We weaved around boulders and minor cliffs and on grassy slopes until we entered some trees and descended back to the Gore Range Trail. We followed this trail west, paralleling South Willow Creek. Red Peak has two distinct summits. It's high, but getting there requires only a leg-burning hike up a ridgeline to reach its pointy, view-ridden, 13,137' summit. The trail starts through a small burned area before entering the trees, crosses a junction (keep straight, left leads to Buffalo Mountain, and right circles back as a loop), and descends a few hundred feet. With family in Colorado, though, I've made it back enough to explore the range a bit more - at least the more accessible areas. Gore Range from Mapcarta, the free map. A result of the Gore Range's obscurity is that few of the summits are officially named. Because of the proximity of this trailhead to major mountain resort towns, these trails do see its share of traffic. Red Peak Part of the Gore Range including Red, Silverthorn, and East Thorn (2014-08-21). The Colorado Mountain Club and enterprising climbers Learn more about prime locations such as Capitol Hill, Cherry Creek The Colorado River passes through the range at Gore Canyon. There are hundreds of jaw-droppingly-spectacular peaks in the Gore Range, but most of them require miles of scrambling on semi-technical terrain to reach. The west summit is the true summit and can be attained by a steep class 2+ hike up the south ridge. It's high, but getting there requires Continuing down through talus/grasses. Red Buffalo Pass spans a divisive ridge between the South Willow Creek basin (east) and Gore Creek drainage (west). Gore Range from Mapcarta, the free map. Meadow Creek TrailheadLocating the Meadow Creek TH is easy. Ultimately, we thought the standard route was far less good than the rout we took. The author stands at the base of Eccles Pass beside an alpine stream with Red Peak, a 13,189 foot mountain, in the background. Uneva Peak is accessed from the parking area at Vail Pass and Point 12,736 is easily accessible from the runaway truck ramp about 4.5 miles west of Vail Pass. Location: 39.629052, -106.25637 Good campsite by river. Dogs and horses are also able to use this trail. Photo by Andrew Johnston. Separated by three major drainages, (South Willow Creek, Gore Creek, North Willow Creek) Red Peak's summit commands breathtaking views of nearby East Thorn, Willow Peak, Snow Peak, Hail Peak and the Zodiac Spires. Decending the Eisenhower Tunnel, the visible granite dome of Buffalo Mountain dominates the view west of Silverthorne. This makes an excellent introduction to the Gore ⦠In 1932, CMC members Carl Erickson and Edmund Cooper used letters to assign summits in the obscure Black Creek Basin and the CMC subsequently tended and expanded the system (Jacobs & Ormes- Guide to Colorado Mountains.) Hiking trip report for Red Peak via Gore Range Trail, located in White River National Forest, Colorado. J said he was glad he didnât know beforehand how far Red Peakâs summit was away, but he didnât have much ground for telling me that as we were on the summit of Red Peak by 7:15am â only an hour and 15 minutes after we left camp. The trail then continues through some marshes with makeshift bridges and required a teeny bit of thinking to stay on the trail before it reaches a junction with the Gore Range Trail. Differentiating the highpoints on a map or while hiking has challenged all of us at some point. The monarch of the Gore Range is the 13,534-ft. Mount Powell at the north end of the range. If your interested in the Gores and want to get an excellent view, showing many of the more prominent peaks, then I would highly recommend both of these points. It started off quite steep and dirty. The sub-peak ahead is what I mentioned in a previous photo. Gore Range Highlights The Gore Range hosts many spectacular alpine summits over 12,000' but no Fourteeners. Snow Peak is a short and enjoyable mostly Class 2 hike with some brief Class 3 scrambling on large blocks. Click here for larger-size photo. In the relatively short stretch from Gore Pass in the north to Tenmile Creek in the south, the Gore range is densely populated with 50 some mountains over 12,000-ft. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports. The summit. Mostly dry in the Gores. United States - 5 day Gore Range hike - I currently live in Indiana and I am planning a trip back to Gore Range in mid July with my two sons (14 and 15). Silverthorne for a longer day from a base camp at Deluge Lake. Looking back along the short Class 2+ ridge. The Gore Range Trail splits here and becomes the less-formal Gore Creek Trail. The range runs for approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest-to-southeast, through western Grand and Summit counties, and eastern Routt and Eagle counties. Buffalo Mountain out of frame far right. The Gore Range Trail begins heading south, away from Red Peak. The west side of Red Red Peak - Gore Range - South ridge There's nothing like a couple of days in the mountains by yourself to escape the political ads dominating the airwaves these days. Precise planning and execution are of paramount importance when selecting routes in this range. PEAKBAGGERS » Browse, filter + search a complete list of all ranked Gore Colorado 13ers. Buffalo Mountain visible top left. Red Buffalo Pass dips between the shoulders of Red