W0C/FR-026
Saint Vrain Mountain
3700 m / 12162 ft
First Activation August 2, 2013
Second Activation July 6, 2014
By KX0R
Saint Vrain Mountain is a prominent SOTA peak west of Allenspark, on the boundary between the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a pretty good trail most of the way up to the top, so it’s a popular hike in summer.
Saint Vrain Trail near Saddle
To climb Saint Vrain Mountain, first drive along the Peak to Peak Highway 7 to the town of Allenspark. Turn south at the big hilltop, drive south a couple of blocks past some houses, and find dirt road USFS 107. Follow 107 about 1.5 miles south up the valley of Rock Creek. At about 8700 feet the road splits – take the right fork, USFS 116.1, uphill about 1/2 mile to about 9000 feet, where the road dead-ends at the trailhead. There is very limited parking, and access is free, so get up there early!
The beautiful trail climbs steeply up through the forest through aspen groves along a pretty creek.
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- Saint Vrain Mountain Trail
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- Saint Vrain Trail Creek
After about 3 miles the trail reaches a scenic alpine saddle just south of Meadow Mountain at 11,200 feet. Follow the trail south about a half mile through the sub-alpine forest and across the tundra to a point just east of Saint Vrain Mountain. Leave the trail and climb 800 vertical feet up the moderate east side of Saint Vrain. Depending on the season, this will either be snow fields or grassy slopes and rock. The route follows the marked National Park boundary.
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- Saint Vrain Trail near Saddle
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- Saint Vrain Mountain
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- Saint Vrain Mountain with Hikers on the Snow
The hike is 4.4 miles and about 3200 vertical feet from the trail-head to the summit. Views from the peak are spectacular in all directions, and many SOTA Peaks are visible.
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- Mount Audubon and Divide from Saint Vrain Mountain
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- Wild Basin and Longs Peak from Saint Vrain Mountain
The rocky summit has plenty of room to share with other visitors. It may be better to set up just below the peak to escape people or wind. Saint Vrain is an excellent radio site for HF and VHF/UHF – it is east of the Divide, and it has a wide view across the Eastern Plains, as well as the east side of the Front Range.
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- KX0R Saint Vrain First Activation with Dipole
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- KX0R First Activation of Saint Vrain with Dipole East
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- KX0R Second Activation of Saint Vrain
The region around Saint Vrain Mountain forms many thunderstorms in summer. Small cumulus clouds can turn into dark-bottomed monsters in a short time. Get an early start, and don’t push your luck.
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
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- Chiefs Head, Pagoda, Longs Peak, and Mount Meeker
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- Mount Audubon and Paiute Peak from Saint Vrain
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- Copeland Mountain from Saint Vrain Mountain
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- Paintbrush Garden on Saint Vrain Trail
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- Columbines along Saint Vrain Trail
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- Indian Paintbrush on Saint Vrain
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- Longs Peak from Saint Vrain
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- KX0R on Saint Vrain Mountain
!! 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!
