

Hike Mount Neva and Mount Jasper via Arapaho Pass and Diamond Lake Loop Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, CO

Starting up from the Fourth of July Trailhead, head up to Arapaho Pass.


Mt. Neva and Mt. Jasper come into view.


Mt. Neva (center) and Mt. Jasper (left).

Close-up of Mt. Neva and the ridge up to Mt. Jasper.

Looking back the way I came from just below Arapaho Pass.

Social trail leads up to Mt. Neva's ridgeline (going from right to left to the summit).

Lake Dorothy, just below Mt. Neva.

The social trail leads right up to the ridge just north of Mt. Neva.

Almost at Mt. Neva's ridgeline, looking back toward Arapaho Pass (center) and Lake Dorothy (right).

Rest of the route up the ridge, Mt. Neva in the distance, Lake Dorothy below on the left.

The ridgeline!

Other climbers along the way.

Looking back at the first small crux along the ridgeline.


The main crux. Once you downclimb a short bit from where I took this photo, there's a couple of easy Class 3 moves that bring you to the base of the diagonal grassy slope in the enter (runs center to top right), with a single Class 4 move. After the grassy slope, a Class 4 section continues to the top. Note that this is not the summit.

View just below the start of the easy Class 3 moves.

Looking back down from above the grassy slope.

The true Class 4 climb. Great holds, but a bad fall for sure.

Looking back along the ridgeline from above the Class 4 scramble.

Continuing along the ridgeline to Mt. Neva.

Almost to the Mt. Neva summit, looking down toward Lake Dorothy and South/North Arapaho Peak on the right.

Continuing along the ridge to the true summit, some easy scrambling along the way.

Mt. Neva summit looking back the way I came.

Mt. Neva summit looking south to Mt. Jasper (center).

Along the ridge from Neva to Jasper.


Mt. Jasper ahead.

Almost on Mt. Jasper, looking back toward Mt. Neva.

Summit of Mt. Jasper looking north at Mt. Neva.

Summit of Mt. Jasper looking south toward Devil's Thumb Pass and Storm Lake. This would have been a route down if I wanted to extend my hike by a bunch of miles.

My chosen route - the ridgeline extending east from Mt. Jasper. You can see Upper Diamond Lake on the right.

Continuing along the ridgeline, too steep to get down yet.

Looking back toward Mt. Jasper (right) along the ridge.

Finding a reasonable slope down from the ridgeline to get to Upper Diamond Lake.

Looking back up at the slope I came down.

Upper Diamond Lake, Mt. Jasper behind on the right somewhere.

Continuing down from Upper Diamond Lake, keeping to the right of the valley until I found a social trail.


Social trail leading past a bright, small lake.



Looking back the way I came, Mt. Jasper peeking out on the right.


Diamond Lake's west bank, where most people stop from the official Diamond Lake Trail.

East bank of Diamond Lake, looking back the way I came.



Through the forest on the official Diamond Lake Trail.



On the way back up to the Arapaho Pass Trail, looking back toward Mt. Jasper.
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