Huron Peak via North Huron Trail 1452
9.7 mi
Distance
4 hrs 23 min
Time
terrain
3,550 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a moderate out and back trail to Huron Peak in San Isabel National Forest.
Very well groomed trail through the forest with a lot of switchbacks up to a small alpine lake that had water from runoff still in late July. From the lake there is a rather steep incline up to the peak with a couple false summits as you reach the top.
Getting Started
Take FR 390 from highway 24. The gravel road is relatively maintained but bump until Winfield where it forks south and becomes a more difficult road up to the trailhead. Low clearance vehicles should park here at the lot and hike to the trailhead.
The trail is clearly marked and well groomed.
Taking Children
Aside from some mellow scrambling at the very top this is a very well groomed trail and children should be fine.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
stars
Public Tracks
Huron Peak 14,006' NW Slopes
I drove to the trailhead in Winfield on Sunday evening, arriving somtime after 8 pm. The 12 miles of County Road 390 are initially smooth gravel. But the last 7 miles of are rife with potholes. 12 miles, 50 minutes, good grief! Others with a simple SUV like my Subaru Outback might travel faster over this terrain. But I worry over the wear and tear of my suspension. So I poke along...
Per my vehicles's thermometer, it was 35 degF at 5am when my alarm went off. My NEMO air sleeping pad is fairly comfortable, and my NEMO sleeping bag was plenty warm. But the car interior was definitely COLD. And temperature aside, I never sleep soundly in the back of my car. (Nor in a tent, for that matter.) I had a bit of breakfast and was hiking south on the road to the upper 4WD trailhead by 5:50 am. Dawn had not yet broken and I hiked by headlamp to the end of the road, at the upper TH. I had covered about 2 miles and 300' of gain, thus far. I made some clothing and pack adjustments and started up the trail. It was 6:50 am.
The trail steeply switchbacks its way up through forest. CFI has done a wonderful job on this trail. Sunrise starts hitting the tops of the peaks about 7:30 am, but it will be awhile before it reaches the trail. The high-alpine views of the peaks, such as the 3 Apostles and Ice Mountain, start to open up around 12,000'. At about 12,900', I happened upon a covey of ptarmigans, their colors changing from summer gray to winter white. They had situated themselves directly on the hard-packed snow of the trail. (I had Bev to thank for reminding me to bring my microspikes.). The ptarmigans are mostly lacking in fear, not hardly moving as I walked right past them. They just sit there, watching me, cooing softly. Super cute. Soon after, a guy passed me on his way down. So I would be 2nd to reach the top on this day. I reached a 13,500' point on the ridgeline at about 10 am, with the sun fully upon me now. It is still cool, but I have been hiking without a jacket for awhile. One can see the summit (or maybe a false summit) from here. Just 500' to go. The trail is now mostly boulder and talus and steep, hard-packed snow. I reach the summit at 10:30 am. The view is spectacular, with blue skies, and a dusting of snow on many, but not all of the peaks. I stayed on the summit until about 11:10 am, chatting with another guy who arrived shortly after I had. We talked about backcountry skiiing. He mentioned having skiied Dragon Tail couloir on Flattop Mountain, a super steep (50 deg?) route that is way beyond my capability.
On the way down, I passed maybe a dozen other hikers making their way to the summit. I arrived a my car about 2:05 pm.
I noted that on the hike back down that I could surely have navigated the "jeep" road to the upper TH with my Outback. This section of road was not nearly as problematic as the road to the summer TH of Grays & Torreys, which my Outback had conquered last summer. I may drive it next time I visit - when I attempt the SW slopes route perhaps?
