Mount Massive to Mount Elbert Traverse in San Isabel National Forest, CO

Hike Mount Massive to Mount Elbert Traverse San Isabel National Forest, CO

Class 3 26.9 miles 13100 gain 15-19 hrs Loop Sep 21, 2018
Effort
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Personality
Solitude
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I haven't challenged myself quite like this in a long time, and this epic Sawatch Mountains loop, traversing from Mt. Massive to Mt. Elbert, was exactly what I needed. In total, this traverse summits a bunch of Colorado high peaks, as well as quite a few unnamed bumps. The officially ranked peaks are: Mt. Massive, Mt. Oklahoma, Deer Mountain, Peak 13736, Mt. Champion, Casco Peak, Bull Hill, Mt. Elbert. The entire day is fairly slow-moving because it's not a clear, alpine ridgeline, but instead a rocky jumble of scrambles and rugged terrain. A few Class 3 moves obstruct your route along the way, but there's nothing crazy overall. You also have a couple of bail points, but these would require walking back on a dirt road for many miles, so just go for the gold (aka Mt. Elbert).

I know myself. I can't get up for an alpine start. 5:00: "It's too cold." 6:00: "I'll just hike back in the dark." 6:30: "Shit, why do I always do this?" I recommend you don't start this late – I lost light well before I finished, and it would have been nice to summit Mt. Elbert for sunset, but whatever, I was well-rested. Head up the standard route to Mt. Massive, and continue along the ridgeline over some Class 2+ stuff to Mt. Massive Northwest Peak, an unofficial bump along the ridge that has a few obstacles. From here, the route to Mt. Oklahoma takes some time, as there are a few short Class 2+ down climbs, and a steep and fun scramble to Mt. Oklahoma's summit. From Mt. Oklahoma, a long and easy walk to Deer Mountain is a nice break, but expect a single Class 3 move to gain Deer Mountain's summit. After this move, stick to the ridge or just to the right to avoid terribly quality rock on the east face. I was surprised how long all of this took me so far, and how much I still had ahead of me.

The going actually somehow got slower. There are two bumps before Peak 13736 that aren't particularly interesting, and expect a short, loose down climb coming down from the second bump. Peak 13736 ended up just being another Class 2 obstacle along the way, and Mt. Champion was the same, both really pretty.

It was already late afternoon as I was coming down from Mt. Champion and the ridgeline to French Mountain ahead looked intimidating. Initially, French Mountain was one of the peaks along my intended route, but somehow I forgot to research the beta on this ridgeline. I decided to go for it anyway (yellow mishap on the map). Initially, it seemed like it would go at Class 3, and then I had to route-find around some absolutely awful-quality rock pinnacles and got into not-so-fun Class 4 territory. I got to a point where the ridge became jagged, loose, and terrifying. It was already getting late. Obviously, I was getting a bit tired and prone to make a poor decision. Was there a route I wasn't seeing? Both sides of the ridge were loose and awful,  I couldn't see cairns or social trails, and overall it just looked like a mess. I took a moment and saw some Jeeps heading up the road from Champion Mills. I could bail and hitch a ride. I seriously considered it, but I had a stroke of excitement to think about finishing this loop and instead decided to bail off the ridge and head to the saddle between French Mountain and Casco Peak, skipping French entirely. This was my decision point – I would go for it. I left my failure on the map, showing my stopping point "X" and my subsequent bail.

The line I chose to get to the saddle of French Mountain and Casco Peak ended up being more awful, loose scree, but the ridgeline up to Casco Peak was pretty and friendly and I got a nice view of still how damn far I had to go. It was somehow actually not as disheartening as I thought it would be, despite the sun setting behind me.

The route from Casco Peak to Bull Hill is really pretty, and mostly just a walk on an alpine grasses ridge, with some Class 2 to gain Bull Hill's summit. More Class 2, now in the dark for me, takes you to a trail about halfway up from the saddle of Bull Hill and Mt. Elbert, and this leads to Mt. Elbert's summit. Follow the standard Mt. Elbert trail back to the trailhead.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Mount Massive
14421 ft
1941 rise
2
Mount Massive-Green Peak
14280 ft
80 rise
3
Mount Massive-Northwest Peak
14320 ft
240 rise
4
Mount Oklahoma
13845 ft
725 rise
5
Deer Mountain
13761 ft
921 rise
6
Peak 13736
13736 ft
656 rise
7
Mount Champion
13646 ft
286 rise
8
Casco Peak
13908 ft
628 rise
9
Bull Hill
13761 ft
401 rise
10
Mount Elbert
14433 ft
9073 rise

