Today we went to Elk Park, in Arapahoe National Forest in mid-Gilpin County. We started off doing a short loop hike, and then wandered up the road a bit and found a trail going to the summit of Montana Mountain, so we did that.
Montana Mountain was an amazing peak. It sits right at the Krummholz line, so the summit is Krummholz and tundra. The views from the top are incredible, better than Panorama Point and without the state park entrance fee.
The easiest way to get to Elk Park is to take Apex Valley Road to Mosquito Creek Road. You’ll want a high clearance vehicle. This is the same road that you can take to James Peak Lake, although you need a true 4×4 with low range for that trip. There is parking on the right at a pullout, and a gate across the trail indicating that the trail is open for hiking. That is the start of the loop. The trail to Montana Mountain is on the other side of the road and back a bit.
Some people use this area as a shooting range. Although rare, be aware of it. Some of them don’t have very much sense, either.
After Montana Mountain, we went back to our vehicle, put it in 4×4 Low , and proceeded to the James Peak Lake trailhead. We took it to the southern terminus of Ute trail, and up Ute trail a short distance to Little Echo Lake. We wanted to see James Peak Lake also, but a storm was moving in, so we left.
I’ll try to post GPS tracks soon.
