August 18, 2021
Stanley Mountain (12,521 feet)
Route: alltrails
7.6 miles; 1,871 feet elevation gain
3 hours 12 minutes
A beautiful Wednesday morning for a solo hike with Kane. Nyx got me to herself at the weekend so today was Kane's turn. We left home around 5am and were hiking by 6:15am. The parking for this hike is at Berthoud Pass so I imagine on a weekend it will be busy.
This trail is beautiful from start to finish, you start in the trees and it quickly opens up to 360 degree views. If you want a hike that is the best bang for your buck this trail is a winner. It starts fairly steep with some intense switchbacks, but after the 1.7 mile mark you are basically walking a flat ridge, with slight inclines and declines along the way.
It is a class 1 trail and very straightforward; you follow the ridgeline, in a wide open tundra, all the way to the peak which also has stunning views in every direction. We made really great time, we reached the summit in 1.5 hours. We spent about 15 minutes on the summit before heading down. It was relatively quiet, I didn't see anyone on the way up or half the way down. The last few miles we saw a few groups but everyone had their dogs on leashes and was very respectful. A great hike that I will definitely repeat in the future!
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