Front Range Range · Colorado 13er · No. 492 of the 13ers
North Ridge over Parry Peak and Mount Eva
Mount Flora, 13,129'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip9.95 mi
Elevation gain4,400'
TrailheadFall River Reservoir
Trailhead elevation10,760'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,129'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
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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 · North Ridge over Parry Peak and Mount Eva
Overview
Mount Flora is the southern end of a long walk along the Continental Divide above Fall River Reservoir. The loop climbs Parry Peak over Mount Bancroft, follows the Divide south over Mount Eva and on about 2.35 miles to Flora, then returns north and down through a basin of lakes.
It is Class 2 and almost all tundra, with short patches of rock. The real challenge is the relentless wind on this exposed ridge.
The loop is about 9.95 miles with 4,400 feet of gain.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Mount Eva by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
Wind and weather on a long exposed ridge.
Route-finding
Easy. Follow the Divide south. Flora's summit is broad; the true high point is farther than it looks.
Leave I-70 at exit 238, just west of Idaho Springs, onto Fall River Road (County Road 275), the road to St. Mary's Glacier. At 6.6 miles, where the road makes its second sharp switchback away from the river, turn left onto Rainbow Road (FR 174.1), a gravel road that gets rougher as it goes. Almost all the land along it is private.
At 8.2 miles the road crosses to the south side of the river; there's a pullout and camping area here. At 8.4 miles it passes the Continental Divide Trail trailhead, with little parking. Past here the road is much rougher; only high-clearance 4WD should continue. Stay right at 8.9 miles (left goes to Chinns Lake). There are campsites at 9.4 miles and at the reservoir at 9.7 miles, where a gate stops vehicles below the dam.
TundraTalus and screeRidgeExposed 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
Below the dam 10,760' · 0 mi
Walk north across the open field and into the trees.
2
Treeline 11,560' · 0.8 mi
Head generally north through open forest, gaining about 800 feet to the tundra.
3
Mount Bancroft 13,250' · 2 mi
Follow Mount Bancroft's southeast ridge on tundra, embedded rock and rubble, steeper near its summit cone.
4
Parry Peak 13,367' · 2.7 mi
Walk the ridge west from Bancroft, drop to the low point, and climb about 400 feet to Parry. Views of the plains and Winter Park.
5
Parry-Eva saddle 12,700' · 3.3 mi
Walk south across Parry's flat summit and drop to the saddle on tundra.
6
Mount Eva 13,131' · 3.9 mi
Climb about 430 feet of broken rock and rubble. The summit is broad and flat, with an old metal building to the south that can give shelter from the wind.
7
Witter Peak ridge 12,700' · 5 mi
Continue south over two saddles, passing the ridge that branches east to Witter Peak.
8
Summit 13,129' · 6.25 mi
Walk on to Flora's broad, flat summit and find the true high point.
Getting down
Walk about 1.5 miles back north to the Witter Peak ridge. Walk back north to the saddle between Eva and the Witter Peak ridge. Find a way down east into the basin with Slater, Sherwin and Chinns lakes; early in summer you may glissade. Stay on the south side of the creek to avoid willows, pick up a trail at Slater Lake, follow it past Sherwin and Chinns lakes, and head back down to the reservoir. A trail from Flora southeast toward Breckenridge Peak leads away from your car.
If things go wrong
From the Eva area, drop east into the lake basin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
This route is off trail. 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.
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.