SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Tag: Hankins Pass

  • W0C/SP-069 (Lake Park Peak) – 3476 m / 11403 ft

    W0C/SP-069
    Lake Park Peak
    3476 m / 11403 ft
    First Activation
    Oct 20, 2016

    By KX0R

    Lake Park Peak is a challenging sub-alpine SOTA peak in the Tarryall Mountains east of South Park.

    Key Points:

    • Pike National Forest
    • Lost Creek Wilderness Area
    • Good trail most of the way
    • Challenging off-trail climb to the summit
    • Great scenery
    • Excellent Radio site
    • ~ 12.5 miles round-trip
    • ~ 3000 vertical feet

    Driving Directions:

    • Drive Highway 285 west from Denver, cross Kenosha Pass, and continue to Jefferson
    • Turn south on Highway 77 and go about 16 miles to Tarryall Reservoir
    • Continue south on 77 for about 10.7 miles to the trailhead at Spruce Grove Campground
    • This campground is about a mile south of Tarryall Ranch
    • Look for a sign for the USFS Spruce Grove Campground on the east side
    • Park outside the campground, away from the gate
    • There is no charge to park

    The Hike and Climb:

    • Google Maps is inadequate for hiking in this area – trails are missing
    • The Trails Illustrated/National Geographic maps are fine
    • GPS is useful and recommended
    • Walk from the trailhead down into the campground, and head slightly east and down to Tarryall Creek
    • Cross the creek on a large footbridge
    • Immediately head left, upstream, on trail Lizard Rock Trail 658
    • The route passes through a tunnel under a large boulder


    • Continue north through open meadows and up a small canyon on Trail 658


    • Where the trail comes to a T-junction, turn right, east on Trail 630 toward Hankins Pass. The trail signs were missing or damaged when I was there.
    • Follow the trail up more than a mile to Hankins Pass.


    • At the Pass, turn left, north, and follow marked Trail 639 as it climbs switchbacks up toward Lake Park.
    • Near 10,900 feet the trail reaches an obvious saddle – Lake Park is visible below
    • Head right, off the trail to the east, and climb toward the ridge southwest of Lake Park Peak
    • Near the top of the ridge, at about 11,100 feet, contour around to the east, to the south side of Lake Park Peak


    • Climb up through forest and rocks until you see the summit, and then head up the knobby Pikes Peak granite to the top.
    • This route avoids rock climbing and scrambling along the craggy southwest ridge
    • Note that the western summit is slightly higher than the steep eastern sub-peak, which stands about 500 feet away

    In the image above, look carefully at lower right for the white wire antenna running all the way up to the rock at upper left.

    Additional Details:

    The off-trail part of this ascent is harder than it looks on the map, and it may take longer than you expect! I climbed via the southwest ridge, which involves route-finding and some class-3 moves in several spots. The orange granite is good rock, and the ridge up to the summits is interesting, with many weird rock formations. Lake Park Peak is rarely visited, but it’s visually fascinating.

    The actual summit is all granite, and setting up a pole there may be difficult. I moved down to the east and tied my pole to a pine tree; I ran the wire up to the ridge near the summit. I had shelter from the wind, warm sun, and an excellent spot to operate from.

    Lake Park Peak is a perfect HF site. Miles from any development, the noise level is very low. The prominent summit falls away quickly in all directions. No nearby mountains cause significant blockage of HF skip signals.

    My SOTA First Activation was fun. I made 26 CW contacts on 3 HF bands.

    The peak may be a useful VHF/UHF site as well. It’s high enough to see parts of the Eastern Plains, Pikes Peak, and across South Park to the Collegiate Peaks.

    Check this link for more info on the Lost Creek Wilderness.

    Be aware of possible hunters in the fall – wear bright orange.

    73

    George
    KX0R

    ATTENTION !! 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-038 (South Tarryall Peak) – 3416 m / 11206 ft

    W0C/FR-038
    South Tarryall Peak
    3416 m / 11206 ft
    Oct 12, 2016

    By KX0R

    South Tarryall Peak is a challenging sub-alpine SOTA peak in the Lost Creek Wilderness, east of South Park.

    • Pike National Forest
    • Lost Creek Wilderness Area
    • Good trail most of the way
    • Challenging off-trail climb to the summit
    • Awesome scenery
    • Excellent Radio site
    • 10.0 miles round-trip
    • 2700 vertical feet

    Driving Directions:

    • Drive down 285, cross Kenosha Pass, and continue to Jefferson
    • Turn south on Highway 77 and drive about 16 miles to Tarryall Reservoir
    • Continue south on 77 for about 10.7 miles to the trailhead at Spruce Grove Campground
    • This campground is about a mile south of Tarryall Ranch
    • Look for a sign for the USFS Spruce Grove Campground on the east side
    • Park outside the campground, away from the gate
    • There is no charge to park

    The Hike and the Climb:

    • Google Maps is inadequate for hiking in this area – trails are missing
    • The Trails Illustrated/National Geographic maps are fine
    • GPS is useful and recommended
    • Walk from the trailhead down into the campground
    • Head slightly east and down to Tarryall Creek
    • Cross the creek on a large footbridge
    • Immediately head left, upstream, on Lizard Rock Trail 658
    • The route passes through a tunnel under a large boulder

    • Continue north through open meadows and up a small canyon on Trail 658

    • Where the trail comes to a T-junction, turn right, east, on Hankins Pass Trail 630. Some trail signs were missing or damaged when I was there.
    • Follow the trail up more than a mile to Hankins Pass.


    • At the Pass, turn right, south, and hike off-trail, past a campsite, and up into the forest
    • Follow a social trail up toward a large rock formation about 200 yards to the south


    • Stay on the right (north) side of the rock formation and ascend south
    • From the southern end of the rock formation, continue climbing south along a ridge
    • The ridge leads south to the saddle east of South Tarryall Peak
    • There’s a path with occasional cairns almost all the way up to the high saddle


    • At the top of the ridge, break out of the forest and climb up to the wide saddle at 10,960 feet.

    • The saddle and the peak have been burned by a fire; numerous dead trees stand or lie on the slopes

    • Climb west from the saddle up the rocky ridge to the summit

    Additional Details:

    The trails to Hankins Pass are excellent; this part of the hike is relatively efficient.

    The off-trail part of this ascent is easier than it looks on the map, provided you go up to the large rock formation and then follow the ridge route up to the saddle, as described above. The mountain is all Pikes Peak granite, with numerous knobs and bumps.

    An old triangulation station stands on the peak – it’s a large pole with a cross. The USCGS benchmark stands underneath the cross, and the steel guy wires are still holding up the pole. Incredible views spread out in all directions.

    South Tarryall Peak is a perfect HF site. Far above development below, the noise level is very low. The prominent summit falls away quickly in all directions. No nearby mountains block HF skip signals, except perhaps a couple of higher peaks to the east. Several good spots are available for setting up a pole and operating radio gear.

    The peak may be useful for VHF/UHF communication as well. It’s high enough to see areas to the south and across South Park to the Collegiate Peaks.

    I had a fun SOTA activation, with 40 CW contacts on 4 HF bands.  These included a summit-to-summit (S2S) contact with NS0TA on W6/CN-002 (Lassen Peak), 9A7W Ozren in Croatia, and John ZL1BYZ in New Zealand.

    It might be possible to combine South Tarryall Peak with nearby Lake Park Peak W0C/SP-069 for a dual activation.  This would be a long, hard day!

    Be aware of possible hunters in the fall – wear bright orange.

    73

    George Carey Fuller
    KX0R

    ATTENTION !! 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!