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.:Getting to the trailhead:. From Denver, head west past Idaho Springs and Georgetown. About 5 miles before Loveland Pass & the Eisenhower Tunnel is the Bakerville exit (exit 221). This is about 50 miles from the west end of Denver. Take the Bakerville exit and turn left over I-70. The dirt road immediately in front of you takes you to Stevens Gulch. The dirt road is usually a little bumpy, and the road condition can vary depending on the year and usage. Best to use a 4x4 or high-clearance 2wd. Also, the last ~1.5 miles along the road before the trailhead are private property. The trailhead parking is obvious and spacious, and includes bathroom facilities! .:The trail:. Grays (and Torreys) are popular climbs in part because of the excellent trails that have been established. From the trailhead, cross the creek on the well-built bridge and continue south along the wide trail. There are a couple switchbacks in the first mile, and then further south into the basin on the north side of Grays and east of Torreys. The trail for Grays winds obviously up the north slopes of the mountain, with signs and cairns to guide the way to the summit. In winter conditions, the summer trail is often lost once the climb up Grays' north slopes begin, but you can pretty much pick a line to your liking, aiming for the summit.
.:Trip Report:. On this particular chilly October morning, I pulled into the trailhead parking lot around 8am, just under 2 hours from home in southwest Denver. The day was bright and clear - and cold! Just 26 degrees. I was surprised to see so few other vehicles in the parking lot. There were less than a half-dozen other parties up there, which is quite a change from the crush of climbers that attempt Grays and Torreys on summer weekends. After putting on another layer to ward off the chill, I and my trusty Labradors were off! There were small patches of snow at the trailhead, but mostly clear. The first half-mile of the wide trail was mostly icy due to frozen runoff from the day before. Grays and Torreys are quite obvious as you hike towards them, and today there was considerable snow on the wide north slopes of Torreys. The trail switchbacks a couple times and then levels out nicely before you climb into the basin under Grays' north side and Torreys' east side. The basin was where the snow really started to deepen, and, having passed the parties who where in front of me, I found myself breaking trail in several inches to a couple feet of snow. The route was still fairly easy to find in the snow, as huge cairns poked through to provide direction. Once the trail started leading up the north slopes of Grays', I was feeling the burn, and wishing I'd brought snowshoes. While the trail up the north slopes is quite evident in the summertime, it was a little less obvious with the snowcover, and there were no indications of previous foot traffic, so I followed the cairns as best as I could, eventually winding up slight off the normal route and to a low point east of Grays summit. From there it was an easy hike along the ridge to the summit, where I was amazed to have the summit to myself! From Grays, the most prominent mark on the skyline is the pointed summit of Torreys Peak, just a mile away. To the west, you can see into Summit County, and the Keystone and Breckenridge ski areas. On this crystal-clear day, I could easily see the Tenmile & Mosquito Ranges, the Sawatch Range, and even all the way to the Maroon Bells. Longs Peak is prominent to the north, and Pikes Peak just south of east. After a peaceful 20 minutes of enjoying the views and the clean, crisp (and thin) air, the next couple hikers made it to the summit, and that's when I packed up and started on down, so they could have a little solitude as well. The trip down was much easier than up, as the calf- and knee-deep snow made for a fun plunge-stepping descent. Down at the bottom of the basin, it was definitely warming up, and the snow became mostly slushly. A quick stop to remove a few layers, and the rest was a muddy trek back to the trailhead. A tiring but definitely rewarding morning in Colorado's Front Range! |
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