{"id":1217,"date":"2012-01-10T20:29:08","date_gmt":"2012-01-11T03:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/?p=1217"},"modified":"2014-04-07T17:20:20","modified_gmt":"2014-04-07T23:20:20","slug":"wfr068-eagle-cliff-mtn-2709-8906-ft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/sota-trip-report\/wfr068-eagle-cliff-mtn-2709-8906-ft\/","title":{"rendered":"W\u00d8C\/FR-\u00d868 (Eagle Cliff Mtn.) – 2709 m \/ 8906 ft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eagle Cliff Mountain (W\u00d8C\/FR-068<\/a>) is part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains \u2013 just six miles south of Estes Park, right at the border to Rocky Mountain N.P.<\/a> (the summit is within RMNP). There is no official trail up to the summit, but it seems to be a popular hike based on the faint network of trails. The ascent can be tackled from either County Road 66 (south slope) or from the RMNP side (NW slope via Moraine Park\/Museum parking lot). I have chosen the south side of the mountain because I wanted to activate Emerald Mountain (W\u00d8C\/FR-\u00d858<\/a>) as well (see separate trip-report<\/a>) – Emerald Mountain is just a few miles up the road and thus the two make an ideal pair for a double activation. Both hikes are relatively short in terms of miles, but steep. The drive up the Big Thompson Canyon<\/a> took a little longer than usual due to the fact that the road was still snow-covered with icy spots in some areas. When I exited the canyon near Estes Park<\/a>, the sky was blue and no cloud was in sight – a welcome indicator for a great day ahead.<\/p>\n

Trailhead: 7836 ft \/ 2388 m
\nSummit:\u00a0\u00a0 8906 ft \/ 2709 m
\nElev. gain: 1216 ft \/ 371 m
\nRoundtrip: 2.3\u00a0 mi \/ 3.7 km<\/p>\n

Compare this summit with my other activated summits<\/a><\/p>\n

How to get there:
\n<\/strong>Take US34 from Loveland towards Estes Park through Big Thompson Canyon. Eagle Cliff Mountain is on the south-west side of Estes Park. Stay on US34 towards Rocky Mountain NP<\/a>. turn left onto County Road 66 (or Tunnel Road), following the signs to the YMCA campus. The TH is right after you pass the ‘Dunraven Inn<\/em>‘ on the right side of the road. There is a small dirt road with a metal-gate… you have to be very creative in finding a parking spot for your car (see Red Tape). If you pass the gate to the YMCA, you have gone too far.
\nA better option (in terms of parking ) might be to take US-34 into RMNP, then continue towards Moraine Park and park on the Museum parking lot.<\/p>\n

Parking\/Trailhead
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