Solo hike. The portion along Denny Creek for the first couple of miles is nice. The rest of the route is steep and pretty boring, but the views from the top are nice. Great weather on this one!
At 1348, I stepped onto the highest rock on the summit of Mount Yale (14,196 feet). It had been 4 hours and 25 minutes since I started climbing. That put my ascent rate at about 16 feet per minute, and my horizontal speed at just a tad over 1 mile per hour. One advantage of starting late was that I was the only person on the summit. It was just me and several cute, furry marmots. I don’t enjoy being on a summit with crowds of people talking, taking photos, and milling about. I go to the mountains for solitude or to enjoy an experience with a friend or two. A crow flew over me and was gliding on an air current. A fly landed on my hand. Flies are everywhere. The air was fairly calm, much calmer than it was at the saddle. The sun was back out. It was wonderful. Other than finding a place to camp for the evening, I didn’t have any other plans or commitments for the day. It was a good feeling to just relax and enjoy the solitude on the summit. I could spend the rest of the day on the mountain if I wanted to. My life, like many Americans, is ruled too much by schedules and deadlines.
kronshage3 - Apr 22, 2017 12:51 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2016
Southwest Slopes Route
Started around 6AM. A little bit of snow along the trail in a few sections below treeline. Lots of marmots out today, probably more marmots than people. Great conditions. Some mosquitoes below treeline during descent. Back at car around 11AM.
skorpeo - Dec 14, 2016 12:18 am Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2014
Great
Nice day. Few hikers.
skorpeo - Dec 14, 2016 12:18 am Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2014
Beautiful 14er with an especially enjoyable forest approach and a fun little scramble at the end. Really enjoyed this one!
tjburr - Jul 22, 2016 1:28 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2016
Steep & Steady Climb
Steep, steady climb for 4.5 miles from trailhead to summit. Spectacular scenery. Beautiful wildflowers in July, especially the Colorado Columbine. A little rock scrambling on the summit. Family of marmots living on the very top. Met some people from Houston, Texas on the trail. Main parking lot was full. Saw about 40-50 people dispersed out on the trail. Highly recommended climb. - TJ Burr, Author of "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"
Kessler - Nov 4, 2015 11:39 pm Date Climbed: May 30, 2015
Yale
May 30 2015
technicolorNH - Sep 13, 2015 12:35 am Date Climbed: Sep 12, 2015
From Denny Creek
Started at 542 am and got to the summit by 954 am. I was the slow guy on the trail and I got passed by six climbers while only passing two in return. The guy with the flag was really moving. The two hour and fifteen minute descent was a bit fast but I was trying to minimize sun exposure since I burnt myself to a crisp in the Mosquito Range the previous two days.
buzzdainer - Aug 30, 2015 8:58 pm Date Climbed: Aug 13, 2015
Denny Creek route
Did this one with a meetup group. Followed the standard route. Great day!
astroclimber - Aug 28, 2015 6:34 pm Date Climbed: Aug 20, 2015
Great day in spite of the smoke in the air
Great weather and great partners hazy smoke from the western wildfires made picture taking difficult
Moogie737 - Aug 13, 2015 8:00 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2015
Denny Creek TH
#1 8-12-15 W/Brent After doing the Columbia-Harvard combo the day before today seemed almost like a throttle-back day. We faithfully took 5-minute breaks at every 1-hour point and thus reached the broad summit in 3+48. Unfortunately dreadful unrelenting southwesterly winds of 20-25 mph made it cold and somewhat challenging, especially the scramble from the saddle. Shared the summit with about a dozen others, all of us scrunched down on the north side to get out of wind. But what spectacular views!
schleger - Aug 9, 2015 2:31 pm Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2015
Denny Creek
Great Trail with a nice summit. I thought the scrambling near the top might qualify at an easy class 3..
Impressed first with a paved road (Cottonwood pass) to Denny TH. A late 9am start worked just fine with summer weather and it only took 5hrs. Did get a welcomed ever so light refreshing sprinkle on descent. Trail is superb when compared to climbing Princeton's talus next door, and Yale's soft ground follows a picturesque brook, then gains altitude, leading to grassy high country above 12,000' for a light talus summit.
Scott - Jun 17, 2015 4:48 pm Date Climbed: Mar 8, 2008
Yale
May 30 2015
The night before. Kessler and I drove down to a campsite to climb Mount Yale with some 14ers.com members. Since I had already done the east ridge, we opted for the standard route.
