imogene pass – Wild Wanderer

T8 – 13,315 and Hayden Mountain South – 13,211

RT Length: 7.61 miles

Elevation Gain: 3137’

On my way down from Imogene Pass, I parked at the Junction for Richmond Pass and Imogene Pass near the Richmond Trailhead at around 10950’. There’s a nice dispersed campsite here (but when I arrived it was already taken). This hike is entirely class 1 or class 2.

I was up and on the trail at 6:30am. I followed the 4WD road all the way to 12600’

At the first and only junction I came to, I turned right and followed the road that said it led to the Richmond Trail, which I never found the entrance to on either my way up or my way back down (which is why I didn’t take the trail all the way back to the 4WD road on my return… that and there was a private property sign down below and I didn’t want to make a mistake there).

I continued following the road to treeline, where it became very rocky. If you have a 4WD vehicle you can drive up this road, but there will be a rather large rock in the middle of the road above 12000’ that’s difficult to navigate around.

After 2.7 miles of hiking, at about 12600’ I left the road, and headed southwest on tundra. This is where I was going.

From there I came to an obvious drainage and headed towards it.

At the end of the drainage I gained the ridge, mostly on tundra.

After gaining the ridge I turned left and headed southwest up solid shale and game trails.

At the top I turned left, and headed south to the summit

I summited T8 at 8:15am

T8:

From the summit of T8, looking northeast I could see Hayden Mountain South

To get there I first re-traced my steps back to the 4WD dirt road

Once back on the road, my next objective was to make it to the saddle. This is the overall route I took:

I was able to do this entirely on tundra and game trails, avoiding the rocky sections to the left. I chose to stay high on the tundra to keep me level with the saddle.

From the saddle, I could clearly see the Richmond Trail.

At the saddle I took the trail that headed along the east side of the ridge north. This is a class 1 trail that will lead you almost all the way to the summit. It has some ups and downs, but it’s easy to follow and keeps you below the rock formations.

The trail was even easy to follow up the talus. I continued following it until I hit the ridge at 13130’. There’s a cairn here. I turned right at the cairn and followed the short ridge east to the summit.

I summited Hayden Mountain South at 10:45am

Hayden Mountain South:

From the summit I headed east back down to the trail

Then I followed the trail down the scree, and back down part of the ridge.

At 12785’ I found a side trail that would lead me back to the Richmond Trail on the east side of the ridge, just below the pass. It looked like it went (it did) so I decided to take it. It’s a game trail, but solid.

Now on the Richmond trail, I turned right and followed it west to 12220’

At 12220’ I left the trail, and headed southwest towards the 4WD road I could see in the distance I’d hiked in on.

Back on the road, I followed it back to my truck

I made it back to my truck at 10:45am, making this a 7.61 mile hike with 3137’ of elevation gain in 4 hours, 15 minutes

On to the next trailhead! But I would have to wait a while. There was a train of about 20 (or more) Jeeps heading up to Imogene Pass, so I waited while they made their way, stopping to take pictures as they went.

T7 – 13,360

RT Length: 1.84 miles

Elevation Gain: 839’

Imogene Pass road is a difficult 4WD road (26A). Be prepared for large rock slabs and narrow shelf roads. I parked below Imogene Pass at around 12500’ at a pull off and was on the trail at 6:40am, as soon as I could see well enough to hike without a flashlight. I started by following the 4WD dirt road towards Imogene Pass. While it had recently snowed in the area, all the snow was sticking to the north slopes, so there wasn’t any snow on my route today. I’ve been in the area a few days, and I’d thought the snow would have melted out by now, but it seems to be lingering on.

At 12590’ there’s a dispersed campsite with an old fire ring. This is potentially another place to park. Here I left the road and started hiking on tundra southeast towards an obvious saddle.

This was a quick and easy hike, all class 2. Here’s my overall route to T7.

I started by heading southeast towards the saddle, staying to the left and high of the drainage.

Once I made it to the saddle I turned left and followed the ridge east. As you can see in the pictures, this hike was entirely done on tundra.

At the top of the ridge, I could see the summit to the east just a few yards away.

I summited T7 at 7:05am

T7:

This was a quick sunrise summit for me before work, so I turned and headed back the way I came, towards the ridge. I could see my vehicle below for most of this hike.

I then followed the ridge down to the saddle

Once at the saddle I turned right, and headed northwest back to the road (26A)

Once on the road, I followed it the short distance back to my truck

I made it back to my truck at 7:30am, making this a 1.84 mile hike with 839’ of elevation gain in 50 minutes.

Also, there’s an old mine to check out while you’re there close to where I parked, and several other old relics in the area. A lot of abandoned mines, equipment, poles, old trolley carts, and other artifacts. If you take the time to drive all the way up here, you might as well enjoy some Colorado history as well, and maybe get in a few other peaks? There are several 13ers and more to choose from.

On to the next trailhead!

Chicago Peak – 13,391 and Tomboy Peak – 13,101

RT Length: 6.16 miles

Elevation Gain: 1975’

The drive to Imogene Pass is not for the faint of heart. You need a 4WD vehicle and a competent driver. Be prepared for narrow roads and large rock slabs with steep drop offs. The worst part is the very beginning (at the separation from Yankee Boy Basin) and at the very end. I drove in from the Ouray side. I didn’t drive all the way to the pass, but parked about a mile below at a wide turnout. I was on the trail at 6:30am, following the road south towards Imogene Pass.

Just before the final switchback to Imogene Pass I bypassed the road and took a game trail to the right, which led me back to the road and Imogene Pass.

The Telluride side was closed

From Imogene Pass I followed the road/ridge north

Maps show a trail here, but if there is one, it’s faint/has been destroyed by rockfall. This hike is class 2, but difficult class 2. Everything is loose. The talus and shale are not secure, and there’s exposure, so be mentally ready for more than a normal class 2 hike. Watch your step, as there are large metal wires strewn all about the ground on this ridge. There’s a trail until you hit this point, then you get to route find. From here I could see Chicago Peak. This is the route I took:

I then rounded the ridge, following the ridge proper

This is where the fun begins. You want to stay high, but not on top of the ridge. I pretty much followed the bottom of the rock outcroppings, traversing on shale. I started out staying to the right, then in the middle switched to the left to go around a large rock, and then took the ridge proper to the slope. Here’s an overall view of my route:

And some pictures:

From here it was an easy ridge hike on shale game trails to the summit. I followed the ridge north.

I summited Chicago Peak at 7:45am

Chicago Peak:

My next peak was Tomboy Peak, which I could see to the northwest. It looked too small to be a 13er from here, but that’s just because Chicago Peak is taller.

This is the overall route I took to get there

First, I continued hiking down the ridge until I came to a small saddle at 13220’. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the game trail to the right that will circle you back to the saddle.

I then turned left, and headed west towards Tomboy Peak, losing 400’ of elevation on very loose shale (no trails here, watch your step).

At the saddle, I headed straight up the ridge to the summit (also on very loose shale).

I summited Tomboy Peak at 8:40am

Tomboy Peak:

This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and headed back towards Chicago Peak. The pictures heading back are probably more useful than the ones coming in, due to the angle of the sun. First, I descended to the Chicago/Tomboy Saddle