West Ridge over Gold Dust Peak

Overview

Pika Peak is a rocky summit south of Gold Dust Peak in the northern Holy Cross Wilderness. From the top you can see Mystic Island Lake to the south, and Big Spruce, Horseshoe and Big lakes about 1,200 feet below to the northeast.

After Gold Dust, you go back down its west ridge into the grassy basin, cross the meadow and climb about 1,400 feet to Pika: first a boulder pile and a trough to a flat, narrow part of the west ridge, then rubble and gravel to the top. It's Class 2+ and easy to follow. The direct ridge from Gold Dust is a long Class 3 scramble.

The round trip with Gold Dust is about 11.85 miles with 5,400 feet of gain. Pika alone from Gold Dust is about 1.7 miles and 1,450 feet one way. Fit hikers have gone from summit to summit in about an hour and a half.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

Leave I-70 at Eagle and cross the river heading south. At the roundabout just past the river, go west on old US 6, then turn south at the next roundabout, about a mile on, following signs for Sylvan Lake State Park. The road winds south and southeast through neighborhoods to the Brush Creek Road (County Road 307, also Forest Road 400) just after a creek crossing. Turn right (southeast) and drive 11.8 miles, past a large golf course, to a signed junction and turn left (east) on Forest Road 415.

The good gravel road reaches a set of switchbacks after about 3 miles and Yeoman Park Campground 2.7 miles later. Keep going southeast past the campground and past the left turn to Fulford, to the end of Forest Road 415. Only the last 2 miles are rough; regular cars do make it, but higher clearance helps. It's about 19 miles from the second roundabout in Eagle. The lot is busy on weekends with people going to Fulford Cave.

Walk from the southeast end of the lot along an old road bed to a fork. The Iron Edge trail (1873) goes right toward the Peter Estin Hut; take the left fork, the Lake Charles trail (1899). If you pass cabins, you're on the wrong one. Yeoman Park Campground has toilets and fee sites, and a small fee campground with six sites and a toilet sits at the trailhead. Neither has water, and both fill up on summer weekends.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Lake Charles trailhead 9,440' · 0 mi

   Follow the Lake Charles trail south. It stays fairly flat for about 2.5 miles, then climbs more steeply.

2. 2

   Meadow and stream 10,700' · 3.5 mi

   Reach a meadow where a small stream comes in from the east, draining the basin under Gold Dust Peak.

3. 3

   Small lake 10,820' · 3.7 mi

   Pass an unnamed lake, then leave the trail and go east into the basin. Stay on the south side of the stream and use faint game trails to get around most obstacles.

4. 4

   Gold Dust Peak 13,398' · 5.25 mi

   Climb Gold Dust as on its page: east up the basin, then north up the rocky southwest slope and west ridge.

5. 5

   Drop into the basin 12,400' · 5.6 mi

   Head back down Gold Dust's west ridge to about 12,400 feet, then descend the rocks into the basin.

6. 6

   Basin meadow 11,700' · 6.1 mi

   Cross the big flat meadow with its winding stream.

7. 7

   Pika west ridge 12,000' · 6.4 mi

   Scramble up through boulders, then up a clear slope and trough, about 300 feet, to the flat, narrow part of the ridge.

8. 8

   Pika Peak 13,130' · 6.95 mi

   Follow the ridge on mid-sized boulders and some gravel. It's a bit less rocky than Gold Dust.

Getting down

Go down the west ridge. Either drop back into the basin, or keep going toward Lake Charles, picking the easiest way past a few rocky spots. From the lake, follow the trail about 4.9 miles to the trailhead.

If things go wrong

The basin between the two peaks leads back to the trail.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

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

• Pika Peak West Ridge this routeClass 2+ 11.85 mi