Approach
Turn west onto Chaffee County Road 162 from U.S. 285, 6 miles south of Johnson Village. If you are coming from the south, the turnoff is about 16 miles north of the U.S. 285/U.S. 50 intersection in Poncha Springs. Go west on the County Road 162 (paved) for 12 miles to the Baldwin Gulch Road (dirt). Park at this junction. With a 4WD vehicle you may proceed on the Baldwin Gulch Road almost to the summit, if you like.
Route Description
Follow the road southeast and south up the Baldwin Creek drainage, through pleasant, forested land. At about 3 miles (10,840') the road will fork. Take the left fork, which heads upward into Baldwin Gulch proper. At 12,000' the road begins to switchback up Antero's west slopes. If you are on foot, you may cut off a lot of mileage by climbing straight up the slope to join the ridge about a half mile south of Antero's summit. The road will lead you to approximately the same point by a more circuitous route. Once on the south ridge, continue north for one half mile to the summit. A trail is discernable through most of this stretch.
Essential Gear
No special gear is required. As with any high mountain in the Rockies, you must prepare for any weather, including freezing cold, wet weather, even in mid summer.
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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Sawatch Range
