Signal Mountain (WØC/FR-127) can be reached from the Dunraven trailhead from the south, or from Pingree Park Road from the north. If you are lucky enough to have a shuttle driver, it makes a great 11+ mile hike from the north fork of the Big Thompson River all the way to the Poudre River. The peak is located at the north-east end of the Mummy Range in the Comanche Peak Wilderness which is part of the Roosevelt National Forest. The summits of Signal Mountain – as well as nearby West Signal – are pushing well above the treeline and thus provide unobstructed 360 degree views. The weather forecast was excellent (it cooled down quite a bit) and I was joined by my best trail-buddy, friend and wife – making this a great anniversary hike.
Trailhead: 7828 ft / 2386 m
Summit: 11262 ft / 3432 m
Elev. gain: 4064 ft / 1239 m
Roundtrip: 11.7 mi / 18.8 km
Compare this summit with my other activated summits
How to get there:
Take US34 from Loveland towards Estes Park through Big Thompson Canyon. When you pass through Drake, take a right on CR43 along the north-fork (scenic). Take a right on Dunnraven Glade Road (dirt road) which follows the north-east flank of Triangle Mountain. You can’t miss the parking lot since it is the end of the (public) road. A private road continues behind a locked gate all the way to Trails End Ranch.
Parking/Trailhead
View Larger Map
Red Tape:
Nothing comes to mind – rules of the Roosevelt National Forest apply.
The Ascent:
The official trail-head is about half a mile from the parking lot, following the fairly steep
private road after a locked gate towards Trails End Ranch. Shortly before you enter the ranch, the trail-head is clearly marked on your right side with the usual map/posters etc. From here, the trail climbs up the steep hillside to Bulwark Ridge through open terrain. After reaching the ridge, you have some good views to several nearby SOTA peaks such as Triangle Mountain (WØC/FR-Ø82), Crosier Mountain (WØC/FR-Ø57), West Crosier (WØC/FR-Ø64) and even more looking towards Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). Shortly after, the trail intersects with the Indian and Miller Fork trails. Taking the north-west route – following Bulwark Ridge – will lead to Signal Mountain through mostly forested area over a very well established trail. The treeline will be reached after about 3.5 miles, offering great views towards north/north-east.
The Summit:
The summit can be reached by crossing over the fragile tundra-like flora from the trail at the highest point before it leads back down on the other side towards Pingree Park. It is a large, barren, rocky and wind-swept summit with a small stone shelter at the very top where the summit-register is ‘hidden’. The summit is large enough for several SOTA teams if necessary… luckily nobody else was encountered during the whole trip. The views are unobstructed and stunning in all directions.
The weather was just perfect, with a few white and puffy clouds which provided a nice contrast on the blue sky. The setup was easy since space was not an issue and all the rocks lying around helped me with guying the mast in this windy environment . It was my first time with the newly acquired shock-corded mast from Buddipole. I really like the reduced weight of it but it requires a different technique to set it up and to change bands. All the ‘training’ in my backyard helped and I was on the air in no time. It was my first week-end activation and getting QSOs was definitely easier than on all my prior outings, even-though the propagation conditions were not necessarily better than before – at least that is my theory and I am sticking to it.
The Descent:
If you arranged for a shuttle in Pingree Park, you might enjoy a different route, but for us it was the same route back to the car.
Some video impressions:
If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.
I activated this summit again on May 5th, 2012. You can find the trip-report right here:
!! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and
bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers.
Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!
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