Crosier Mountain Rainbow Trail (Drake, CO) – trailmap – more info
Trails traveled: Crosier Mountain Rainbow Trail, Crosier Mountain Trail, Crosier Mountain Summit Trail, Difficulty: Blue-Black, Black (Hard)
Out-and-Back, 7.6 miles round-trip, Elevation Gain: 2,401ft, Summit Elevation: 9,255ft
Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes
Weather: 55 °F, Partly Cloudy, Light Snow

Hike Recap:

• Summit
• Wildflowers
• Epic Mountain Views
• Twin Sisters Peak
• Longs Peak
• Meeker Peak
• Near Rocky Mountain National Park
• Aspen
• Pines
• Solitude

This was a hard hike. It was steep in a lot of parts. I guess there was a longer hike that wasn’t as steep (Crosier Mountain Trail in Glen Haven, CO) that gets you to the top at a more gradual grade, which may have been more “fun.” Nonetheless, I loved this hike when I got to the summit.

From the beginning you feel the steepness of the hike. You feel like you are walking up stairs that never end on this hike. I was sucking wind within 15 minutes of starting this hike. I guess I need to more cardio conditioning. That doesn’t surprise me.

One of my favorite parts of the hike was this Simpson Hedgehog Cactus Flower I found. It was beautiful. It was perfect. I wasn’t to expecting to find anything like this and I think it is my favorite wildflower I have found on a hike this Spring so far. It’s amazing that something so beautiful can come out of something like a cactus that is prickly and painful to touch. I am sure there is an object lesson there.

 

The other part that was unexpected was that it snowed about three-quarters up the mountain during the hike. It was unexpected because the skies were blue, there were hardly any clouds, and the temperature was in the mid-fifties outside. It was pretty light snow and it only lasted about thirty minutes, but it was just kind of bizarre. I did feel somehow like heaven was dusting me with blessings.

The summit of Crosier Mountain was totally worth it. The hike I did at Reynolds Park last week I said was my favorite hike of the season so far, but the views on this hike were even more stunning. It was so beautiful. There was a breathtaking view of three huge peaks from the summit including: Twin Sisters Peak, Meeker Peak, and off in the distance, Longs Peak, all fourteeners (14,000ft tall and above). I spent a good twenty plus minutes just soaking in the amazing view.

– Jason