Sacramento Creek

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 39.22500°N / 106.1692°W
Additional Information Route Type: Hike/Scramble
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Difficulty: Class 2
Sign the Climber's Log

Approach

Go south from I-70 at the Frisco/Breckenridge exit. Go 13 miles south from Breckenridge on Colordo 9 to Park County 14. If you are traveling along U.S. 285, then turn north on to Colorado 9 at the junction of CO 9/U.S. 285 on the south side of Fairplay. Then head north on Colorado 9 through downtown Fairplay for about 3 miles to Park County 14. Turn west onto Park County 14 and follow the road until it dead ends at a private driveway 6.8 miles from CO 9. If you want to gain 3,000' for this route, then stop at 5.0 miles. This is at the intersection of Park County 14 and Whispering Pines road. You will then have to hike a gentle 1.8 miles to the end of the road.  Note - it is your responsibility to know where public and private land borders are.  Trespassing is illegal.  

Route Description

You will not find an official TH here. Start from the end of the road that has a sign for a private driveway. At the sign, turn right and follow a faint trail that stays just above the Sacramento creek. Some bush whacking is required as this route is very seldom traveled and the trail has plenty of time to regenerate. After about .25 miles, you will notice a lot of small boulders at the base of the creek/wetlands. From here, start working your way up (south). More bush whacking is required, but be persistent and you will be rewarded. Keep the boulders off to your left while climbing the gulley. Still not much of a trail here, but after about 300' vertical, the trees will thin and you will see the rest of the route to the top of the ridge. Make your way up whatever trail you can find. There is solid rock and a few cairns as you make your way up. After gaining the ridge, you will see Gemini Peak off to the west and what looks like Sherman to the Southwest. Hike southwest towards Sherman over easy terrain to the base of Sherman. This is the final push to the summit. However, you have been looking at a false summit, so you want to traverse to the west (right) of what you were thinking was Sherman. As you round the false summit, another false summit comes into view with a nice wind shelter on top. Don't be fooled, you now want to hit the peak that is just south (left) of the sub-peak. Finally, that is Mt. Sherman. Hike the last 100 yards to the summit and you will be rewarded with great views of the Iowa gulch and Leadville to the west.

If you miss the first gulley up to the west ridge of Gemini, don't worry. There are at least three different gulleys that get you to the top of the ridge. The last gulley is about .5 miles from the starting point. This gulley is a little rougher and will hold snow longer into the summer. The trick is to really look sharp for any trails that head south/southwest and start gaining vertical.

Essential Gear


Summer: Standard hiking gear...Boots, fleece, rain gear, gloves, and water. You will not find very many water sources along this route.

Winter: Add crampons, Ice Axe, and heavier clothing. It is possible to ski the gulley back to treeline.

Miscellaneous Info


If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

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Bryan W

Bryan W - Aug 23, 2004 10:15 pm - Hasn't voted

Route Comment

More information is being researched about this route. I am waiting for a reply from Gerry Roach regarding what he knows about this route. When I was there on 7/11/04, it appeared that the route could be done without stepping foot on private land. The private driveway and house to the southeast is surrounded by a make shift wooden fence. At no time did I have to cross onto this private land. All other areas of the route did not have fence or any type of signs that said no trespassing or private property. I will update soon.

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Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.