Tour de Greenhorn

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 37.88150°N / 105.0133°W
Additional Information Route Type: Hike
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Difficulty: Walk-up
Sign the Climber's Log

Approach


From I-25 exit onto Colorado Hwy 165 (exit 79) drive past the small town of San Isabel drive approx. ten miles to a junction in the road with a sign calling out the Ophir Creek Road and Campground (FR 400). Bypass the turn off to the campground and drive on a good dirt road for approx. eight miles to a fourway in the road. Turn left (south) onto FR 403 or the Greenhorn Mountain Road. Take this road all the way until it ends at the wilderness boundary. Be prepared, there is about twenty miles of driving on unpaved roads, all of which are in excellent condition and well maintained.

Route Description


If you like solitude and wonderful views then Greenhorn Mtn should be on your to-do list.

From the upper parking lot Greenhorn Mtn is an easy hike to a peak that offers some of the best views in the state. The route I am describing will allow you to get Greenhorn's main summit and it's five sub-peaks. Starting at the large parking lot bypass the Greenhorn trail and follow an old mining road going to the south, it's called out as the Bartlett Trail on the San Isabel Quad. After a mile or so Greenhorn's main summit will come into view, stay on the trail for another mile to the south side of the peak. Leave the trail and go straight up the steep, talus slope. Don't worry after about four hundred feet of climbing the summit will come into view and the hardest part of the hike will be history. From the summit all of the five sub-peak's that make up the small area that makes it to the tundra will come into view. Look closely for the heard of bighorn sheep that call Greenhorn home. From the summit simply follow the ridge to the first sub-peak at 12,240' (150' elevation gain). Then make your way to point 12,237 (180' elevation gain), then to the small point 12,160 (60' elev. gain) east of point 12,237. This point offers excellent views down a steep canyon. From here make you way back to point 12,237 (140' elev gain) then a very easy walk to it's identical looking point to the west (50' elev. gain). Finally make your way over to the North Peak 12,220 (160' elev. gain) which offers excellent views of the Wet Mountains. From here make your way back to the Greenhorn trail which is somewhat hard to find but is at the saddle of the North Peak and the point 12,237. At the saddle follow the trail back to the parking lot. The short but rewarding hike entails 5 to 6 miles round trip and 1,800 feet elevation gain.

Essential Gear


Ophir Creek road is closed during the winter season, call the forest service for information on closure and opening dates.

Miscellaneous Info


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