Just make your way to County Road 16 and continue on the dirt road for about 5-6 miles to reach the East Portal Trailhead of Moffat Tunnel. It was crazy. The area's elevation ranges from 9,200 to 13,294 feet. The wind picked up around noon, and by the time we reached the top to exit, the wind was pushing you up the mountain. Boots would have been a better option than the hiking sneakers I used, but definitely doable if you don’t knee the ankle support. In order to reach this trail, you’ll need to head southeast of Highway 40 to Rollin’s Pass Road, also labeled as County Road 80 or Forest Road 149. Wouldn't know how this hike is, couldn't access the trailhead. Getting up and around St. Mary's Glacier can be a little tricky, but doable. The views are phenomenal and and with a small add on you could venture over to Little Echo Lake. Breckinridge Peak and Mount Flora via North Empire Creek, Red Elephant Hill to Empire Loop [PRIVATE PROPERTY], Rogers Pass Lake via South Boulder Creek Trail, Crater Lakes Trail via South Boulder Creek Trail, James Peak North East Ridge via Little Echo Lake, Arapaho Lakes via Rogers Pass Trail and Forest Lakes Trail, Continental Divide: Loch Lomond to Berthoud Pass, Kingston Spur East via St. Mary's Glacier [CLOSED]. Got to the trailhead at 7:15am. It's almost inaccessible unless you have a HIGH clearance 4WD vehicle. If you can make it to the top of the glacier, you can make it all the way (just might take a while). The hike up to James peak was strenuous; lots of soft crumbly rocks made it difficult to get good footing. James Peak is a popular summer hike with several route possibilities. Sunrise over James Peak James Peak Trail is a 8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Black Hawk, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The James Peak Wilderness was designated as wilderness in 2002 by an act of Congress and signed by George W. Bush. Bring your backpack with a few snacks and some water, and take advantage of this beautiful hike especially in the fall when the aspen trees are changing colors. Views of high alpine peaks, James Lake, and stunted krummholz trees. Trail is clear of snow, but there are still a couple of pockets of snow in the shade along the trail. Really bummed that we couldn’t summit - but we had to be responsible hikers and know when it’s our limit. Our Jeep got stuck while driving up this. Awesome spot, dynamite scenery! I think calling St Mary’s Glacier a glacier is too generous. There is car traffic but it is low, maybe 1 car every half hour. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until October. By Terri Cook • June 26, 2018. snowshoes might be helpful as you get into the higher basin as the snow is very deep and there were some points where I was knee deep in snow, but I did the whole thing in just crampons and it was mostly fine. Winds were about 40mph. The James Peak Lake Trail is located 9.0 miles from Central City, Colorado (CO) in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest. However, a terribly marked trail. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until September. We had maps downloaded to keep us on track as there were several off-shoots; the trail butts up to private land. The highlight of the trail, at least for us, wasn't the peak, but rather the views along the way. I brought my microspikes but never needed to use them. way back down was nice but the glacier was rediculously crowded, it didn't help that no one was wearing masks. There is approximately 20 miles of trail. Snowshoes are definitely not needed if you follow the packed snow footprints/cairns. It is situated in Boulder, Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties of Colorado and is part of both the Roosevelt and Arapaho National Forests. Absolutely absurd. Peak-to-Peak Mileage Chart; 13ers; 360° Summit Panoramas; Map; Export Peak Names to File; Routes. James Peak Trail is a 12.9 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Black Hawk, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as difficult. James Peak; View More Photos Summit: 13,294 feet : 39.85201°N,-105.6904°W Rank in CO: 405 of 637 13er Rank in CO: 352 of 584 13er Rank in Range: 32 of 59 Weather Information Peak Conditions (Last Report: 2020-12-05) 1,567 Member Ascents: 13ERS WITHIN 2 miles The Heart Lake Trail, Forest Lakes Trail, and Crater Lakes Trail are all part of the James Peak Wilderness Area with their trailheads located at the Moffat Tunnel East Portal about 8 miles west of Rollinsville, Co, on the well-groomed dirt Tolland Road (also called East Portal The view north-northeast towards Rocky Mountain National Park and Long's Peak. Before you reach the summit of James Peak you will pass two false summits. Directions are way off. We did get pelted by a few small hails. crampons were a huge help getting up the glacier. Micro spikes were helpful, but you could definitely do without. Length: 6 miles round-trip Dogs are also able to use this trail. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. The James Peak area became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 2002. The first part of the trail is pretty difficult, however i tore my acl 9 months before doing this and was still able to complete it relatively easy. Other than the first pitch down from the parking area, the hike is pretty tame. Length 3.1 miElevation gain 807 ftRoute type Loop The other two suggestions can be accessed by passenger car. Hiking trip report for James Peak, Parry Peak, Mount Eva, Mount Flora Loop, located in Arapaho National Forest, Colorado. there is parking at the trail head although the route is not for the faint of heart, running one lane on a ledge for the last half mile. The trail will disappear at the jeep trail but there are several trail markers that will connect you back to it. When you reach the base of the obvious face of James Peak, which is a mix of tundra and rocks, the trail makes easy switchbacks but at a steeper grade. This is a good alternative to hiking a 14er if you still want ‘the 14 experience’ but not the crowds. But there are no bailouts (besides turning around) once on the CDT headed to Rollins Pass (aka Corona Pass). There was still some snow on the trail. Trail Ratings 3.5 from 4 votes #2 in Indian Peaks #252 Overall. It was somewhat strange hiking downhill to my destination, but found it was worth every minute!BEing that you are at a higher elevation, that hike back out definitely got the heart pumping a little. At this rate, that snow may not melt off. I love the hike up to (or towards) James Peak and really enjoy coming up here in the winter. Please respect the National Forest closures. Getting there I passed a Chevy Van... so there's that. Maybe 100 years ago it had more snow but today it looks like a sad dirty slab of ice. There are trails on either side of the Glacier to help you get up it. 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