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Starting up to Mt. Massive. It was a little disheartening to be walking away from Mt. Elbert (leftmost peak in this photo).
Starting up to Mt. Massive. It was a little disheartening to be walking away from Mt. Elbert (leftmost peak in this photo).
Image 1 from gallery
Leaving the treeline on the way up Mt. Massive.
Leaving the treeline on the way up Mt. Massive.
Mt. Massive up there int he center somewhere.
Mt. Massive up there int he center somewhere.
Looking back the way I came.
Looking back the way I came.
Image 5 from gallery
Image 6 from gallery
Image 7 from gallery
Along the ridgeline to Mt. Massive, with a view south toward Mt. Elbert and the long traverse to get there.
Along the ridgeline to Mt. Massive, with a view south toward Mt. Elbert and the long traverse to get there.
Looking down the ridgeline, Mt. Elbert on the ridge, and the Mt. Massive Trail I came up on the left.
Looking down the ridgeline, Mt. Elbert on the ridge, and the Mt. Massive Trail I came up on the left.
Continuing up toward Mt. Massive.
Continuing up toward Mt. Massive.
Mt. Massive summit ahead.
Mt. Massive summit ahead.
Close-up of the traverse - Mt. Oklahoma on the right, Deer Mountain center, Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion on the left.
Close-up of the traverse - Mt. Oklahoma on the right, Deer Mountain center, Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion on the left.
Heading along the ridge from Mt. Massive toward Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Heading along the ridge from Mt. Massive toward Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak ahead.
Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak ahead.
Looking back toward Mt. Massive on the way to Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Looking back toward Mt. Massive on the way to Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Class 2 stuff to gain Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Class 2 stuff to gain Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak, looking toward Mt. Oklahoma and Deer Mountain, to come.
Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak, looking toward Mt. Oklahoma and Deer Mountain, to come.
Looking back toward Mt. Massive, on the way down from Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Looking back toward Mt. Massive, on the way down from Mt. Massive - Northwest Peak.
Mt. Oklahoma on the right. It's blocking Deer Mountain behind it, but you can see Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion just to its left.
Mt. Oklahoma on the right. It's blocking Deer Mountain behind it, but you can see Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion just to its left.
Ridgeline to Mt. Oklahoma.
Ridgeline to Mt. Oklahoma.
Mt. Oklahoma ahead.
Mt. Oklahoma ahead.
Along the ridge to Mt. Oklahoma, looking back toward Mt. Massive.
Along the ridge to Mt. Oklahoma, looking back toward Mt. Massive.
Image 23 from gallery
Mt Oklahoma summit, looking toward Deer Mountain, next.
Mt Oklahoma summit, looking toward Deer Mountain, next.
Deer Mountain on the far right.
Deer Mountain on the far right.
Deer Mountain getting closer, slowly.
Deer Mountain getting closer, slowly.
Flat section just before starting up Deer Mountain.
Flat section just before starting up Deer Mountain.
Along the ridge to Deer Mountain, looking back toward Mt. Oklahoma and Mt. Massive.
Along the ridge to Deer Mountain, looking back toward Mt. Oklahoma and Mt. Massive.
Approaching the Deer Mountain Class 3 section.
Approaching the Deer Mountain Class 3 section.
Class 3 section on Deer Mountain.
Class 3 section on Deer Mountain.
After the Deer Mountain Class 3 section, a short section of Class 2 before gaining the summit.
After the Deer Mountain Class 3 section, a short section of Class 2 before gaining the summit.
Deer Mountain summit, looking back toward Mt. Oklahoma.
Deer Mountain summit, looking back toward Mt. Oklahoma.
Deer Mountain summit, looking along the ridge to Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion. You can also see the pointy Casco Peak farther left, French Mountain even farther left, and the start of the ridge to Mt. Elbert getting cut off on the far far left.
Deer Mountain summit, looking along the ridge to Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion. You can also see the pointy Casco Peak farther left, French Mountain even farther left, and the start of the ridge to Mt. Elbert getting cut off on the far far left.
