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| Views of Red Rocks from early in the trail |
There are several routes to the summit, including the southern route which I hiked last April with the dogs; all of the trails to reach the peak are rated a Class 2 on Summit Post, another great resource for hiking in Colorado.
If look up at Mount Morrison, near the summit, you can see the large boulders and rock formations called The Dome a large rock outcropping. These rocks make for a Class 2 hike near the peak, which means using your hands and scrambling a little bit to get over the large rock formations and up the steep incline.
Specs: Starting the hike at the picnic shelter does provide pit toilets, picnic tables, a viewing area, and trails which are un-named, but take you throughout the red rock formations and then up to the peak. This route is approx 1.2 miles one way taking The Dome route, with added mileage on the summit if you decide to explore. It took me about an hour and a half to do the hike, but I spent 25 minutes eating lunch at the top.
The Journey: Because I had planned on starting the hike along the north route, I had printed directions to reach the summit from that point. However, when I realized the error, I was at the picnic shelter, and could see a trail and decided that I could figure out how to reach the summit from that point. Here is a map of the trail routes, the route I took is the top or northern red line; and here is further information on the hike; Dome Route.
From the picnic shelter parking lot, I took the main trail past the picnic tables, and then the trail winds to the left behind the larger rock formations. During this section the trail was icy due to being in the shade, but it was only a small section of the trail, fortunately. I really had no idea which way to go, but I continued to look up to the peak and hiked toward the middle antenna next to the house-like structure. There are several social trails behind the red rocks formations that make the main route confusing, but they all end pretty abruptly or become very icy. Once the main amphitheatre rock formation is in view (first photo above), then turn west toward the peak and continue heading that way. Click on any photo to enlarge.
At this trail split, I chose the trail to the right that you can see Belle taking in the photo. I could look up and see the middle antenna with the house almost directly above me.
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Shortly after the trail split above, you will see a rock wall and dam area; at this juncture I turned right again, and took the steep path up the mountain to the north.
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Continue to follow that trail around the mountain bluff and and then keep going UP and LEFT when the trail splits again shortly after this point. Again, you can keep looking up at the middle antenna and house-like structure and head toward that.
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Once you reach the top of that bluff, the route to the top becomes much more clear; you will see a rock wall (shown in pic above) and the trail passes through the wall, and continues up the east face of the mountain. This is where the trail gets much harder and steeper, and it's great practice for 14ers and other tough peaks that are more accessible in the summer.
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Looking back from partway up the trail to show the ridgeline that the trail crosses.
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This really cool tree was growing out of the rocks on the trail along the path, pass it and continue upward toward the middle antenna.
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If you are a climber, this is where you can make the trail a Class 3-5, but scaling these rocks, however I am not a climber and I hiked along the path around the rocks. I did have to use my hands a few times to scramble up the rocks, but I thought the trail was much easier and with less exposure than the southern route that I hiked last spring.
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Almost there! Keep climbing, and you will reach the summit shortly, the views looking west are amazing!
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Summit! On the top you are provided with amazing views to the west and south; Pikes Peak, can be seen in the distance on a clear day. The photo above is a shot of Mount Evans and Bierstadt.
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The Continental Divide looking due west; and the mountain ridgeline seen on Colorado's license plates. The only downfall with the views are the antennas and wires on the top which obstruct your view slightly.
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Views looking to the south, the peak on the right/top of the photo is Pikes Peak.
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What better company for lunch? Rock dog and Belle dog, with views looking south of the Hogback mountains and ridgeline.
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Views of the Hogback Ridgeline looking south.
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The brown cloud over Denver, yuck! I have never seen the pollution as bad as it was yesterday, and I hike quite often with views of the city, but it was hard to see through the thick smog. This photo doesn't do it justice.
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Heading back down the trail the same way that I came, you can see the picnic area and parking lot in the photo. I could see my car most of the hike actually.
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About halfway down the mountain and heading back to the car.
It didn't take long to get down the mountain, but I had to take the trail really slowly because it was so steep, having my hiking pole would have helped. Today my quads are pretty sore from the steep decline, but it was a great hike, nonetheless and the soreness was expected.
Mount Morrison is definitely a great hike near the metro area, and I will have to get back there soon to hike the north ridge, I'd like to take Josh next time though, maybe this weekend?
If you have a favorite peak in the metro area, I'd love to hear about it, please post a comment.
Other trails in the area you might like to check out are:
The Beaver Brook Trail near Lookout Mountain and I-70
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