Peak 12724 ft

Overview

North face of Peak 12724 ft

  

Rank: Peak 12724 ft is Colorado’s 841st highest ranked peak.
Prominence: 464 ft

Peak 12724 ft rises in the western parts of the Chalk Creek Valley in the Sawatch Mountains of central Colorado near the town of Buena Vista. It sits on the crest of a ridgeline that separates The North Fork of Chalk Creek from Wildcat Gulch.

Although Peak 12724 ft is lower than most of its neighbors, steep slopes and a pointed summit give it much visual prominence. It is well visible from Tincup Pass Road, a 4WD road that starts in the ghost town of St. Elmo in Chalk Creek Valley and goes through the 12154 ft Tincup Pass. Alpine Tunnel Trail (see Mt. Helmers page) starts in the eastern parts of Tincup Pass Road and goes through a 11940 ft saddle between Peak 12724 ft and Peak 12885 ft. From the saddle, you can hike up the western slopes of Peak 12724 ft to reach its summit (Alpine Tunnel Trail continues south beyond the 11940 ft saddle to reach the ghost town of Hancock).



North and northwestern faces of Peak 12724 ft

Getting There

Directions to the beginning of Tincup Pass Rd in St. Elmo:

From the town of Buena Vista drive 8 miles south on Route 285 to a place known as Nathrop and then turn west onto Route 162. Drive this road 16 miles to the ghost town of St. Elmo (the first 10 miles are paved and the rest is a well graded dirt road). In St. Elmo, go thru “Main Street”, turn right and cross the bridge to the north side of Chalk Creek. Then make an immediate left and continue to the west end of town.

Route (via Tincup Pass Rd)

All distances are per my GPS.

Place	Elevation	Distance
St. Elmo	10000 ft	zero miles
Alpine Tunnel Trail	11080 ft	3.65 miles
Saddle	11940 ft	1.8 miles
Summit	12724 ft	0.4 miles
Total	-	5.85 miles

See the Route Page for Peak 12885 ft. Follow the instructions to reach the 11940 ft saddle. From the saddle, you can hike up the steep western slopes of Peak 12724 ft to reach its summit.

Summit

NW Face

Western Slopes

Views from the summit of Peak 12724 ft:

Peak 12885 ft
Mt. Helmers & Peak 12954 ft	Mt. Aetna & Monumental Peak	Tincup Pass & Emma Burr Mtn
Mt. Princeton	Tincup Pass Rd	Grizzly Peak & Mt. Mamma
Fitzpatric Peak

Red Tape

No fees or permits for day hikes. For other regulations, see the site for San Isabel National Forest.

Weather Forecast

See the forecast for the nearby town of Buena Vista.

External Links

Driving Tincup Pass Road.

Images

View Peak 12724 ft Image Gallery - 18 Images