W0C/SP-051
Madonna Dome
3759 m / 12331 ft
First Activation
Aug 1, 2016

By KX0R

Madonna Dome is a fun, relatively easy alpine summit near Boreas Pass, south of Breckenridge.

• Pike National Forest
• High altitude hike
• No marked trail to the summit
• Route follows the Continental Divide
• Fine alpine scenery
• Excellent HF site
• 2.5 miles round-trip
• ~1000 vertical feet total

Driving Directions:

• Drive west on Highway 285 and cross Kenosha Pass.
• Continue west on Highway 285 about 10 miles.
• Turn north on CR 33 and drive about ½ mile to Como.
• Pass through Como and drive up CR 33 about 9 miles to Boreas Pass at 11482 feet.
• The route follows a historic narrow gauge rail line and continues all the way across to Breckenridge.
• CR 33 is an OK unpaved road, with several rough, rocky sections, but most cars can make the trip along the railway roadbed.
• Park off the road at Boreas Pass, near the old Section House.

• This is the trailhead.
• Boreas Pass also can be reached from the north, via I-70, Highway 9, and Breckenridge.

The Hike and Climb:

• Google Maps show none of the hiking trails near Boreas Pass.
• GPS is very useful in this area.
• The hike begins just to the right of and behind the C&S rail car at the Pass.
• The route follows the Continental Divide all the way.
• Hike southwest through willows along an unmarked road through a relatively flat area.
• Follow the old road through some trees and up a large hill.
• Continue up the road and across a small summit near 12,000 feet.
• Descend southwest about 100 vertical feet to a saddle.
• There’s an old mine part way down the hill.
• Continue southwest up the next tundra ridge for about 1/3 miles and 400 vertical feet to Madonna Dome.
• A cairn with a post marks the summit.

Additional Details:

Although Madonna Dome is easily climbed from Boreas Pass, few people visit this prominent, pleasant peak.

The summit offers great views of several higher peaks and parts of South Park below. Broad Boreas Mountain stands east of the Pass, and Bald Mountain stands much higher to the north.

The views along the Divide to the southwest are interesting – Red Peak, Hoosier Ridge, and Mount Silverheels.

I set up my radio gear slightly below the summit ridge to escape the breeze. There are no trees, so I guyed my pole to some rocks. I ran the wire to the post at the summit cairn. I had a fun SOTA activation, with 37 CW contacts on four HF bands.

Madonna Dome is a fine HF summit. It falls away in all directions, and the noise level is very low. Almost no development is visible nearby. A power line runs across the Divide on the west side, but it’s relatively quiet. This peak is likely a poor VHF/UHF summit, with coverage limited to parts of South Park and the area near Breckenridge.

For a dual activation, consider these high summits nearby:

Boreas Mountain W0C/SP-030 Challenging – access from Boreas Pass
Volz Benchmark W0C/SP-046 Challenging – access from CR 33

73

George
KX0R

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!! 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!