Mt. Elbert far left, Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion far right. Two bumps along the ridge to get to them.
Mt. Elbert far left, Peak 13736 and Mt. Champion far right. Two bumps along the ridge to get to them.
Looking back toward Deer Mountain.
Looking back toward Deer Mountain.
Image 36 from gallery
Peak 13736 (right) and Mt. Champion (left).
Peak 13736 (right) and Mt. Champion (left).
Class 2+ down-climb to get to the start of the ridge up to Peak 13736.
Class 2+ down-climb to get to the start of the ridge up to Peak 13736.
Along the ridge to Peak 13736, looking back toward Deer Mountain (left).
Along the ridge to Peak 13736, looking back toward Deer Mountain (left).
Peak 13736 summit, looking toward Mt. Champion (right), pointy Casco Peak center, and Mt. Elbert (far left). French Mountain is pictured between Casco and Elbert, but I went up that valley to Casco, skipping French.
Peak 13736 summit, looking toward Mt. Champion (right), pointy Casco Peak center, and Mt. Elbert (far left). French Mountain is pictured between Casco and Elbert, but I went up that valley to Casco, skipping French.
Close-up of the ridge to Mt. Champion, Casco far left.
Close-up of the ridge to Mt. Champion, Casco far left.
Approaching Mt. Champion summit.
Approaching Mt. Champion summit.
Heading down from Mt. Champion, assuming I'll be going up the ridge to French Mountain - it started looking scary from here, but I tried anyway.
Heading down from Mt. Champion, assuming I'll be going up the ridge to French Mountain - it started looking scary from here, but I tried anyway.
Ruins of some sort on the way down from Mt. Champion.
Ruins of some sort on the way down from Mt. Champion.
At the base of Mt. Champion, looking at the west ridge of French Mountain.
At the base of Mt. Champion, looking at the west ridge of French Mountain.
Looking back toward Mt. Champion and Peak 13736.
Looking back toward Mt. Champion and Peak 13736.
Close-up of the west ridge of French Mountain. I attempted it (not pictured for this route), but ultimately bailed and just went up the valley.
Close-up of the west ridge of French Mountain. I attempted it (not pictured for this route), but ultimately bailed and just went up the valley.
Looking down the valley toward Mt. Champion.
Looking down the valley toward Mt. Champion.
Looking up the valley toward Casco Peak.
Looking up the valley toward Casco Peak.
Looking down the valley toward Mt. Champion, passing a lake.
Looking down the valley toward Mt. Champion, passing a lake.
Approaching the French/Frasco and Casco saddle.
Approaching the French/Frasco and Casco saddle.
Looking down the annoying scree slope to the saddle.
Looking down the annoying scree slope to the saddle.
A disheartening sight taken from the saddle before starting up Casco. That's Mt. Elbert way out there, Bull Hill to its right, and the sun setting behind me.
A disheartening sight taken from the saddle before starting up Casco. That's Mt. Elbert way out there, Bull Hill to its right, and the sun setting behind me.
Casco Peak ahead.
Casco Peak ahead.
Image 55 from gallery
Almost at the Casco Peak summit, looking back toward French Mountain (right), and Mt. Champion (left).
Almost at the Casco Peak summit, looking back toward French Mountain (right), and Mt. Champion (left).
Heading down from Casco Peak along the ridge to Bull Hill.
Heading down from Casco Peak along the ridge to Bull Hill.
Looking back toward Casco Peak.
Looking back toward Casco Peak.
Ridge to Bull Hill, a sort-of social trail most of the way.
Ridge to Bull Hill, a sort-of social trail most of the way.
Approaching Bull Hill, Mt. Elbert on the left.
Approaching Bull Hill, Mt. Elbert on the left.
Close-up of Bull Hill.
Close-up of Bull Hill.
Almost at the summit of Bull Hill, looking back toward Casco Peak. French Mountain is in the center, and Mt. Massive can be seen in the dying light on the right.
Almost at the summit of Bull Hill, looking back toward Casco Peak. French Mountain is in the center, and Mt. Massive can be seen in the dying light on the right.
Bull Hill summit, looking toward Mt. Elbert. I lost light here, but there's still some easy Class 2 and 6 miles of walking down on the official Mt. Elbert Trail to go. You can see Mt. Massive on the left over there, too.
Bull Hill summit, looking toward Mt. Elbert. I lost light here, but there's still some easy Class 2 and 6 miles of walking down on the official Mt. Elbert Trail to go. You can see Mt. Massive on the left over there, too.

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