You know whats sort of funny about mountain bikes? One of the least common places youll ever ride one is to the summit of a mountain. And you know what one of the best things there is about the Colorado experience? Standing at the summit of a real mountain peak. Though the 13- and 14-thousand foot mountains in Colorado do get rather snowy in the dead of winter, in the fall and early winter many mountains exist near BBI that dont necessitate much beyond standard hiking gear even after the first big snow of the year. Take, for instance, the Almagre Mountains. Almagre Mountain, with an elevation of 12,367, sits roughly 4.5 miles southeast of Pikes Peak and features prominently in the view from most of Colorado Springs. Almagre Mountain South, also a prominent feature in the view from most of Colorado Springs, rises to a slightly lower elevation of 12,349, and sits roughly 1.3 miles south of its northern counterpart. Both peaks can be accessed from Gold Camp Road, after either a 45 minute or 90 minute drive from BBI. The closer option leads you to a well-marked trail/road combo of about a 15 mile round trip, consisting of an approximate 3,400 elevation gain. This route also suits mountain bikes. The more distant option leads to a shorter, though more adventurous route, during which you will need to do some route finding to complete the roughly 7 mile round trip with about 2,000 elevation gain. With either route, you get great views of Pikes Peak from a rarely-seen angle, as well as great views of the McReynolds, Mason, and Stratton reservoirs. Also on either route, you walk right along the edge of Stratton reservoir in the bowl between the two peaks. If you have never seen it before, there is nothing like staring into the glass-still, crystal-clear water of an alpine lake. If you take the shorter, 7 mile route, youll be looking down on the McReynolds and Mason reservoirs for much of your day. If you take the longer, 15 mile route, you wont see them until you reach either summit, but the views of the reservoirs from the summits are jaw-dropping. The visibility of large radio towers on top of Almagre Mountain South, which remain in view until you are just a few hundred feet below them, greatly simplifies the navigation. Another great hike can be found roughly an hour northwest in the Tarryall Range. About 37 miles northwest of Pikes Peak exists a little-known gem called Bison Peak. At an elevation of 12,432, Bison Peak features dramatic rock formations, similar to Garden of the Gods, sitting on top of a rolling, 12,000 mesa. Its easy to spend hours just wandering around looking at the wildly varying clusters of rocks; you might fill multiple camera cards trying to capture the stunning sights. Getting to the easily accessible trailhead takes about an hours drive from BBI. At a relatively long 14 mile round trip, with a roughly 4,000 elevation gain, it has sights along the way and majestic views from the top that make the rewards very much worth the effort. Even closer to BBI can be found the little-known but much appreciated Mount Heizer. Sitting roughly 5.5 miles northeast of Pikes Peak, it offers great views of Pikes Peak while remaining at a much lower altitude. Heizer tops out at 9,076, but with the trailhead at roughly 7,500, youll still need to travel about 3 miles and 1,500 up the mountainside to get to the top. Once there, if the 6 mile round trip provides too little satisfaction, continue to follow the trail all the way to its intersection with Barr Trail (the standard route up Pikes Peak) to make for more than an 18-mile round trip. For more information on these nearby hiking options: Almagre Mountain: summitpost.org/almagre-mountain/152782 Bison Peak: summitpost.org/bison-peak/151572 Mount Heizer: cospringstrails/hikes/heizer.html
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 17:02:51 +0000