Vasquez Peak and Stanley Mountain Loop

Roosevelt National Forest, CO Front Range

Trip stats

Distance
10.1 mi
Net Gain
4,100 ft
Time
4-6 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 2
Route
Loop
Peaks
4

Ratings out of 10

Effort
5.7/10
Personality
6/10
Beauty
6/10
Solitude
5.5/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

Ridgeline of the 4 summits in route order 01 02 03 04
  1. Vasquez Peak
    12,947′ elevation · 987′ prominence
  2. South Vazquez Peak
    12,900′ elevation · 220′ prominence
  3. Peak 12707
    12,707′ elevation · 257′ prominence
  4. Stanley Mountain
    12,521′ elevation · 801′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

39.770900, -105.853820

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Oct 3, 2019 — This little loop traverses two Colorado 12ers, Vasquez Peak and Stanley Mountain, as well as a couple of unranked bumps. A sign at the Henderson Mine keeps National Forest traffic to the right and parallels the entrance of the mine private property until reaching the Jones Pass Trailhead. Any car can make it to the trailhead.

I started up the Continental Divide Trail and followed it to a junction. I decided to head to Vaquez Peak first, so I took the left fork. I'd be returning from the right later to complete the loop. A really pretty trail wraps around South Vasquez Peak and wanders north for a while. I left the trail to ascend Vasquez Peak's west slope, which was mostly just a grassy incline with some light Class 2 terrain and got to its rocky summit. From here, the traverse followed a grassy ridgeline over South Vasquez and up to an unnamed point before dropping down to a Vasquez Pass, the saddle just west of Stanley Mountain. I continued up Stanley Mountain's steep grassy west slope and got to the summit (light Class 2). Just below the summit I picked up the Continental Divide Trail again and followed it to complete the loop.

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Photos

29 photos

  1. Hiking along the Continental Divide Trail.
  2. Making progress up the Continental Divide Trail.
  3. View east toward the mine below.
  4. After keeping left at a junction along the Continental Divide Trail, I continued along the trail as it wrapped around toward the west side of Vasquez Peak.
  5. View back.
  6. Very pretty views to the north along the Continental Divide Trail.
  7. View back as I continue along the Continental Divide Trail.
  10. Heading north as I wrap around to the west side of Vasquez Peak.
  11. View back before I left the Continental Divide Trail and started up toward Vasquez Peak.
  12. Heading up the steep slope to Vasquez Peak.
  13. Sporadic light Class 2 on the way up to Vasquez Peak. You can see the Continental Divide Trail below on the left.
  14. Almost to the summit of Vasquez Peak.
  15. Vasquez Peak summit, view northwest.
  16. Vasquez Peak summit, view southeast toward Vasquez Peak South (right) and Stanley Mountain, an unnamed bump (far left), and Stanley Mountain (very far left)
  17. Vasquez Peak South ahead.
  18. Vasquez Peak South summit, view south.
  19. Continuing east from Vasquez Peak South, headed to the unnamed bump along the way.
  20. View toward Stanley Mountain from the unnamed bump. Vasquez Pass visible below in the center. The slope was fairly steep.
  21. Almost at Vasquez Pass, Stanley Mountain ahead.
  22. Heading up Stanley Mountain, view back toward the descent, Vasquez Pass on the right.
  23. Heading up to Stanley Mountin.
  24. Stanley Mountain, view south. I picked up the Continental Divide Trail just below the summit.
  25. Along the Continental Divide Trail, heading down Stanley Mountain's south ridge. View toward the unnamed bump I passed over on the way down to Vasquez Pass (top right).
  26. A close-up back toward Vasquez Pass.
  27. Heading down the Continental Divide Trail.
  29. View back toward Stanley Mountain (top right).

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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GPX track

Vasquez Peak and Stanley Mountain Loop GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.

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