Aaron Johnson Created/Edited: Feb 17, 2003 / Mar 24, 2003 Object ID: 157728 Hits: 4062 Loading... Page Score: 86.03% - 1 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Devil's Causeway Loop Map
For orientation and route details, click on the map below.
Route Description
From the parking lot, proceed due southwest into the Flat Tops Wilderness. The trail will soon divide at .65 miles. Take the right fork, which climbs steeply and soon levels off as it heads northwest through the sparse forest. Within the next mile you’ll pass ponds and a lake to the southwest. The trail gets sketchy as you climb gradually into a basin. A mesa rises toward the northeast, and the Chinese Wall rises to and continues to the southwest. What appears to be a summit at the northeast end of the wall is your next goal. Not far to the southwest from this summit is the Devils Causeway.
The trail switchbacks as it climbs toward the ridge line just northeast of the Chinese Wall ridge end. Follow this trail, which may be covered by snow well into summer to the ridge top, where an awesome view to the north will greet you.
Turn southwest and follow the trail as it winds steeply up through brush to gain the ridge top of the Chinese Wall. The trail takes several routes. Further right are impressive views from the top of the towering cliffs that make up the northwest side of the Chinese Wall. If conditions are wet or snow covered, exercise caution when approaching the edge, as you are already on a steep slope.
Climb this slope, pass over a crest and notice the ridge narrowing. This high point of the hike, on the northeast side of the Causeway, is just below 11,800 feet. At less than three miles into the hike, you have reached the Devils Causeway. Proceed across the causeway. Estimates place the elevation drop at 1500 feet on both sides. This is the figure to the lake land below. The actual drop on the south side is about 80 feet, and the other side is about 400 feet. As you cross the causeway, it narrows to three feet. This place can be a spot of sheer terror or an absolute thrill. Experience with heights is strongly suggested.
Beyond the causeway, the great mesa of the Flat Tops widens and becomes vast. The trail is sketchy through the brush. Continue southwest and you will find the trail beyond the brush as it blazes across the high tundra.
As the trail continues southwest, altitude is gradually lost as it circles around to the south across a seemingly endless expanse of tundra. Headed south, the trail contours around the west side of a pile of rocks, dubbed "Mosquito" (11,635 ft) on topo maps, 5.5 miles into the hike. A fun variation is to leave the trail and go over this rock outcropping. From the top you can see the trail, and to the south, a trail sign should be visible. Continue south on the trail or from this rock pile toward the sign.
The trail going northeast, dropping back down into the valley is the trail back to Stillwater reservoir, due northeast. Snow may obscure the trail and route finding may be necessary. Your objective is to drop into the valley and follow it back toward Stillwater Reservoir. Down in the trees, the trail is well defined, but could be muddy and snow covered if it is earlier in the season.
The hike back to the reservoir is level and no appreciable elevation change takes place.
This hike can also be executed in reverse, which places the crossing of the Causeway toward the end of the day, making for a very dramatic finish.
GAIN: 1,954 feet
DISTANCE: 9.78 miles
Calculated utilizing the Topo! topographic maps software.
Essential Gear
Summer or fall hikes require only normal hiking gear. Boots with good tread are essential. Experience with heights is highly recommended. If you plan on making the Causeway part of a backpacking trip, be sure to consider the implications. An account at thebackpacker.com suggests the crossing is made more challenging (or terrifying) when laidened with a full backpack. If you would tend to agree, visit the Causeway another day on a day hike.
The Flat Tops normally receive tremendous amounts of snow. Winter or spring hikes demand snow shoes or skis. Crossing the Causeway is not recommended as it would be difficult to protect.
A map is a good idea, although it is hard to get lost on this trip since your starting point, Stillwater Reservoir, is visible from just about anywhere along this hike for the first four miles. A map carved in wood is at the trailhead.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
Images
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Flat Tops
