SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Tag: Volz Benchmark

  • W0C/SP-046 (Volz Benchmark) – 3837 m / 12589 ft

    W0C/SP-046
    Volz Benchmark
    3837 m / 12589 ft
    First Activation
    Aug 15, 2016

    By KX0R

    Volz Benchmark is a moderately challenging alpine summit near Boreas Pass, south of Breckenridge.

    • Pike National Forest
    • High altitude hike
    • No marked trail to the summit
    • Route-finding required
    • Fine alpine scenery
    • Excellent HF site
    • ~3.1 miles round-trip
    • ~1650 vertical feet total

    Driving Directions:

    • Drive west on Highway 285 and cross Kenosha Pass
    • Continue west on Highway 285 about 11 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 gage rail line and continues all the way across to Breckenridge
    • Boreas Pass Road CR 33 also can be reached by driving up from Breckenridge and I-70 to the north
    • CR 33 is an OK unpaved road, with several rough, rocky sections, but most cars can make the trip along the railway roadbed
    • Do not drive all the way up to the pass
    • Park at Selkirk Gulch, at 10,960 feet, where the road takes a broad bend to the left as it goes across a small creek.
    • This spot is about 1 mile north of the marked left turn, northwest, where FR-801 goes down to Selkirk Campground.
    • This is the “trailhead”

    The hike and climb:

    • Google Maps shows none of the hiking trails near Boreas Pass
    • GPS is very useful in this area
    • The hike begins on the south side of Selkirk Creek.
    • An old closed road runs northeast up the creek to a large meadow at almost 11,200 feet.


    • Continue hiking up the steep valley that ascends east from the upper part of the meadow. Don’t follow the north drainage.

    • A good game trail leads all the way up the valley to a high saddle at almost 12,000 feet.


    • From the saddle, hike south up the broad ridge for about ½ mile, following the easiest route available, up to a saddle at about 12,450 feet.

    • The rocky northwest peak is Volz Benchmark.
    • The southeast peak is a slightly lower sub-peak.
    • Climb up a rough path through the talus to the rocky top of Volz

    • A USCGS benchmark from 1951 marks the summit – it says “VOLZ”.

    Additional Details:

    Few people visit this prominent, pleasant peak. A large cairn is near the summit, and a tiny wind shelter is available nearby; a register container is there. I guyed my pole to some rocks and set up my SOTA radio gear in the lee of the wind shelter. Some dark clouds were developing, so I couldn’t stay on too long, but I made 24 CW contacts on three HF bands.

    Volz is a fine HF summit. It falls away in all directions, and the noise level is very low. Almost no development is visible nearby. This peak is likely a fair VHF/UHF summit, with coverage across much of South Park.

    The summit offers great views of several higher peaks and parts of South Park below. Boreas Mountain stands about 2 miles to the north, and Bald Mountain stands much higher behind it.

    The top of Mount Guyot looms across a high ridge east of Bald Mountain in the north. The views of the high Divide to the southwest are nice – Red Peak, Hoosier Ridge, and huge Mount Silverheels. Volz’s sub-peak stands nearby across the saddle, and it appears to have a cairn on top.

    Clearly there’s a decent route from CR 33 up the drainage on the southwest side of Volz. The “trailhead” for that route is about ¼ mile down the road from Selkirk Creek. It might be a better route for early in the year – more on the sunny side.

    For a dual activation, consider these nearby summits:

    Madonna Dome W0C/SP-051 – Easy – TH at Boreas Pass

    Boreas Mountain W0C/SP-030 – Challenging – TH at Boreas Pass

    Little Baldy Mountain W0C/SP-054 – Challenging – south several miles

    Bald Mountain W0C/PR-019 – Very challenging – TH at Boreas Pass

    I climbed and activated Volz after doing Little Baldy, and it was a full, very fun day!

    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/SP-030 (Boreas Mountain) – 3987 m / 13,082 ft

    W0C/SP-030
    Boreas Mountain
    3987 m / 13,082 ft
    Aug 1, 2016

    By KX0R

    Boreas Mountain is a challenging 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 part way
    • Fine alpine scenery
    • Excellent HF site
    • 3.3 miles round-trip
    • ~1550 vertical feet total

    Driving access:

    • 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 gage 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

    The hike and climb:

    • Google Maps shows none of the hiking trails near Boreas Pass
    • GPS is very useful in this area
    • Hike east from the Section House up through meadows toward the north ridge of Boreas Mountain
    • This route follows the Continental Divide
    • At about 12,000 feet the grade becomes steep
    • Follow game trails up through the rocky tundra toward the north sub-peak
    • Avoid the obvious talus slopes – stay in the green area
    • Pass southwest below a small sub-peak
    • At about 12,600 feet, traverse southeast up toward the summit ridge
    • Head south up a long, shallow valley west of the summit ridge


    • Follow convenient old trails in the rocks
    • The summit is the highest bump near the south end of the rocky summit ridge
    • Climb up the rock pile to the top
    • There’s a convenient wind shelter on the peak

    Additional Details:

    Not many people climb Boreas Mountain. The off-trail route up to the ridge is steep and rocky. There are a few game trails that lead up through the tundra. The hike gets easier toward the top – the hike up the shallow valley is pleasant. The old trails may date from the mining days, but I didn’t see much evidence of mines up there.

    The entire summit ridge appears to be made of reddish intrusive igneous rock. It makes almost musical tones, like pieces of ceramic, as you hike over it. Most of the top part of the mountain looks like a giant rock pile. The peak is about ½ mile south of the Divide.

    The summit offers great views of the surrounding peaks and most of South Park below. Bald Mountain stands much higher to the north, and Mount Guyot looks cool with its cliffs in the northeast. The views along the Divide to the southwest are interesting – Red Peak, Hoosier Ridge, Mount Silverheels, etc.

    Boreas Mountain is a fine HF summit. It falls away in all directions, and the noise level is very low. My end-fed wire worked well on top – 34 CW contacts on 4 HF bands. Partly surrounded by higher mountains, this peak is likely a poor VHF/UHF summit, with coverage limited to parts of South Park and the area near Breckenridge.

    It might be practical to climb Boreas Mountain’s north ridge via the trail from the Section House to Black Powder Pass, but I haven’t done that. The ascent up the north ridge from the Pass is partly through talus, but there might be a game trail(s) up through it.

    For a dual activation, consider these nearby summits:

    Madonna Dome  W0C/SP-051   Easy – access from Boreas Pass
    Bald Mountain     W0C/PR-019   Very challenging – access from Boreas Pass
    Volz Benchmark  W0C/SP-046  Challenging – access from CR 33

    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!