Tag: Foothills

Mount McConnel (WØC/FR-Ø88), part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, is located about 25 miles (40 km) north-west of Fort Collins, CO. The mountain is within the Roosevelt National Forest in the Cache La Poudre Canyon. The trail up to the summit consists of two overlapping loops.

1. William Kreutzer Nature Trail and (#936)
2. Mount McConnel Summit Trail (#992)

The Summit Trail splits off the Nature Trail at t it’s highest point and loops over the ridge and finally re-joins the Nature Trail making it an easy and enjoyable 4.23 miles (6.8 km) hike.

Trailhead: 6612 ft / 2015 m
Summit: 8020 ft / 2444 m
Elev. gain: 1408 ft / 429 m
Roundtrip: 4.23 mi / 6.8 km

Compare this summit with my other activated summits

How to get there:
Take US287 N from Fort Collins towards Wyoming. Go west  at Ted’s Place on CO14.

About 24 miles into the Canyon turn left into the Mountain Park Campground where you will find about five parking spaces. There is an bulletin board right at the parking lot with information, regulations and a map. It seems that the board was relocated at some point in time. The label You Are Here on the map is certainly not were you are. Keep that in mind. You have to go uphills towards the campground where the trail-head is located, despite of what the sign says. Alternative parking can be found just after the bridge alongside the road (facing downhills – on the side of the river).

Parkinglot/Trailhead

View Larger Map

Red Tape:
The National Forest requires a day use fee of $5.00. Dogs are required to be leashed.

The Ascent:
The trail  leaves the Mountain Park Day Use Area at the east end of the campground. I went up Kreutzer Nature Trail (#992). The trail climbs gradually up the south face through Ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. It is a well established trail with several interpretative signs along its way. After about 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km), the Summit Trail splits off and you will get to a quite spectacular overview of Poudre Canyon. Following the trail will bring you very close to some cliffs and several really nice overlooks. Shortly after entering the Cache la Poudre Wilderness (there is a sign), the trail forks again. You have to take the right fork to get to the near summit (approx. 0.2 mi/500m), the left fork continues the Summit Trail (going down to the river again).

The Summit:
The trail ends at the base of some large rock outcroppings where you will experience spectacular views into the Mummy Range of the Rocky Mountains.

The available rocks and trees/tree-stumps provided ample and comfortable space for my equipment. Setting it up was a breeze and my signal got out well.

After finishing my eighth QSO, I turned off the radio and enjoyed the gorgeous views, the warm sun and the solitude. After an hour or so, another hiker stumbled onto the summit… an RF engineer from Florida who was vacationing in Colorado. After a little chat, he went back down and I packed up my equipment, leaving this place as well.

The Descent:
At the fork, I turned south continuing on the Summit Trail which descends back into the Poudre Canyon through very a scenic landscape. The trail is not as well established as on the ascent, but keeping an eye on the stone cairns will help you find the way just fine. The descent is longer, steeper and rockier as well, providing several opportunities for panoramic views over  the Poudre Canyon. It finally joins the Nature Trail again before going down a gulch and emerging east of the bridge leading to the campground.

Some video impressions:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY7SjK-mvrw

If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

Update: Read the trip report of my second activation of Mt. McConnel

 

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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!

W0C/FR-095 (Greyrock Mtn.) – 7613 ft / 2320 m
June 23rd, 2011

by KØMOS

Greyrock  Mountain (WØC/FR-Ø95), part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, is located in the Poudre Canyon about 20 miles north- west of Fort Collins (CO).  As the name suggest, Greyrock is a large granite outcropping rising well above the scenic meadow at it’s base. In the 1930, the Civilian Conservation Corps established the Greyrock Summit Trail – one of two different options to the summit. In 1978, a second trail – Greyrock Meadows Trail was established and is IMHO the more scenic route to the top. Greyrock Mountain has actually two distinguished peaks and between the peaks are several small ponds. Quite amazing. You have to climb the peak to the west to find the highest point.

Trailhead: 5538 ft / 1688 m
Summit: 7613 ft / 2320 m
Elev. gain: 2075 ft / 632 m
Roundtrip: 8 mi / 13 km

Compare this summit to my other activated summits

On my second endeavor to activate a summit for SOTA I tried to improve my radio setup. Mainly the power-department needed some upgrades. I used an external powerpack and a foldable 10W solarpanel to increase my operation hours on the summit (check My Radio Equipment for details). I left my QTH early in the morning to beat the heat and to avoid other hikers since the summit is quite small, exposed and not well suited for lots of people – specifically not with an antenna and all the guy lines and counter-poise.

How to get there:
Take US287 N from Fort Collins towards Wyoming. Go west  at Ted’s Place on CO14. About eight miles into the Canyon is a parking lot on the left side of the street. Shortly before that is a sign for the parking lot.

Trailhead/Parking lot:

View Larger Map

Red Tape:
This trail is one of Fort Collins most popular. Try to avoid on week-ends and go early in the day. There is a lot of Poison Ivy along the trail (in the beginning).

The Ascent:
There are two options to get to the top and it is possible to hike a loop. From the parking lot, cross the Poudre River over the bridge to the trailhead. Follow the well established trail to the west through dense underbrush (and Poison Ivy) until the Greyrock Trail splits into Greyrock Meadows Trail and Greyrock Summit Trail.

1. The Greyrock Summit Trail follows a small canyon towards the north and gains approx. 1000 ft (300 m) in just a mile. It joins the Greyrock Meadows Trail at the base of Greyrock Mountain – a mere 0.75 miles from the summit.
2. The Greyrock Meadows Trail – my favorite – follows the ridge to the west and reveals some scenic overviews along its way. It’s more moderate and more open than option #1. It reveals some majestic views of Greyrock Mountain and the Meadow below before the trail goes down to the Meadow, loosing about 390 ft (120 m) in elevation. Continue along the meadow before ascending up into the pine/fir and spruce forest (burned down in a recent wild fire) all the way to the junction with the Greyrock Summit Trail.

The Meadow is a very nice spot for an overnight camp. Make sure to brink your own water. There is hardly any and certainly nothing you wanna drink under normal circumstances.

The junction of the two trails is a good spot for a short break and to get re-hydrated for the remaining 0.75 miles to the top. They are steep and you have to keep an eye on the trail – it is not always obvious where to go and people get lost every year. The trail winds it’s way around the south-east flank of the summit. Cairns and signs are leading the way – not necessarily to the summit. Some minor scrambling is required during the final approach to the plateau between the two summits. Take some time to enjoy the views and the unique ponds with all their wildlife.

The Summit:
It’s an easy stroll from here through pines and ponds to the west summit. Shortly before reaching the summit you will encounter another pond. The remaining 30 ft/10 m is a scramble again. The summit itself is small and can only accommodate a limited amount of people. Luckily I was all alone up there.

It took me about 20 minutes to setup my gear and tune the antenna. Several Chipmunks were eyeballing my backpack, waiting for the right moment to feast on my sandwich. The weather was sunny and nice and my signal got out. I made eight SSB QSOs on 20 m within an hour and successfully defended my lunch (simply by eating it).

The Descent:
At the junction, the shorter Summit Trail lead me down to the trailhead – completing a loop and I experienced heavy uphill traffic on the last mile or so.

Some video impressions:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1KJqe0N9KY

If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

 

 

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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!