Dodad Peak

Overview

Dodad Peak is peak located in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Northern Colorado. Located in the Rawah Wilderness, Dodad Peak receives little visitation most of the year. The reason for this is most likely due to the fact that the shortest route involves around ten miles of hiking one way. Dodad Peak meets the 300ft prominence rule having 452ft of prominence. It isn't one of the highest peaks in the areas, but it has awesome views non-the-less with great views of its higher neighbor Clark Peak and most of the peaks in the Rawah Wilderness Area.

Route Information

There are two ways to attack Dodad Peak, from Twin Crater Lakes or from Island/Carey Lakes.

Twin Crater Lakes- Its around 7 miles to Twin Crater Lakes from the West Branch Trailhead. Once at Twin Crater Lakes (11,064ft), you will see Dodad Peak looming above to the south. Hike around the east side of the lake and climb col to the saddle between Dodad and Snowbank Peak. This col retains snow late into summer so an ice axe would be nice. With or without snow its a steep climb and can be very loose. Once at the saddle (approxiamtely 11,600ft), head east up Dodads class 2 ridge to the summit. From Twin Crater Lakes, its .90 miles to the summit with 988ft of elevation gain.

Approaching the saddle

True Summit of Dodad Peak

Island Lake- It is around 8 miles to Island Lake from the West Branch Trail head. Once at Island Lake (11,145ft) or at Carey Lake(11,077ft), head north towards the saddle between Snowbank Peak and Dodad Peak. The climb up to hear is undulating as you climb up some loose, steep scree slopes. Snow would make this part a little less painful. Once at the saddle (11,600ft), follow the class 2 ridge east to the summit. From Island Lake, its around 1.30 miles to the summit with 930ft of elevation gain.

Island Lake Panorama

Getting There

From Fort Collins to the West Branch Trailhead- Head west on HWY 14 (Poudre Canyon Highway). Follow the Poudre Canyon Highway for 51 miles until you reach CO Road 103 (if you reached the Chambers Lake Campground you have gone too far). Take a right and follow this road around the east side of Chambers Lake. Follow this nice dirt road for just under 7 miles until you reach the West Branch Trailhead on the right-you cant miss it. For other trailhead information, see the page on the Medicine Bow Mountains

Red Tape

The only Red Tape in the Rawah's is the snow. The Medicine Bow Mountains are a notoriously snowy range. Roads to the the trail heads open late May to early June. For current conditions, clickHERE. If the roads are still open, access higher wont normally be snow free until mid-June. Bugs are bad in June as well.

Camping

Camping can be found all over the Rawah Wilderness and around Dodad Peak. There is awesome camping at Twin Crater Lakes below Dodad Peak. Also, there is lots of good camping near Island Lake. You can pretty much camp anywhere in the area. Here are some camping rules and regulations:

-Camping and fire building are prohibited within 200 feet of all lakes, streams and trails to protect water quality, sensitive vegetation and to help assure solitude.
-Camping is prohibited within one-quarter mile of Blue Lake and Hang Lake. Do not camp or use a fire in revegetative sites. These areas are seeded with native, high-altitude grasses and need protection to grow.
-Campfires are prohibited in the alpine areas above 10,800 feet. Campfires consume scarce vegetation and leave permanent scars on the fragile soils of the area.


The closest established camping can be found at Chambers Lake Campground.

External Links

Rawah Wilderness
Arapaho National Forest Service page for the Rawah Wilderness

Weather Conditions
Current weather conditions as forecasted by NOAA

Misc

If you have any more additional information or photos, please contact me or add them to this page. Thank you!

Images

View Dodad Peak Image Gallery - 13 Images