Since we arrived late the night before, Kessler didn't want to get up at four, so we didn't hit the trailhead until almost 6 am. We hurried up the mountain and finally caught some of the other group near the summit ridge. Some were on the summit. The snow conditions were really nice on the climb to the summit and we we took a nice break on top. It was a beautiful climb and the last part was a bit rugged.
After climbing the peak, we headed back down and did some really nice glissades. Kessler and I glissaded all the way down to and directly to Delaney Creek, but that was a big mistake as the snow got extremely soft even with snowshoes and going down Delaney Creek was extremely tedious. We had to wade the creek as well. After much trial, we finally made it to the trail which we followed back to the trailhead. There was a bit of postholing until we were below 10,500 feet or so.
To sum it up, the climb up was great, the upper third of the descent was really great, the middle third of the descent was miserable, and the last third of the descent was OK.
March 8 2008
Five of us (Dan, Brandy, Austin, Pete and myself) met at the Avalanche Gulch trailhead and we began hiking at 1:30 pm. One person (Pete) turned back earlier, but the rest of us continued to 11,860 feet before camping (we also met Clint there who left earlier than the rest of us).
After a mild (9 degrees F) and rather windy night, we got a late start at 8:30 am. Five of us climbed to the summit of Yale via the East Ridge and were met by two others whom had started earlier that day. The ridge was rather long and tedious in winter and we didn’t get any views from the top because it was snowing, but after the morning it was eerily calm without hardly any wind.
It was a pretty good climb, but Yale is definitely a rather tedious choss pile. On the way down Austin and I decided to push a more direct route down part of the lower section of trail, but that was a mistake.
Taking advantage of the recent warm dry spell to sneak a winter ascent of Yale in before the pattern changes. Well packed out trail to near treeline, short steep section below treeline with some postholing, then patchy snow to the mostly dry ridge. Some loaded slopes on the north require taking the ridge direct.
birdhead - Jul 22, 2017 12:37 pm Date Climbed: Jul 20, 2017
Southwest SlopesSolo hike. The portion along Denny Creek for the first couple of miles is nice. The rest of the route is steep and pretty boring, but the views from the top are nice. Great weather on this one!
tjburr - Jul 11, 2017 5:09 pm Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2016
Long Hike, Awesome ViewsAt 1348, I stepped onto the highest rock on the summit of Mount Yale (14,196 feet). It had been 4 hours and 25 minutes since I started climbing. That put my ascent rate at about 16 feet per minute, and my horizontal speed at just a tad over 1 mile per hour. One advantage of starting late was that I was the only person on the summit. It was just me and several cute, furry marmots. I don’t enjoy being on a summit with crowds of people talking, taking photos, and milling about. I go to the mountains for solitude or to enjoy an experience with a friend or two. A crow flew over me and was gliding on an air current. A fly landed on my hand. Flies are everywhere. The air was fairly calm, much calmer than it was at the saddle. The sun was back out. It was wonderful. Other than finding a place to camp for the evening, I didn’t have any other plans or commitments for the day. It was a good feeling to just relax and enjoy the solitude on the summit. I could spend the rest of the day on the mountain if I wanted to. My life, like many Americans, is ruled too much by schedules and deadlines.
JRaphaelson - Jul 8, 2017 7:26 pm Date Climbed: Jul 1, 2017
YaleNot the most exciting 14er. Very crowded and the views aren't that great. But everything is relative. It's still beautiful.
crussellbowden - Jul 7, 2017 8:52 pm Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2017
DC TH; 3 hours uiphttp://peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=824700
kronshage3 - Apr 22, 2017 12:51 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2016
Southwest Slopes RouteStarted around 6AM. A little bit of snow along the trail in a few sections below treeline. Lots of marmots out today, probably more marmots than people. Great conditions. Some mosquitoes below treeline during descent. Back at car around 11AM.
skorpeo - Dec 14, 2016 12:18 am Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2014
GreatNice day. Few hikers.
skorpeo - Dec 14, 2016 12:18 am Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2014
GreatNice day. Few hikers.
utclimber - Oct 16, 2016 5:03 pm
Standard routeSome time in the late 90s.
dunking_deutschman - Aug 11, 2016 11:16 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2016
15th 14er summitBeautiful 14er with an especially enjoyable forest approach and a fun little scramble at the end. Really enjoyed this one!
tjburr - Jul 22, 2016 1:28 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2016
Steep & Steady ClimbSteep, steady climb for 4.5 miles from trailhead to summit. Spectacular scenery. Beautiful wildflowers in July, especially the Colorado Columbine. A little rock scrambling on the summit. Family of marmots living on the very top. Met some people from Houston, Texas on the trail. Main parking lot was full. Saw about 40-50 people dispersed out on the trail. Highly recommended climb. - TJ Burr, Author of "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection"
PapaBanucci - Jul 17, 2016 9:57 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2016
Beautiful WeatherTrail's in great shape.
