Front Range Range · Colorado 13er · No. 194 of the 13ers
Over Mount Chiquita from Chapin Pass
Ypsilon Mountain, 13,513'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip8 mi
Elevation gain3,200'
TrailheadChapin Pass (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Trailhead elevation11,000'
Conditions on the summit
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Afternoon storm risk is the line that matters. Everything else is comfort. In summer, plan to be off the ridge before the build-up starts, not as it starts. Forecast for the summit point, adjusted for its elevation · data from Open-Meteo.
Colorado 13er · Over Mount Chiquita from Chapin Pass
Overview
Ypsilon Mountain is named for the Y-shaped couloir on its huge east face in the Mummy Range. From the Chapin Pass trailhead you follow the trail over Mount Chiquita, drop about 200 feet to the saddle, and climb tundra and cairned rock just inside the east face to the summit.
It is Class 2. Near the top you pass two false summits and walk along the edge of the big east face.
The round trip is about 8 miles with about 3,200 feet of gain. Mileage and gain are our estimates.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 7 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Chiquita's summit by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
Nothing hard; stay back from the edge of the east face.
Route-finding
Easy. Follow cairns once the tundra turns to rock.
From Estes Park, follow Highway 34 into Rocky Mountain National Park at its Fall River entrance. Past the bighorn sheep viewing area, turn right after about 2 miles onto Old Fall River Road.
Old Fall River Road is gravel and one-way uphill, and it usually opens only from early July into fall. Drive 6.9 miles from where it turns to dirt to the signed Chapin Pass trailhead and park in the pullout on the left. When you're done, continue up to the Alpine Visitor Center and return on Trail Ridge Road.
The park charges an entry fee and may require a timed-entry reservation in summer. Dogs aren't allowed on trails. Check the park website.
Chapin Pass (Rocky Mountain National Park). Road conditions near the trailhead change after storms. Check your clearance and have a backup plan for a lower lot.
TundraRidgeExposed to lightning
The line is elevation, the band underneath is the ground, and the numbered dots match the steps below. Mileage and elevations are approximate.
1
Chapin Pass trailhead 11,000' · 0 mi
Climb a few hundred yards and turn right at the sign for the Chapin, Chiquita and Ypsilon summits.
2
All Summits junction 11,500' · 0.75 mi
Go right at the sign for All Summits, and right again at an unsigned split just after.
3
Below Mount Chapin 11,900' · 1.25 mi
The trail skirts Mount Chapin; its true summit is the eastern high point, about 400 feet of trailless tundra above you if you want it.
4
Chapin-Chiquita saddle 12,000' · 1.6 mi
Keep straight at a trail crossing near the saddle.
5
Rocky slope 13,000' · 2.5 mi
The trail fades into Class 2 rock near 13,000 feet.
6
Mount Chiquita 13,054' · 2.55 mi
Cross the rocks to Chiquita's summit.
7
Saddle 12,850' · 3 mi
Head west off Chiquita and drop about 200 feet to the saddle.
8
First false summit 13,300' · 3.4 mi
Climb tundra, keeping a little back from Ypsilon's east face. Where grass gives way to rock, cairns mark the way.
9
Summit 13,513' · 4 mi
Pass rock flakes and another false summit just past the south branch of the Y couloir. The true summit is just beyond the north branch.
Watch for: Big drop-offs on the east side.
Getting down
Return over Chiquita the same way.
If things go wrong
The Chiquita trail is the way down.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past Mount Chiquita the route crosses trailless tundra and rock. A flyover only works when there is a set trail to trace. Without one, the line would be a guess, and a guess could send you the wrong way on the mountain. Use the step-by-step route with a good map and GPS track instead.
See the trail on video
No video yet
We haven’t found a good video of this route that matches the way we describe it. The route strip, junctions and 3D flyover show the way in the meantime.
Other routes
Every way up Ypsilon Mountain we list, with its class.
Chapin-Chiquita-Ypsilon (CCY)this routeClass 2 9 mi
Ypsilon Mtn/Mummy Range Clean OutClass 2 15.6 mi
Chapin Pass to Chiquita-Ypsilon-FairchildClass 3 11 mi
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Most 13ers see few people, so there may be no one along behind you. Check recent conditions the week you go, carry a map, tell someone your plan, and turn around when the day tells you to.