Peak 12885 ft

Overview

The northeastern face of Peak 12885 ft

  
Rank: Peak 12885 ft is Colorado’s 728th highest ranked peak
Prominence: 505 ft

Peak 12885 ft sits on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Mountains of central Colorado near the town of Buena Vista. It belongs to a group of nameless 12ers that rise at the western end of Chalk Creek Valley. Like most of its neighbors, Peak 12885 ft has gentle slopes that allow easy access to its summit.

To the north, Peak 12885 ft is connected to the 13122 ft Fitzpatrick Peak and to the south it connects to Peak 12954 ft. A 11940 ft saddle separates Peak 12885 ft from Peak 12724 ft to the east. The small Graphite Lake sits to the northwest of Peak 12885 ft at elevation of 11780 ft.

A four wheel drive road known as Tincup Pass Road starts in the ghost town of St. Elmo in Chalk Creek Valley and heads west going through the 12154 ft Tincup Pass. Alpine Tunnel Trail (see Mt. Helmers Page) branches off of the eastern parts of Tincup Pass Road and goes through the 11940 ft saddle at the base of the summit of Peak 12885 ft. From the saddle, you could hike up the grassy eastern slopes of Peak 12885 ft to reach its summit (Alpine Tunnel Trail continues south beyond the saddle to reach the ghost town of Hancock).




East and northeastern Faces of Peak 12885 ft

Pictures

Meadow at the beginning of Alpine Tunnel Trail

Alpine Tunnel Trail in pine forest

Near tree-line

Peak 12885 ft

Peak 12885 ft

Alpine tundra

Southern ridgeline of Peak 12885 ft

Southern Ridgeline

Summit

Views from the summit of Peak 12885 ft

Fitzpatrick Peak & Graphite Lake
Tincup Pass & Mt. Yale	Mt. Princeton & Chalk Creek	Wildcat Gulch
Mt. Aetna	Mt. Helmers & Peak 12954 ft	Tomichi Dome
Fairview Peak

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.

Red Tape

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

Map

Weather Forecast

See the forecast for the nearby town of Buena Vista.

External Links

Driving Tincup Pass Road.

Images

View Peak 12885 ft Image Gallery - 27 Images