Kingston Peak

Description

Elevation: - 12,147'
Location - Northwest of Idaho Springs in Colorado near the Continental Divide.

Trip Report(s)

"Sometime in the 1990s" (that's as best as I can date it), Mike and I drove up the Fall River Road off of I-70 to the St. Mary's Glacier trailhead (9,800'). From there we hiked to the glacier at about 10,600', which is really not a glacier in Alaskan or Cascade Range terms, or even in Wyoming terms. It is simply a large permanent snow field filling a basin with about a 70' sloping face on the lower end. We hiked up the face of the glacier and along the snow field, exiting onto a slope on the north side around 11,000. From there we climbed uphill off trail through the bristelcone pines. These ancient, twisted trees are among the oldest things alive, scratching out an existence near timberline. We came across the most bizarre sight among them - a line of them stretching over 100' that really appeared as if someone had planted them. They were just in a row, their gnarled branches each reaching from side to side to touch their neighbors as if in some bizarre topiary.

Breaking out of timberline around 11,400', we continued northwest up the slope of Kingston Peak. We really did not have an itinerary that day, but once we saw how close it was, and that it was just a gentle walk along the ridge to the summit, we decided that would be our goal. We reached the summit easily, and had great views of (well-named :-) James Peak (13,294') and Mt. Bancroft (13,250') on the Continental Divide to our west, the Indian Peaks stretching out to the north of us, and all of the Front Range sweeping from north to south to our east.

The only disappointment was looking down into the saddle between us and James Peak and seeing a jeep road with SUVs on it, but it is hard to get away from that in the areas where mining left many roads, trails and railroad grades, such as near Idaho Springs where we were, and in many places in the gorgeous San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. I guess since the history of exploration and mining in Colorado turned me onto history, geology and a love of mountains in general when I was growing up there in the 1960s and 1970s, I shouldn't complain now that my sense of esthetics have changed!

We then hiked the three miles back out the way we came, and left. A nice day hike. Photos follow.

Photos

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