Elevation: - 11,941' maximum
elevation
Location - Southeast of Grant in Colorado.
The Ben Tyler trail starts at about 8,400' from Highway 285 east of Santa Maria climbing the heavily wooded slopes of the Platte River Mountains. It reaches a pass of about 11,650', crossing to the east of Mount Blaine (12,303') and the north and south Twin Cone Peaks (12,323' and 12,265', respectively). It then descends to the south, ending at another trailhead on Rock Creek at approximate 9,800'. Most of the trail is in the Lost Creek Wilderness Area.
Mike and I have climbed the trail from both sides (the southern side was the route we took for the start of our trip to Craig Park), but we have never done the full traverse, which would be about 10 miles. We've climbed from the north side the most, both in the summer and winter. In the summer, it is a steep hike through trees with a nice payoff of being above timberline with views of Mt. Bierstadt and environs to the north. In the winter it can be an epic snow shoeing trip, since it gains about 1,000' per mile. We've never taken pictures from the north side, my memory serving up a reason that we usually summit in bad weather. On at least one trip in the winter we climbed to point 11941 just to the east of where the trail reaches the pass, this marking the highest elevation we've gained from this trail. Photos follow.
Panorama - expand your browser or scroll to the right.
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South Twin Cone Peak (left) and
Mt. Blaine (right) from the pass at
the top of the Ben Tyler Trail. This
picture was taken during our trip
down Craig Park.
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Copyright © 2003 - James Lehmer - All Rights Reserved.
