North Side from Bonanza

Overview

Antora Peak is an isolated 13er in the far south end of the Sawatch, southwest of Poncha Pass, above the old mining town of Bonanza. It's a gentle, quiet peak that few people visit.

You walk up little Kerber Creek and through open, logged forest on old logging roads, then cross-country to a broad ridge. From there it's a long tundra walk to the saddle north of the peak, then rockier slopes to the northwest ridge and a well-used path through scree to the top. It's Class 2.

The round trip is about 6.5 miles with 2,565 feet of gain. Older kids can do it. Carry the summit and car positions in a GPS; you can't see the peak from the trees.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Poncha Springs, take US 285 south over Poncha Pass toward Villa Grove, about 21.6 miles. Just north of Villa Grove (about 1,200 feet short of town), turn right (west) on County Road LL56. It's paved for about 5 miles, then good graded gravel 15.4 miles to Bonanza, a cluster of old cabins. Don't turn left on HH50 about 7 miles in.

Go straight through Bonanza onto Forest Road 862. About a mile past town the road forks; keep left on 862, which turns into a narrow single-lane road but isn't slow or hard. It climbs west through aspen and conifers and makes a short switchback right, then left; ignore the side road on the right at the second bend. Less than a mile later, Forest Road 861 goes sharply left and 862.2D curves right to Mosquito Lake. Park at this junction. Most vehicles with decent clearance can make it.

There are no campgrounds nearby. You can camp at primitive spots past Bonanza or at the junction, and LL56 crosses a lot of BLM land. The closest campground is O'Haver Lake (28 sites, 9,200 feet), up Forest Road 200 about 2 miles north of Poncha Pass.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Forest Road 861 junction 10,705' · 0 mi

   Walk west-northwest along Kerber Creek, now just a trickle.

2. 2

   Logging roads 10,950' · 0.6 mi

   Old logging roads lace the area. Use them while they go your way; when they fade, head west-southwest through open forest.

3. 3

   Broad ridge 11,384' · 1.3 mi

   Reach the broad ridge coming off UN 12,574 near the 11,384-foot mark, and leave the trees.

4. 4

   North saddle 12,500' · 2.4 mi

   Walk the long tundra ridge, with a little scree, toward the saddle north of Antora.

5. 5

   Northwest ridge 12,900' · 2.9 mi

   Turn southwest up tundra that gets rockier, toward a higher, smaller notch on the northwest ridge.

6. 6

   Summit 13,269' · 3.25 mi

   Follow a well-used path through scree to the top, where there's a rock shelter.

Getting down

Go back the same way, or swing over Points 12,860 and 12,574 (both unranked) on the way down. Use your GPS to find your car.

If things go wrong

Head back down the tundra ridge to the trees.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up Antora Peak we list, with its class.

• Antora Peak from Bonanza this routeClass 2 6.5 mi