Kessler - Nov 4, 2015 11:39 pm Date Climbed: May 30, 2015
YaleMay 30 2015
technicolorNH - Sep 13, 2015 12:35 am Date Climbed: Sep 12, 2015
From Denny CreekStarted at 542 am and got to the summit by 954 am. I was the slow guy on the trail and I got passed by six climbers while only passing two in return. The guy with the flag was really moving. The two hour and fifteen minute descent was a bit fast but I was trying to minimize sun exposure since I burnt myself to a crisp in the Mosquito Range the previous two days.
buzzdainer - Aug 30, 2015 8:58 pm Date Climbed: Aug 13, 2015
Denny Creek routeDid this one with a meetup group. Followed the standard route. Great day!
astroclimber - Aug 28, 2015 6:34 pm Date Climbed: Aug 20, 2015
Great day in spite of the smoke in the airGreat weather and great partners hazy smoke from the western wildfires made picture taking difficult
Moogie737 - Aug 13, 2015 8:00 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2015
Denny Creek TH#1 8-12-15 W/Brent After doing the Columbia-Harvard combo the day before today seemed almost like a throttle-back day. We faithfully took 5-minute breaks at every 1-hour point and thus reached the broad summit in 3+48. Unfortunately dreadful unrelenting southwesterly winds of 20-25 mph made it cold and somewhat challenging, especially the scramble from the saddle. Shared the summit with about a dozen others, all of us scrunched down on the north side to get out of wind. But what spectacular views!
schleger - Aug 9, 2015 2:31 pm Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2015
Denny CreekGreat Trail with a nice summit. I thought the scrambling near the top might qualify at an easy class 3..
ericd - Jul 23, 2015 8:58 pm Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2015
Nice trail!Impressed first with a paved road (Cottonwood pass) to Denny TH. A late 9am start worked just fine with summer weather and it only took 5hrs. Did get a welcomed ever so light refreshing sprinkle on descent. Trail is superb when compared to climbing Princeton's talus next door, and Yale's soft ground follows a picturesque brook, then gains altitude, leading to grassy high country above 12,000' for a light talus summit.
Scott - Jun 17, 2015 4:48 pm Date Climbed: Mar 8, 2008
YaleMay 30 2015
The night before. Kessler and I drove down to a campsite to climb Mount Yale with some 14ers.com members. Since I had already done the east ridge, we opted for the standard route.
Since we arrived late the night before, Kessler didn't want to get up at four, so we didn't hit the trailhead until almost 6 am. We hurried up the mountain and finally caught some of the other group near the summit ridge. Some were on the summit. The snow conditions were really nice on the climb to the summit and we we took a nice break on top. It was a beautiful climb and the last part was a bit rugged.
After climbing the peak, we headed back down and did some really nice glissades. Kessler and I glissaded all the way down to and directly to Delaney Creek, but that was a big mistake as the snow got extremely soft even with snowshoes and going down Delaney Creek was extremely tedious. We had to wade the creek as well. After much trial, we finally made it to the trail which we followed back to the trailhead. There was a bit of postholing until we were below 10,500 feet or so.
To sum it up, the climb up was great, the upper third of the descent was really great, the middle third of the descent was miserable, and the last third of the descent was OK.
March 8 2008
Five of us (Dan, Brandy, Austin, Pete and myself) met at the Avalanche Gulch trailhead and we began hiking at 1:30 pm. One person (Pete) turned back earlier, but the rest of us continued to 11,860 feet before camping (we also met Clint there who left earlier than the rest of us).
After a mild (9 degrees F) and rather windy night, we got a late start at 8:30 am. Five of us climbed to the summit of Yale via the East Ridge and were met by two others whom had started earlier that day. The ridge was rather long and tedious in winter and we didn’t get any views from the top because it was snowing, but after the morning it was eerily calm without hardly any wind.
It was a pretty good climb, but Yale is definitely a rather tedious choss pile. On the way down Austin and I decided to push a more direct route down part of the lower section of trail, but that was a mistake.
chicagotransplant - Feb 14, 2015 6:45 pm Date Climbed: Feb 14, 2015
Winter SoloTaking advantage of the recent warm dry spell to sneak a winter ascent of Yale in before the pattern changes. Well packed out trail to near treeline, short steep section below treeline with some postholing, then patchy snow to the mostly dry ridge. Some loaded slopes on the north require taking the ridge direct.