Peak and Deming Mountain. Those pinnacles belong to Red Peak. The entire slope here is a bit convoluted so the idea is to hike up along ridge crests of the abundant small drainages. When I first discovered Uneva Peak and the long ridge running west to Point 12,736, I realized what a great winter hiking option this could be because of the minimal avalanche danger. Buffalo Mountain and Red Peak have always been my back yard. Explore Colorado's Gore Range on this 12.4-mile shuttle hike that begins in Vail, crosses Red Buffalo Pass, and drops into Silverthorne. Although Red Peak lacks some of the mystique of Gore peaks further north, it is certainly accessible. Three skiers had ascended Red Mountain from the southeast side and spent a short time on the summit before initiating their descent. Looking back as we head through a meadow. RBP006 Location: 39 The tri o was at the upper portion of their planned path when a shallow avalanche broke at the location of the uphill skier, who was not caught in the ensuing slide. Thus, in my mind, I would like to summit Red Peak first before heading north along Zodiac Ridge. Point 12,736-ft (above left) and Uneva Peak-12,522-ft (above right) bookend a long, gentle ridge that extends 6 miles south from the Gore Creek Campground and I-70 to Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Image of bleak, natural, outdoors - 138781495 The pass is named for the surrounding mountains of Red Peak (13,189 feet) and Buffalo Mountain (12,777 feet) and ⦠Approximately here is where the "standard" route for Red Peak begins, leaving the trail and continuing steeply up a slope. KansasBoarder. (2), Images You can see the unnamed lake we came from in the center. Click here for larger-size photo. We curved right to avoid cliffs and entered a Class 2 bouldery basin. We left the Gore Range Trail and headed along the unlabeled Gore Creek Trail, which continued to Red Buffalo Pass (top left). A few of the more prominent ridges actually have names like, Zodiac Spires, Rockinghorse Ridge, Ripsaw Ridge and the Grand Traverse. It was pretty, but felt pretty inefficient, and was certainly less fun than our ascent route. If you study a topo map of your planned route, this route description may become a moot point. This grassy slope will quickly become a treed slope. View back toward the slope we descended (center). The route is fairly steep but is easy. A section of swampiness that uses makeshift bridges. Last Saturday several of us headed over to Summit County to ski the northeast line off Red Peak B (13,189') in the southern Gore Range, known colloquially as "The Big Bad Wolf". Ben May 1, 2011 July 28, 2017 No Comments on Touring in the Gores: Red Peak B South Face Skinning somewhere below East Red Peak B in the Gore Range. For example, the Approaching the unavoidable Class 2 talus below Red Peak's false summit. Overall, the west side of the Gore Range is more accessible than the east. Scrambling up the talus, unnamed lake visible above Austin's head. Conditions vary, depending on the time of year. The I'll describe both anyway. Click image to enlarge for better detail or to vote. (70), Climber's Log Entries The Gore Range Trail is named after Sir St. George Gore, an Irish nobleman, who led a hunting expedition across this mountain range in 1853. The west side of Red Minor Class 2 as we ascend. Red Peak is one of the few exceptions. Peak/Route: Red Peak 13,189 (Gore Range)/âBig Bad Wolfâ (NE Couloir) Mileage/Vert: 12-13 miles, 4,500 feet Group: Me, Hugh and Jon Food: Sweet n spicy trail mix, hot and bothered Perky Jerky, Honey Stinger gels, Gatorade energy chews, fruit punch, double stuffed Oreos Resources: iPhone Topo Maps, Vail/Frisco/Dillon Trails Illustrated #108 Approaching Red Buffalo Pass, Buffalo Mountain top left and the unnamed lake out of sight center right. Looking back through the meadow, Red Peak top left, the valley the Gore Range Trail ascended on the right. The Gore Range is a part of the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado, located in the Eagle, Summit, Grand and Routt counties. I call it Red Peak B per the Colorado 13er list, which names âRed Peak Aâ as an unranked 13er in the Front Range. Red Peak center. Overall it's a decent route, but the ridge had really nice views and less tedious Class 2 than this standard option. The trail descends for a few hundred feet. From Red Peak, we decided to attempt the standard route, dropping to the saddle between Red Peak and its false southern sub-peak. The tri o was at the upper portion of their planned path when a shallow avalanche broke at the location of the uphill skier, who was not caught in the ensuing slide. From Denver, take I-70 west to the mountain towns of Dillon and Silverthorne. September 2020 COVID-escape adventure into the Gore Range near Gore Lake. My site is free to use, but consider sending me a few bucks to help keep it running. The Goreâs are more of a range consisting of ridges, rather than separated peaks. Follow it up and over Red Buffalo pass. Although Red Peak lacks some of the mystique of Gore peaks further north, it is certainly accessible. Approaching the false summit of Red Peak. Those pinnacles belong to Red Peak.Red Peak is a very large mountain. At the end of a ramp is a flat, paved area that CDOT uses to store sand for Vail Pass in the winter. 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